Sherlock Holmes and the Real Thing

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson delve into the world of art forgery in this new historical mystery from the author of Sherlock Holmes and the Telegram from Hell.

London, 189–: In the dead of winter, the great city is brought to a standstill by a series of blizzards and Sherlock Holmes is bored to distraction. It would take a miracle to bring a case to the detective’s door. . .

What arrives is not promising: a landlady who complains to Holmes that her artist tenant is behind on his rent. Not exactly the miracle for which Holmes was hoping. But, next thing you know, there are several corpses and Sherlock Holmes and his amanuensis, Dr. Watson, find themselves drawn into one of the most bizarre cases of the great detective’s career. And into the cutthroat big business of Art, where chicanery, mendacity (and cut throats), proliferate.
What makes a work of art valuable? Worth killing for? Dying for? Is it the painter, his mistress, his dealer, or his blackmailer?

The cast of characters is large. But are they perpetrators, accomplices, or victims? And just who is Juliet Packwood, with whom Watson has become infatuated?

Oh, and there’s one other problem: Is this a genuine Holmes case or a clever forgery? Is this the real thing?

If you can’t tell the difference, what is the difference?

[Meyer’s] best revamp of the Conan Doyle canon . . . he packs the action with devilish surprises. Baker Street regulars will be thrilled.”
―Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW

A generation of readers will be ever grateful for [Meyer’s] efforts.”
―Kirkus STARRED REVIEW

Of all the Holmes novelists, and there are a lot of them, Meyer is one of the best.”
―Booklist

[A] swift-moving caper. The real miracle here is how Mr. Meyer has, once again, re-created the Holmesian universe with verve and glee, especially in the exchanges between the two principals. . . . A capital adventure.”
―Wall Street Journal

For me, Nicholas Meyer has managed the impossible, which is to sound exactly like Arthur Conan Doyle.”
―Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey and The Gilded Age

In the wide world of Sherlockiana, no living author looms as large as Nicholas Meyer. By some splendid alchemy he channels the very spirit of Conan Doyle, creating utterly thrilling and boundlessly inventive new adventures for Baker Street’s finest. SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE REAL THING is a joy from start to finish, plotted and written with astonishing verve. I’m in awe; it’s brilliant.”
—Tom Mead, author of the Joseph Spector Locked Room Mysteries

Is the latest book edited by Mr. Meyer ‘the real thing’? If the actual question is, ‘Does the tale thrill and entertain in the genuine voice of John H. Watson, M.D.?’ the answer is a resounding and grateful ‘Yes!’ . . . A splendid tale, complete with an unforeseen villain!”
—Leslie S. Klinger, editor, New Annotated Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes and the Real Thing delivers everything a Holmes fan should expect from a great tale masterminded by Nicholas Meyer.”
—BookReporter

Original, deftly crafted, and a fun read from cover to cover . . . An absolute ‘must read’ for the legions of Sherlock Holmes fans.”
—Midwest Book Review

Readers should plan to read this novel in one sitting! And then re-read it!”
—Historical Novels Review

Nicholas Meyer is the “editor” of several Watson manuscripts, including The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, which spent forty weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. His screenplay of the film received an Oscar nomination. His film credits include writing and directing Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. He wrote and directed Time After Time, co-created Medici: Masters of Florence, and directed The Day After, about nuclear war that attracted the largest audience ever for a television movie. A native of New York City, he lives in Santa Monica, California.

See more titles by Nicholas Meyer