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I just hope it gets tweaked a bit more before it goes into production; the mystery was fairly 2. I just hope it gets tweaked a bit more before it goes into production; the mystery was fairly well done, but the characters were blah and the story, beyond the initial Sherlock Holmes premise, wasn't that exciting. Speaking of a Sherlock Holmes premise, in that the story revolved around a letter sent to that famous detective which kicks off the action in the story, I was rather expecting the tale to take place somewhere in the UK, not in L.
I guess having a stateside setting allowed Robertson to more easily take advantage of his lazy generalizations concerning the American characters in his book. Now, I'm not a flaming patriot; I get upset quite frequently with America's blunders and often wish our social and governmental systems were run more effectively and efficiently.
However, Robertson paints all his American characters as selfish, suspicious, greedy and generally ignorant of anything outside their small sphere of influence. I might agree with that last generalization, which could apply to almost any human being regardless of country of origin; however, while we all suffer to some degree from one or all of the other traits, I find it hard to believe that Robertson's main character didn't run into at least one nice, helpful and generous individual, even in L.
It seemed rather an amateurish writing error; if I wrote a novel set in England and portrayed all the characters within as upper-crust, white, tea-drinking, public school educated, Margaret Thatcher wannabes, there would certainly be some backlash over such stereotyping. It's possible his second book is a vast improvement over his first; however, as of this moment, I really have very little interest in finding out if that's so. I am afraid that I have to admit to liking this story more because of the narrator telling it, than for the story itself. Until, almost the end of the story, I did not care that much about the main character.
I liked his brother right from the beginning and his girlfriend too. Reggie was just "too much". He seemed to be very arrogant and self centered. He seemed to be his brother's keeper, litterally, and very condecending about it. As the story unfolded, I became a little more understanding and I am afraid that I have to admit to liking this story more because of the narrator telling it, than for the story itself.
As the story unfolded, I became a little more understanding and realized that what he was doing was not so condecending and that he really did love his brother. This is a murder mystery centered around the story of a letter, written by an eight year old girl and addressed to Sherlock Holmes, twenty years before the story takes place. Reggie's company has leased rooms in a building on Baker Street, in London. He had to assign someone to take over opening the mail and sending a form letter back to the person sending the mail.
All of the letters were kept and filed. He had assigned his brother to this task. This is where the story line starts. Nigel is waiting to talk to his brother about some letters that he is concerned about. Reggie doesn't really listen. The next morning, he gets to the office and finds his brother has gone to Los Angeles, California and there is a dead man in his brother's completely trashed office. Reggie follows Nigel to LA, and as the story unfolds, gets into lots of trouble, and he and his brother are almost killed.
I mentioned in one of my early status updates that some of the lines were very funny. They were to me, but I could not tell if it was the way the narrator was saying them, or if that is the way they were actually written. I am still not sure, but I think it was intentional, both on the part of the narrator, Simon Vance and by the author.
I am looking forward to listening to the next story. Sep 18, C.
Bonham rated it liked it. I did enjoy this novel as a casual read but from a Sherlockian point of view it had much to be desired. Actually the only thing that links this narritave to Sherlock Holmes is the Hook about the letters being addressed to him. The science of deduction did not figure into the main Character's, Reggie Heath, problem solving plan at all.
Actually, Heath made quite a mess of his investigation. The story was mostly a cliche with him running all over LA trying to avoid the police while trying to figur I did enjoy this novel as a casual read but from a Sherlockian point of view it had much to be desired. The story was mostly a cliche with him running all over LA trying to avoid the police while trying to figure out who to trust. Also I figured out who the bad guy was way too early. And the ending was unconclusive. Hopefully the next book will wrap it up a little better.
Jul 24, Lynda rated it liked it. I liked this, but I have to admit not as much as I expected to. I realized two odd things: I will buy anything related to Sherlock Holmes. This is not really a surprise, but in the last 10 years or so there has been an explosion of Holmes-related fiction. People who write 5 star reviews on Amazon have not always read the book. The significant error in this review was actually the third one I have noticed in the last couple of weeks.
