A review by art_books_chemistry
Sherlock Holmes and the Christmas Demon by James Lovegrove

adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I can't imagine how difficult it must be to try and write something from through the lens of an author from the 1890s writing a story in the 1890s. I found Lovegrove to be very successful in his emulation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's style considering this. I did think in the beginning it felt a little "vocabulary-happy" so to speak, keeping in mind that The Strand magazine, where Doyle published most Holmes stories, was marketed towards a wide audience with varying literacy. I also found Lovegrove's Holmes to be a bit more free with his thought process than is traditionally seen but for the most part I found the character on point. Lovegrove even tied in bits of the original timeline and allusions to other stories just as Doyle used to do. 

Overall, the plot was very much classic Sherlock Holmes though I wasn't thrilled at some of the allusions to Watson cheating on Mary. I did not figure out every part of the conclusion myself, which is definitely a compliment, however I was suspicious of the ultimate villain from the get-go and guessed a bit piece of the final puzzle from the first hint. There were, however, enough twists and turns and red herrings to still make this a very enjoyable read for any mystery or Holmes fan. 
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