M. K. Wiseman is the author of the new mystery entitled Sherlock Holmes and the Ripper of Whitechapel. As you might be able to guess, this story involves Holmes and Watson in the greatest unsolved true serial killing spree in British, if not world, history. It is the story of “Jack the Ripper” who terrorized the East London neighborhood of Whitechapel in 1888.
Some of the characters are based on real people who were involved in the actual murder cases. Some of the descriptions are from contemporary media accounts of the brutal killings. Other characters are straight from the mind of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, original creator of Sherlock Holmes.
Of course, there is Sherlock himself who is the narrator of the story. Dr. John Watson has left Holmes to marry Mary Morstan the love of his life. The last case they had done together was The Sign of the Four. Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard makes his required appearance, as do members of The Baker Street Irregulars, Holmes’ gang of street urchins.
At first, Holmes does not want to get involved with the search for the “Whitechapel Ripper,” as it is not his kind of case. As the story unfolds, Holmes becomes concerned that his friend Watson may be involved. Once Holmes gets to sleuthing, he becomes convinced that Watson may indeed be The Ripper himself. He enlists The Baker Street Irregulars, Watson’s wife Mary, and Scotland Yard to unravel the story. The shocking ending may surprise most readers.
I devoured Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories when I was in high school in the 1950s. I worked for the original publisher of The Annotated Sherlock Holmes that I have on a bookshelf in my home office. I have read many Doyle imitators over the last six decades. They have all succeeded in some respects to duplicate Doyle but fail in other respects. None really can compare to the original. M. K. Wiseman does a good job at times to sound like Doyle. At other times, the author just writes well in his/her own voice. If you like the thought of another Sherlock adventure, by all means grab a copy of this book. RECOMMENDED for Sherlock and other mystery fans.
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–Jim Harris, retired sales rep
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