The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes by Leonard Goldberg

This is the first in a series, and I've looked at it for a while and finally bought it a few months ago. 

I have to say Sherlock Holmes novels always make me feel like I'm just not that observant.  It's like a test on every page! And this mystery was no different. 

It's 1914. Sherlock Holmes has recently died, and Watson is an elderly retired physician, lost in the memories of all the cases he and Holmes solved in their glory days. Now Watson's son, John Jr. (a physician) makes sure his father is taken care of at 221b Baker Street, the same apartment where Holmes lived. A woman visits, asking for Watson's help. Her brother has recently died--jumped from a window to his death. She, however, doesn't believe it was a suicide, and asks for help to clear her brother's name. 

Two witnesses to the death--a young mother and her son, turn out to be Joanna  and Johnnie Blalock. Joanna is Holmes' daughter, the product of a one night affair between Holmes and Irene Adler; adopted after Irene dies shortly after giving birth to Joanna. Watson knows exactly who she is, and wow, she is as intellectual and brilliantly observant as her father and mother. 

Watson, John Jr., and Joanna soon begin digging into the mysterious suicide of Charles Harrelston, and quickly find a culprit: Dr. Christopher Moran. It seems pretty cut and dried, but this quickly became much more complicated and in-depth than I expected. There are more deaths, a secret code, old war secrets, and a race against time before Dr. Moran claims his final victim. 

My only issues were the "romance" between Watson Jr. and Joanna. It seemed kind of dumb and just thrown in for no good reason. And not much of a romance, either. Also, I was a bit annoyed at all the men being astounded at Joanna's ability to decipher clues and figure things out. Come on! Women are smart! 

I'l probably read more in the series--there are at least another 2-3 in the series after this first mystery. 

Rating: 4/6 for a good mystery that kept unfolding. A few things annoyed me, but overall a satisfying beginning to a smart series. 

Available in paperback, audio, and ebook. 

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The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes by Leonard Goldberg

The Sparrow Sisters by Ellen Herrick

Fall's here and for me that means Halloween is just around the corner. Pumpkin bread, paranormal shows on TV, and books with an element of magic are on tap for this gal. The Sparrow Sisters fits neatly into my Fall reading frame of mind, and makes a great new addition to book club lists that may have gotten a bit stale over the summer. 

The Sparrow sisters:  Sorrel, Nettie, and Patience, are as much a part of their hometown Granite Point as the sea and the seasons.  Their family goes back generations, to the beginning.  The three sisters own and operate a nursery that is famed for producing the most enticing flowers, fruits, and vegetables year round, and out of season.  They each have a gift, but Patience is the most gifted as the town healer.  She's been the unofficial caretaker of ills and issues for townsfolk who still paid lip service to the medical doctor in town.   But now he's gone, and a new doctor has taken his place:  Dr. Henry Carlyle, a handsome man who walks with a limp and carries an air of sadness and compassion with him.  He's fleeing from the memories of combat and what he feels was his most devastating failure as a doctor.  He's not one to believe much in potions and tinctures, but he's heard about the Sparrow sisters and is intrigued.  

As you can imagine, Henry and Patience meet, and it's instant attraction on both sides--and neither is much happy about it.  Their relationship is a pretty big part of the story, but the biggest story involves Patience and her friendship with a local young boy.  What happens causes a major upheaval in Granite Point.  There's finger pointing, a whirlwind of gossip, accusations of witchcraft, and a town in danger of repeating history it would rather forget.  

Loved this book.  Right up my alley as far as magic, romance, gardening, and interesting characters.  It also addresses the issue of gossip and how damaging it can be to a community.  People taking ignorance and turning it into fear and hate.  This would make an excellent book club book; so many topics to dig into and discuss.  Anyone who likes contemporary women's fiction with a dab of natural magic and an interest in natural cures and remedies should add this to your reading list.  

Rating:  7/10 for a first novel that is well written with lush images of gardens, fruits, and flowers. Multi-layered story-lines all come together quite well.   Interesting characters with the hope for a sequel to tell Sorrel's story.   

Available in paperback and e-book.

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The Sparrow Sisters by Ellen Herrick

City of Lost Dreams by Magnus Flyte

These books are so much fun to read!  City of Lost Dreams by Magnus Flyte (actually authors Meg Howrey and Christina Lynch) is the follow up to last year's City of Dark Magic.  You do need to read City of Dark Magic first or the second novel won't make much sense.  

In City of Lost Dreams, Sarah Watson finds herself traveling to Vienna to meet with a specialist, hoping to find a cure for her friend Pollina, a young piano virtuoso.  Pollina is slowly dying and Sarah and friends are frantic to find a cure.  

But Vienna is just as mysterious as Prague was in City of Dark Magic, and Sarah is soon entangled in a mystery surrounding a missing doctor, two brothers desperate to keep their family home, and murder.  Throw in Nico, a four-hundred year old dwarf and Sarah's love, Max, and it's a madcap adventure set in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.  

Flyte's first novel concentrated a lot on Sarah and Max's irresistible sexual chemistry; this novel is more about Pollina and her otherworldly ability to write music and sense the magic surrounding her.  We get to know the characters and what drives them.  Nico especially is one character that develops into a favorite, and Sarah discovers some important talents she never knew she possessed.  

I would recommend these novels to anyone who wants to read a fantastical adventure that combines history, alchemy, and music, but isn't science fiction.  There's also a great love story that keeps evolving and has you cheering for Sarah and Max.  I can't wait to read another adventure by Magnus Flyte.

Rating:  8/10 for a sequel that is even better than the first novel.  Vienna as a character makes this one a hard to put down read!

Available in paperback and e-book.

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City of Lost Dreams by Magnus Flyte