I buy or seek out a significant number of books based on t I liked this, but I have to admit not as much as I expected to. I buy or seek out a significant number of books based on these reviews, and it upsets me. I listened to this one on audiobook from the library and though I flew through it and found it to be an entertaining read, I was a little disappointed to be honest. This book read as a normal mystery story and the Sherlockian aspects promised by the title and blurb were pretty much non-existent and the story wouldn't have been any different without them. I enjoyed some of the characters and the mystery was intriguing enough, though I feel that the conclusion to the whole thing was too rushed for I listened to this one on audiobook from the library and though I flew through it and found it to be an entertaining read, I was a little disappointed to be honest.
I enjoyed some of the characters and the mystery was intriguing enough, though I feel that the conclusion to the whole thing was too rushed for my liking. Overall, this felt a little silly and I couldn't really recommend it as I don't feel that this is a story that will be memorable at all.
I am glad I read it as I am planning to read many books inspired by Sherlock Holmes this year but to be honest, this wasn't a great start. Jan 30, Gabi rated it liked it Shelves: This book is not at all what I expected. Now, I love all things Sherlock Holmes, so the premise of a pair of brothers who work from the famed b Baker Street address and respond to letters sent to the Great Detective really sounded like my cup of tea. It was a little surprising and a little disappointing to discover that ninety-five percent of the book doesn't have the brothers working together and doesn't even take place in London.
The majority of the story follows older brother Reggie as he This book is not at all what I expected. The majority of the story follows older brother Reggie as he tracks younger brother Nigel who is in turn tracking a young woman who wrote to Sherlock Holmes some twenty years before. Reggie is our reluctant detective, starting his journey not in the interest of the letter writer but in the interest of corralling his young brother and setting his life to rights. The first part of the novel I felt dragged and was a little flat Reggie follows the path before him and rides around in a lot of taxis.
The prose seems sparse, and not in a Robert B. Parker sense of sparse, but I felt Robertson shortchanged the potential in his setting and his supporting characters. Things start to pick up significantly mid-way through the book when Reggie is no longer on his own and the supporting characters become more important. Reggie does start coming into his own as he pulls the threads together and makes some sacrifices to see it through to the conclusion. Reggie grew on me through the course of the story.
At first he seems very flat for a lead, but one of the things I like about him is that he proves to be a man of action as far as the investigation is concerned. Robertson applies a very deft hand at Reggie's character development and his deductive skills as they grow, although he retains several flaws.
I will definitely be reading the next in the series, hoping for the brothers to be working together, fewer taxi rides, and some fleshed out characterizations. Oct 27, Marybeth Trzebiatowski rated it did not like it Shelves: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I don't know if I can finish this book.
I started it because of the supposed Sherlock Holmes connection. Instead I got this: Instead of going to his bar reinstatement hearing he flits off to the US to hunt down a girl who may or may not be in danger. All without thinking that maybe he's putting her in more danger by tracking her down and without any kind of plan for what he'll do when he gets there. Meanw I don't know if I can finish this book.
Meanwhile, whip smart lawyer older brother who didn't read his lease agreement wth?? So what does brother do? He flies off to find his brother. Since he's under suspicion, does he talk to the police in London or LA? Does he try to keep it on the down low? He stays in the swankiest place he can find. Then he starts stalking the girl his brother was trying to help. His brother requests a meeting under a bridge really?
Instead it's another dead body! And the cops show up! And they don't believe his story! Fast forward a bit and the bad guy wants to discuss geologic findings in his office? At the dig site even? And make sure you bring the only remaining copy of incriminating documents. And of course there's another body and another wacky comedy of errors as wunderkind lawyer gets mistaken for a murderer again. I can usually stick it out to the end to find out the details of what happened but this is absolute tripe.
Don't think I'm going to make it. Send chocolate and a restorative beverage. Aug 05, Christina rated it liked it Shelves: I liked the idea behind the book, where two brothers who inadvertently end up in Sherlock Holmes' fictional address have to respond to all the letters to Holmes that come to their office. The main protagonist was sort of a turd, but that's fine too, because sometimes that's way more true to life than a perfect protagonist. The story was interesting, etc. The thing that got me is that for much of the story everyone's like "who has the only copy of that one important paper?
