Sherlock Holmes and the Thistle of Scotland [Hardcover]

L. B. Greenwood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1989

The Kiwi Target by John Ball; Deadly Promise by Mignon F. Ballard; Sherlock Holmes and the Thistle of Scotland by L. B. Greenwood

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Greenwood's third imitation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic mysteries is set in the home of the Earl and Countess of Mowbray, Lambeth, after the wedding of their daughter Lady Caroline to fortune-hunter Adolphus Stanley. The bride is wearing a priceless hair clip (an inheritance from Mary Queen of Scotts), when the great amethyst centerpiece vanishes. Since the nuptials took place in full view of everyone present, the disappearance is inexplicable, so the Mowbrays call on Sherlock Holmes to investigate. As Dr. Watson tells the story, the detective studies the people involved, then focuses on how the unlikely perpetrator played a temporarily successful trick. It is, unfortunately, too far-fetched a version of the locked-door mystery to inspire credibility. Greenwood's vivid, authentic evocations of Victorian places, manners and mores are exciting but the denouement is a letdown. Detective Book Club selection.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 205 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; First Edition edition (October 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671659162
• ISBN-13: 978-0671659165
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,135,956 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not quite the Holmes I remember, April 8, 2008

By 

Diane Schirf - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sherlock Holmes and the Thistle of Scotland (Mass Market Paperback)

It's been many years since I read the Sherlock Holmes canon, so I may not be the best qualified to judge the worthiness of Sherlock Holmes and the Thistle of Scotland as a pastiche. From what I recall, however, L. B. Greenwood has made a valiant if not entirely successful attempt to give new life to the great Victorian detective.

The outline of the mystery, which involves an impoverished earl, a contracted marriage, and a valuable historic gem, is pure Holmes. On the day of Lady Caroline's wedding, her only dowry, the famous Thistle of Scotland amethyst, is stolen from her hair--in front of a room full of family, guests, and servants. The clues are odd and apparently unconnected: a white thread, deliberately damaged books, ugly trousers, uncurled hair, and the very elusiveness of the victim. Only Holmes could make sense of so many random clues.

Greenwood draws on as many Holmes canon elements as possible, including Mrs. Hudson, references to a previous case, Holmes in disguise, a train trip, ancillary puzzles, the Baker Street Irregulars, and (of course) a vainglorious Scotland Yard inspector. There are more Holmes elements than in any one Conan Doyle story--indeed, there are too many. Here, they serve as utilitarian devices that lack the evocative charm that Conan Doyle gave them. The brash young inspector is bland, without a distinctive personality. The train trip confirms a clue, but Holmes is not aboard to make chilling observations, such as how easily crime can be committed and hidden among the peaceful farmhouses of the countryside. The cabs roll along the streets of London, accompanied by mundane detail about how they are hailed and how expensive they are. Conan Doyle (who, I understand, was not familiar with London) evoked London's foggy nights and murky underworld so vividly that the city feels tangible and real--so much so that people still look for 221B Baker Street. It's as though Greenwood grasps the vocabulary, but not the grammar. The words and the physical references are correct, but the subtle nuances that would make Holmes, Watson, and the rest live again in the imagination are missing. Instead, they are flat characters in a somewhat efficient if not engaging plot.

Holmes himself lacks the sharp wit, intellectual arrogance, and emotional detachment that made Conan Doyle's character enigmatic and compelling. He questions the servants too gently, he doesn't brood in the way Watson always finds so disturbing, he fails to chide the doctor for his inability to make sense of all that he has observed, he offers no philosophical insights into human behavior, and he doesn't express smug elation when he reveals what happened. Even worse, he doesn't explain how he makes the enormous mental leap required to make sense of the clues, and focuses on how the clues fit his solution rather than on how they led him to it. There is no real evidence against the culprit other than possession (why the amethyst was not disposed of after the theft is not adequately explained, so even this makes little sense). The ending is rushed, and I felt cheated by the somewhat scattershot buildup to and presentation of the solution.

Sherlock Holmes and the Thistle of Scotland begins solidly enough, but Greenwood tries too hard to be clever and not hard enough to be evocative. The fate of Lady Caroline is more of a bow to 1980s feminist sensibilities than the logical culmination of the story as told. The broadest strokes are found throughout, but Conan Doyle's subtle touches are missing. Most important, the great detective himself is missing. The man who says, "Five-and-three? Dear me! I foresee that this case is going to cost a fortune in cab fares," is not the coldly incisive, yet strangely vulnerable Sherlock Holmes I remember, the genius who challenged Professor Moriarty and the misogynist who succumbed to the combined beauty, charm, and intellect of Irene Adler. The surface is here, roughly executed, but the substance is not.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My Review for The Thislte of Scotland by L.B. Greenwood, May 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Sherlock Holmes and the Thistle of Scotland (Curley Large Print Books) (Hardcover)

I liked this book mostly. I read it for a book report but I read very slow and this is a long book. It has 205 pages and I almost finished it. It was a very interesting book and I encourage you to read it if you enjoy Sherlock Holmes, or any mystery for that matter! I haven't got my book report returned but I think I did well! So, go read it!