The Disappearance of Alistair Ainsworth by Leonard Goldberg
The story opens with Joanna Blalock, daughter of Sherlock Holmes, and Watson receiving a bedraggled visitor. The visitor is a doctor who has returned from a harrowing experience where he was taken secretly by carriage to treat a patient who he believes is being held prisoner. The prisoner turns out to be Alistair Ainsworth, a cryptographer who is vital to the English war efforts against the Germans in the Great War. The police and English Intelligence are desperate to find him before the Germans are able to pry out vital secrets which could turn the tide of war. Joanna and the Watsons, father and son, must turn over every stone and use all of their great skills to find and rescue Ainsworth before it is too late.
Anyone who loves Sherlock Holmes stories knows the drill. Devilish clues, intricate conspiracies that can only be unwound by the genius and intellect of the world's greatest detective. Joanna Blalock has inherited her father's skill and penetrating intellect. Goldberg cleverly lays out the clues that lead the detective closer and closer to a solution until she's able to devise a trap and expose the wrongdoers.
Goldberg keeps the mystery inventive and populates the story with characters both familiar and new. The characters are interesting and keep you guessing throughout. The villains are clever and ruthless enough that only the skill and intellect of a Holmes, or in this case Blaylock, can thwart them. The supporting cast, particularly Ainsworth’s fellow cryptographers, are particularly engaging.
Goldberg keeps ratcheting up the stakes leaving the exact outcome in doubt up until the final act. The narration by Steve West is spot-on. His narration conveys both the sense of time in which the novel is set as well as the particular personalities of the characters. Joanna Blalock is as dry and focused as Sherlock Holmes ever was but not without her compassion showing. Both of the Watsons exhibit their loyalty to Blalock as much as they ever did to Sherlock. West's voice complements the pace and intensity of the story.
This book is a story that any fan of Sherlock Holmes or the daughter of Sherlock Holmes will enjoy.
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.
This book is a story that any fan of Sherlock Holmes or the daughter of Sherlock Holmes will enjoy.
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.
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