10 Best Sherlock Holmes-Inspired Books: Praise to the Power of Observation!
Alright, let's get serious. Who among us hasn't been held captive by the brilliance and charm of the world's most celebrated fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes? Come on, his uncanny insight, exceptional observational skills, and unparalleled deduction abilities that can make the most mysterious case seem like child's play, have likely left most of us awestruck. But man, we've devoured every bite of Doyle's ingenious creation and now we're left craving for more, aren't we? Worry not my fellow detective story enthusiasts! We've put together a list of ten incredible books that are deeply inspired by the legendary Holmes himself. These books feature characters whose detective skills can rival, if not surpass, our beloved Holmes; plots that are as convoluted and as thrilling as any Conan Doyle mystery. What's more appealing is that some of these novels push boundaries and incorporate elements Doyle wouldn’t have dreamed of using. From hard-boiled private-eye tales to sci-fi detective narratives, there's something to satisfy every type of detective fiction aficionado. Watch out, your TO-read list's about to get longer! Happy reading, folks!
『A Study in Charlotte』
The first book in a witty, suspenseful new series about a brilliant new crime-solving duo: the teen descendants of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. This clever page-turner will appeal to fans of Maureen Johnson and Ally Carter. Jamie Watson has always been intrigued by Charlotte Holmes; after all, their great-great-great-grandfathers are one of the most infamous pairs in history. But the Holmes family has always been odd, and Charlotte is no exception. She’s inherited Sherlock’s volatility and some of his vices—and when Jamie and Charlotte end up at the same Connecticut boarding school, Charlotte makes it clear she’s not looking for friends. But when a student they both have a history with dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.
Author | Brittany Cavallaro |
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Price | $13.99 |
Publisher | HarperCollins |
Release Date | Mar 01, 2016 |
Source | Google Books |
『Enola Holmes: The Case of the Missing Marquess』
Now a Netflix original movie starring Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, and Helena Bonham Carter! Meet Enola Holmes, teenaged girl turned detective and the younger sister to Sherlock Holmes. When Enola Holmes, sister to the detective Sherlock Holmes, discovers her mother has disappeared, she quickly embarks on a journey to London in search of her. But nothing can prepare her for what awaits. Because when she arrives, she finds herself involved in the kidnapping of a young marquess, fleeing murderous villains, and trying to elude her shrewd older brothers—all while attempting to piece together clues to her mother’s strange disappearance. Amid all the mayhem, will Enola be able to decode the necessary clues and find her mother?
Author | Nancy Springer |
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Price | $7.99 |
Publisher | Penguin |
Release Date | Nov 08, 2007 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Beekeeper's Apprentice』
A chance meeting with a Sussex beekeeper turns into a pivotal, personal transformation when fifteen-year-old Mary Russell discovers that the beekeeper is the reclusive, retired detective Sherlock Holmes, who soon takes on the role of mentor and teacher.
Author | Laurie R. King |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Macmillan |
Release Date | May 27, 2014 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Alienist (TNT Tie-in Edition)』
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW A TNT ORIGINAL SERIES • “A first-rate tale of crime and punishment that will keep readers guessing until the final pages.”—Entertainment Weekly “Caleb Carr’s rich period thriller takes us back to the moment in history when the modern idea of the serial killer became available to us.”—The Detroit News When The Alienist was first published in 1994, it was a major phenomenon, spending six months on the New York Times bestseller list, receiving critical acclaim, and selling millions of copies. This modern classic continues to be a touchstone of historical suspense fiction for readers everywhere. The year is 1896. The city is New York. Newspaper reporter John Schuyler Moore is summoned by his friend Dr. Laszlo Kreizler—a psychologist, or “alienist”—to view the horribly mutilated body of an adolescent boy abandoned on the unfinished Williamsburg Bridge. From there the two embark on a revolutionary effort in criminology: creating a psychological profile of the perpetrator based on the details of his crimes. Their dangerous quest takes them into the tortured past and twisted mind of a murderer who will kill again before their hunt is over. Fast-paced and riveting, infused with historical detail, The Alienist conjures up Gilded Age New York, with its tenements and mansions, corrupt cops and flamboyant gangsters, shining opera houses and seamy gin mills. It is an age in which questioning society’s belief that all killers are born, not made, could have unexpected and fatal consequences. Praise for The Alienist “[A] delicious premise . . . Its settings and characterizations are much more sophisticated than the run-of-the-mill thrillers that line the shelves in bookstores.”—The Washington Post Book World “Mesmerizing.”—Detroit Free Press “The method of the hunt and the disparate team of hunters lift the tale beyond the level of a good thriller—way beyond. . . . A remarkable combination of historical novel and psychological thriller.”—The Buffalo News “Engrossing.”—Newsweek “Gripping, atmospheric . . . intelligent and entertaining.”—USA Today “A high-spirited, charged-up and unfailingly smart thriller.”—Los Angeles Times “Keeps readers turning pages well past their bedtime.”—San Francisco Chronicle
Author | Caleb Carr |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Random House Trade Paperbacks |
Release Date | Nov 21, 2017 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes』
2017 RT Reviewers' Choice—Best Historical Mystery From USA Today and internationally bestselling author Leonard Goldberg comes The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes, a new thrilling tale of the great detective’s daughter and her companion Dr. John Watson, Jr. as they investigate a murder at the highest levels of British society. 1914. Joanna Blalock’s keen mind and incredible insight lead her to become a highly-skilled nurse, one of the few professions that allow her to use her finely-tuned brain. But when she and her ten-year-old son witness a man fall to his death, apparently by suicide, they are visited by the elderly Dr. John Watson and his charming, handsome son, Dr. John Watson Jr. Impressed by her forensic skills, they invite her to become the third member of their investigative team. Caught up in a Holmesian mystery that spans from hidden treasure to the Second Afghan War of 1878-1880, Joanna and her companions must devise an ingenious plan to catch a murderer in the act while dodging familiar culprits, Scotland Yard, and members of the British aristocracy. Unbeknownst to her, Joanna harbors a mystery of her own. The product of a one-time assignation between the now dead Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler, the only woman to ever outwit the famous detective, Joanna has unwittingly inherited her parents’ deductive genius.