Scan the thing and send it to everyone you know. As another reviewer pointed out, he also spends a lot of time going places to ask people questions that Google could have answered for him in 8 seconds. BUT all that aside, I did like the book, even if my review seems unfavorable. Jun 27, Sara Rosett added it. Really enjoying this series! Jul 06, Melanie rated it it was ok.
Not as good as I had anticipated. This book had a lot of potential for me. The characters were interesting, for the most part. The brothers were so aloof and arrogant, they were oblivious to the world around them. It made the story seem inane at times. My main complaint was the ending. You kind of got an idea of who was involved in the crime and the purpose, but the buildup did not match the finale.
However, I do see a lot of potential with the series, and I did like the brothers, even though they acted like idiots a lot of the This book had a lot of potential for me. However, I do see a lot of potential with the series, and I did like the brothers, even though they acted like idiots a lot of the time. So, I will read the next one in the series to see if maturity and editing help the series any. Feb 12, Becky rated it really liked it. Reggie Heath was unaware of the strange clause in his lease for office space at Baker Street.
Unaware, that is, until his brother, Nigel, pointed it out to him. For some time, the office has been accepting letters addressed to a certain famed literary detective. As part of the lease, Reggie agreed to handle and respond to the letters using a prepared form response. Under no circumstances are they ever to contact the writers of the letters.
But Nigel becomes overly curious about one letter in Reggie Heath was unaware of the strange clause in his lease for office space at Baker Street. But Nigel becomes overly curious about one letter in particular, which turns out to be three letters in fact. Twenty years ago, a letter was sent from an eight year old in search of her missing father. Along with the letter, the child sent a number of items to help with the investigation.
Now that girl wants those items back. But Nigel notices something off about these new letters and becomes convinced they aren't from the original sender. Just as he sets off to LA to dig deeper, Reggie stumbles upon a dead body on Nigel's office floor. Reggie is almost certain that his brother can't be the killer, but wonders if the letters could be to blame.
Reggie follows his brother to the States and immediately becomes entangled in the mystery of the letters as well. I was pretty immediately drawn in by the characters here and by the time the premise was introduced I was sold. You don't have to be a Sherlock Holmes fan to enjoy this first outing in Robertson's series. In fact, even Holmes purists can rest easy as the only real connection to Conan Doyle's creation here is the address.
You do have to be something of a mystery fan, though. The brothers Heath both have law backgrounds, which makes it easy to believe they have the means and the brains to do what they do in the book always a plus. Nigel in particular has been in hot water of late thanks to his dogged desire to do the right thing. And of course tracking down a girl with a missing father who could be in danger is the right thing!
The Baker Street Letters is a fun and light read, nice for cleansing the reading palate after some heavier books of late. I fully intend to continue the series now that I've started. Jul 12, Doreen Fritz rated it liked it. Here is a quick summer read for those who want to get into another Sherlock Holmes story, but can't because the author is dead, you see.
In modern-day London, an attorney Reggie Heath has rented a building that takes up the entire block of Baker Street. His brother Nigel, who has just been released from "hospitalization" for a mental breakdown, is putting in time at Reggie's firm until his own law license is reinstated. He is put in charge of responding to all the letters sent to Sherloc Here is a quick summer read for those who want to get into another Sherlock Holmes story, but can't because the author is dead, you see. He is put in charge of responding to all the letters sent to Sherlock Holmes, B Baker Street A response is dictated by the terms of the lease.
Although he is supposed to send some kind of form letter, he becomes intrigued by some of the letters, especially one sent over 20 years ago by an 8-year-old girl in Los Angeles, CA who wants help finding her missing dad. Two more letters, ostensibly from the same girl, but which Nigel believes were forged, have arrived in the past few weeks. Reggie poo-poos Nigel's suspicions -- and in fact, most of Nigel's ideas, thoughts, or actions.
There is definitely tension between the brothers, partly because Reggie is dating Nigel's previous girlfriend, the actress Laura. Well, Reggie discovers that Nigel has disappeared -- probably gone to find that girl in Los Angeles.
