Book Review: Mrs. Hudson and the Samarkand Conspiracy by Martin Davies

Oh my goodness, but I LOVE this series!! I have a love-hate relationship with Sherlock Holmes universe stories… When they are good, they are AMAZING (e.g., this series, the Laurie R. King books). When they are not, they are DREADFUL (I won’t name those). His is such an iconic universe, and everyone who has ever read the original Conan Doyle stories (or, I suppose, watched the movies/tv shows that proliferate) has their own opinions about the characters, supporting and main. I love when authors take the lesser-focused-on characters, like Mrs. Hudson, and spin them into major players. It allows readers to delve deeper into the Holmes world without threatening the integrity of the canon – even when, as is the case here, it turns out that some of the canonical magic turns out to be ascribed to someone other than the Great Man himself!

When I saw this fourth-in-series title available, I almost didn’t request it despite my initial interest because I knew I wouldn’t be able to jump to the fourth without reading the previous books (that’s just my thing). The first book happened to be available via Kindle Unlimited, but the other two were neither in that collection nor available through the New York Public Library (which shocks me), and I wasn’t sure if (a) I had the time to add three additional books to my To Be Read list in order to review this one, or (b) I had the inclination to commit to buying books in order to do this review. Turns out I made the absolutely correct call to ignore both of those issues because I LOVED this series!

Mrs. Hudson and Flotsam are, in a word, delightful. Davies has done an incredible job keeping the feel of the original Holmes stories while adding in a universe of characters who fit in perfectly and add a marvelous amount of fun, wit, depth, and color to the adventures of Holmes and Watson. The supporting characters – from the wily Scraggs to the sweet Rupert to the indomitable Hetty – added extra depth and elements of fun to the stories, each contributing their own particular skill set to the detectives’ team and allowed for even greater magic in the revelation of each solution.

From the descriptions I thought Mrs. Hudson might turn out to be a foil to Holmes – or to be the brains behind the whole operation to his detriment. I was delighted to find this not to be the case (who wants to see their heroes falter, after all?) and to instead find her to be a perfect complement to his detecting. He sees the world from one perspective; she from another. When the two combine, there is literally nothing they cannot figure out. And watching Flottie grow in confidence and ability to turn that dynamic duo into a triumvirate has been exceptionally rewarding and fun.

I felt immersed in this world from the opening salvo and really enjoyed watching Flotsam grow into her own over the course of the books. The books contain the elements of magic and wonder that the original Doyle stories always have for me – the rationality and logic that the characters use to realize the solutions to myriad challenges seem supernatural even though they are always revealed to be purely the result of deduction and observation. The mystery(ies) underpinning each book are unique, detailed, and unlikely – until, of course, everything is tied up neatly at the end and the connections become abundantly clear in the way only a Holmes-type story can make them. In this fourth book, we get a missing train, missing spectacles, and an international conspiracy. The elements are well-crafted and presented with the perfect amount of misdirection, confusion, and timely revelation to keep readers guessing throughout, and then satisfied with themselves when it all comes together. It’s a cracking tale and my favorite of the series so far.

I cannot WAIT to see where these characters go next and hope Davies keeps writing more adventures for them all for years to come!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.