Author | Leonard Goldberg |
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Price | $8.99 |
Publisher | Minotaur Books |
Release Date | Jun 06, 2017 |
Source | Google Books |
『A Study in Scarlet Women』
USA Today bestselling author Sherry Thomas turns the story of the renowned Sherlock Holmes upside down in the first novel in this Victorian mystery series.... With her inquisitive mind, Charlotte Holmes has never felt comfortable with the demureness expected of the fairer sex in upper class society. But even she never thought that she would become a social pariah, an outcast fending for herself on the mean streets of London. When the city is struck by a trio of unexpected deaths and suspicion falls on her sister and her father, Charlotte is desperate to find the true culprits and clear the family name. She’ll have help from friends new and old—a kind-hearted widow, a police inspector, and a man who has long loved her. But in the end, it will be up to Charlotte, under the assumed name Sherlock Holmes, to challenge society’s expectations and match wits against an unseen mastermind. An NPR Best Book of 2016
Author | Sherry Thomas |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Penguin |
Release Date | Oct 18, 2016 |
Source | Google Books |
『Jackaby』
“Sherlock Holmes crossed with Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” —Chicago Tribune Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary--including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain the foul deeds are the work of the kind of creature whose very existence the local authorities--with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane--seem adamant to deny. “The rich world of this debut demands sequels.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review “We honestly couldn’t put it down.” —Nerdist.com “Toss together an alternate 19th-century New England city, a strong tradition of Sherlockian pastiche, and one seriously ugly hat, and this lighthearted and assured debut emerges, all action and quirk.” —Publishers Weekly • A Top Ten Fall ’14 Kids’ Indie Next Pick • A 2014 Kirkus Reviews Best Book for Young Adults • A 2015 YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults Title • A 2015 Pacific Northwest Book Award Winner • A 2015–2016 Georgia Peach Award Nominee • A Junior Library Guild Selection
Author | William Ritter |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Algonquin Books |
Release Date | Aug 25, 2015 |
Source | Google Books |
『Lock & Mori』
In modern-day London, sixteen-year-old Miss James "Mori" Moriarty is looking for an escape from her recent past and spiraling home life when she takes classmate Sherlock Holmes up on his challenge to solve a murder mystery.
Author | Heather Petty |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Simon and Schuster |
Release Date | Sep 13, 2016 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter』
Based on some of literature’s horror and science fiction classics, this is the story of a remarkable group of women who come together to solve the mystery of a series of gruesome murders—and the bigger mystery of their own origins. Mary Jekyll, alone and penniless following her parents’ death, is curious about the secrets of her father’s mysterious past. One clue in particular hints that Edward Hyde, her father’s former friend and a murderer, may be nearby, and there is a reward for information leading to his capture…a reward that would solve all of her immediate financial woes. But her hunt leads her to Hyde’s daughter, Diana, a feral child left to be raised by nuns. With the assistance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, Mary continues her search for the elusive Hyde, and soon befriends more women, all of whom have been created through terrifying experimentation: Beatrice Rappaccini, Catherin Moreau, and Justine Frankenstein. When their investigations lead them to the discovery of a secret society of immoral and power-crazed scientists, the horrors of their past return. Now it is up to the monsters to finally triumph over the monstrous.
Author | Theodora Goss |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Simon and Schuster |
Release Date | Jun 20, 2017 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Moonstone』
The Moonstone, a priceless yellow diamond, is looted from an Indian temple and maliciously bequeathed to Rachel Verinder.
Author | Wilkie Collins |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Wordsworth Editions |
Release Date | Jan 01, 1993 |
Source | Google Books |
Well folks, there you have it! Ten fantastic reads that each pay homage to the world's favourite detective in their own unique ways. These tales aren't just imitations. They've borrowed inspiration from Holmes himself, then spun it into yarns filled with wit, invention, suspense, and of course, the prowess of observation that Holmes is renowned for. Be they set in distant eras or exotic locations, or even starring unconventional heroes, these stories all carry that intrigue that has made Sherlock Holmes a timeless figure of mystery novels. So, throw off the deerstalker hat and let these books take you on thrilling, uncharted journeys of deduction. Believe me, no need for any magnifying glass to see the brilliance in each of these. Grab your copy, curl up in your favourite reading nook, and let the game...er, reading, of course, begin!
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