He goes to LA to find Nigel, and within a day there's another dead body, with Nigel the prime suspect. Now authorities in two countries are after Nigel, and Reggie is trying to protect Nigel, as he has their entire lives -- except when he's trying to control or correct him himself. And then Laura shows up, too, trying to help.
I hear that this debut novel is the first of a new series by Robertson.
This was a fun read, and I look forward to the next installment. Jul 01, Jgrace rated it liked it Shelves: The Baker Street Letters: Elder Brother, Reggie, is a successful London barrister. His younger brother, Nigel…. Nigel has issues, but surely he can handle the simple task of sending out form letters to the poor deluded people who write letters to the fictional Sherlock Holmes; letters which are delivered to their upscale London offices at Baker S The Baker Street Letters: There are new letters requesting the return of the old, childish letter.
False charges, false arrests, flights to Los Angeles, smog and traffic jams. It was not wonderful writing. It was not even a wonderful narration. I love you, Simon Vance, but truly, you need to work on your Mexican American accent. The girl sounded Russian. It did make me laugh. However, this is where I live. I enjoyed the local atmosphere, even though I questioned how anyone could be so stupid as to continually take cabs for multiple trips from the L.
Publishers Weekly -- "Roberston's engaging debut offers one of the more original premises involving the Sherlock Holmes character. Nov 25, Gail rated it liked it Shelves: Don't think I'm going to make it. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. How to write a great review Do Say what you liked best and least Describe the author's style Explain the rating you gave Don't Use rude and profane language Include any personal information Mention spoilers or the book's price Recap the plot.
A to San Fernando to Pasadena and points beyond. The whole plot was about transportation problems in the greater Los Angeles area Tell me about it. Who knew it was related to a great real estate fraud and multiple murders? Dec 19, Susan rated it liked it Shelves: For the most part my initial impression still stands.
There is not much Sherlock-wisdom, mannerisms nor intuition in the 2 brothers as they constantly stumble along to solve the mystery which I found pretty complicated. Apparently people from all over the world naively send letters to the consulting detective's famous address hoping for assistance in personal matters so this idea is not as farfetched as it may seem.
Reggie's brother Nigel is also a barrister but has had his license suspended due to some murky misdeeds and is about to be reinstated but in the meantime has the task of answering the Holmes letters.
This is about as close as your going to get to having a connection to Sherlock in this book. Nigel for whatever reason feels compelled by a letter written 20 years ago by an 8 year old girl trying to find her missing father to abruptly jump on a plane to L.
Reggie decides he must follow and likewise heads to California trying to find his brother and getting embroiled in attempting to find the missing father. More murders ensue and it becomes clear there's more going on here than a long gone parent. Reggie is repeatedly at the scene of the crime, gets picked up by the cops more than once but is turned loose again and again only to serendipitously wind up in the wrong place once more. Most people woud be daunted at the prospect of finding their missing and incommunicado brother in a huge city they're unfamiliar with but not this guy.
It's amazing given he's a Brit he didn't get run over crossing the street by looking the wrong way for oncoming traffic. My problem with this story was the characters weren't well developed and given what we do know about them they aren't very likable and are hard to connect with. You just don't care what happens to arrogant Reggie and his seemingly simple minded brother Nigel how he became a lawyer is a wonder.
There's a beautiful stage acress love interest, Laura, who is also poorly drawn; we know she once was involved with Nigel but now appears to be dating Reggie somewhat tenuously. Seemed to me she could do better than these two characters. If one of the brothers had some actual detecting skills emulating the famous fictional Holmes this might have been a more satisfying tale. However, given they appear to be hapless boobs who just stumble into things hoping for the best it's more than I think many readers will endure.
Some must like it as I see there are several books in the series following this debut so perhaps it gets better, not enough promise for me to find out though. One person found this helpful. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. Reggie Heath's life should not be so complicated. A successful attorney, he's long dated Laura, a smart and gorgeous actress incidentally his brother's ex , enjoys new chambers on Baker Street, and has a promising slate of cases.
But Laura seems more interested in furthering her career -- in AMERICA -- than him any longer, and his hapless brother Nigel is on the verge of seeing his own law career jettisoned for good unless he can pass his reinstatement hearing. However, to Reggie's chagrin Nigel seems more concerned with the letters arriving at their new chamber offices than reclaiming his career -- letters addressed to one Sherlock Holmes, which find their way to Reggie's office as the new leaseholder of the b Baker Street address.
Nigel quickly becomes fascinated with the human interest side of the letters -- the desperation that often drove individuals to reach out to the world's greatest fictional detective's only known address -- in particular a two-decades old one from a little girl halfway across the world in search of her missing father. When that girl writes back, Nigel breaks every rule of no-contact written in Reggie's lease to find the woman behind the letters in America, leaving Reggie to do damage control over his reinstatement hearing and, worst of all, deal with the body of a dead clerk found in Nigel's office.
Convinced of his brother's innocence, Reggie follows him to America, determined to uncover the truth behind the letters and stop Nigel from destroying his life on a fool's errand. But one he arrives in Los Angeles, Reggie quickly discovers that Nigel may have accidentally involved them both in a dangerous, decades-long conspiracy of fraud, murder, and secrets powerful people will do anything to make sure stay buried The concept behind this novel is absolute GOLD.
What if current residents of b Baker Street found themselves the recipient of Sherlock Holmes's mail -- everything from childish tributes to cases worthy of the Great Detective himself -- and though they shouldn't get involved, they find that they just can't help stepping into Sherlock's legendary shoes. Unfortunately, this spectacular premise falls woefully short in its execution, leaving this one of the more colorless "tributes" to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's timeless literary creation that I've encountered.
The biggest issue I had with this novel was the choice to make Reggie the central character. I couldn't connect with him at all -- I never got a sense of what drives him, of why I should care whether or not Laura wants to leave him honestly, until the very end of the book I was convinced she could do better with literally ANYONE else! Pacing is another issue -- the first half of the novel advances in fits and starts. The action building towards the novel's climactic scene, deep in the bowels of a subway tunnel site, is surprisingly interesting considering that unlike my brother, I have no interest in geologic surveys - ha!
But for a novel where one is asked to believe that letters addressed to a famous fictional detective not only turn Reggie and Nigel's lives upside-down -- they nearly die as a result -- the mystery itself has sadly little to do with the character of Sherlock or the story canon. While I adore the canon, I'm no purist, as steampunk-inspired Sherlock stories are a recent favorite of mine -- so taking that one step farther, a canonical connection isn't strictly necessary.
But the premise is so rich, and the possibilities of giving Sherlockians canonical nods seems endless -- and as a consequence, the lack of a tie to Holmes, aside from his address, feels like a gigantic missed opportunity to celebrate this novel's ostensibly clever premise. The Baker Street Letters is a debut full of sadly unrealized -- or perhaps more accurately stated, under-utilized -- promise. Uneven pacing and wooden, flat characterizations make the story lag where it should sing. Were the pacing better and the characters more compelling, I could overlook the lack of a better Sherlock connection to the "meat" of the story -- but without those elements to hook the reader, to truly get one invested in the storyline, the unrealized potential of the Baker Street connection left me craving Doyle's original stories, or at the very least Sherlock-inspired fiction with more zest and life.
While this debut left me wanting, there is a lot of potential to this conceit as a proposed series, and with stronger characterizations and tighter plotting, as well as OWNING the Sherlockian possibilities, future installments of Reggie and Nigel's investigations could hold promise. This is an interesting beginning to a series about two brothers, lawyers, who take over the premises once residence to the fictional Sherlock Holmes.
As a part of their lease, they agree to handle all correspondence addressed to Holmes with a form letter. They are forbidden to contact any of the letter writers or they will lose their exceedingly affordable lease. The younger brother, however, finds one letter quite engaging, and, after some chicanery involving theft and deceit, decides to locate the writer.
This is the beginning of unraveling a plot that goes back two decades, leads to several murders, and involves people in high places. An intriguing first installment in what has every indication of being a fascinating and original series. See all 77 reviews. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers.
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