JUSTICE HAS AN OLD ADDRESS
221B is more than an address on Baker Street...it is also the code-name for special agents of Her Majesty's Secret Service who are called upon to combat extreme threats to the Realm-Sherlock Holmes, Loveday Brooke and Dr. John Watson.
Now they face their most deadly challenge-a shadowy futurist organization called the Hephaestus Ring conspires to subvert the Paris World's Fair and use the opening of the Eiffel Tower to unleash a new terror weapon.
Headed by the by the most infamous and ruthless masterminds of the 19th century, the Hephaestus Ring weaves a web of international greed that will change history and command the future.
221B is mandated to find and stop the megalomaniacs at the heart of the colossal scheme-if Holmes, Loveday and Watson manage to stay alive long enough!
JUSTICE HAS AN OLD ADDRESS
221B is more than an address on Baker Street...it is also the code-name for special agents of Her Majesty's Secret Service who are called upon to combat extreme threats to the Realm-Sherlock Holmes, Loveday Brooke and Dr. John Watson.
Now they face their most deadly challenge-a shadowy futurist organization called the Hephaestus Ring conspires to subvert the Paris World's Fair and use the opening of the Eiffel Tower to unleash a new terror weapon.
Headed by the by the most infamous and ruthless masterminds of the 19th century, the Hephaestus Ring weaves a web of international greed that will change history and command the future.
221B is mandated to find and stop the megalomaniacs at the heart of the colossal scheme-if Holmes, Loveday and Watson manage to stay alive long enough!
IN THE ARCHIVES of the Diogenes Club in Pall Mall, there rests a padlocked steel strong-box bearing the heraldic image of a lion and unicorn, the Imperial Seal of the United Kingdom. Printed beneath the seal are four characters: 221B. Below them is the warning: Official Secrets Act Protection.1889/1911.
One day before, as of the of this writing, I had placed the box within its specially designated receptacle with my own hands. There it will remain, untouched and unopened, for 100 years to the day. A qualified representative of the British government (assuming either one still exists) will, upon that date, make the final determination as to whether its contents should be revealed to other eyes.
The box is crammed with papers, nearly all of which are handwritten records of cases undertaken by myself and my friend, Mr Sherlock Holmes, in the service of the Lion and the Unicorn. In my published writings, I more than once alluded to missions we performed for the nation. I have refrained from revealing that, for many years, Holmes and I were active contract operatives for the counter-intelligence agencies of Her Majesty's Government. The umbrella designation at the time was Her Majesty's Secret Service, which encompassed diverse departments, such as the Foreign Office, the Home Office and the Defence Intelligence Branch.
On the official reports sent to Whitehall, our activities were attributed only to “221B,” a designation which did not mislead anyone in the service after my first story about Sherlock Holmes appeared in Beeton's Christmas Annual.
It should come as little surprise to those reading these accounts a century or more hence, that Holmes's elder brother, Mycroft,was
deeply involved in sending us forth to tilt at windmills. As I noted in the story published as “The Bruce-Partington Plans,” Holmes described his older brother's position thusly: “You are right in thinking that he is under the British government. You would also be right in a sense if you said that occasionally, he is the British government.”
At firstresistant to my literary efforts chronicling the investigations of his gifted younger brother, Mycroft soon concluded my sensationalized and somewhat fictionalized accounts might provide a clever diversion. The more stories published about his brother's work as a consulting detective, the more obfuscation could be cast upon the actual reality of Sherlock and myself — not to mention, our increasingly famous street address.
As a former military man, I understood, if not always approved, of the actions taken by Mycroft and his colleagues to ensure the security of the Empire. Withal, I am compelled to admit that while I accepted the assignments offered me, I was less motivated by patriotism than by the lure of life-risk and the call of adventure. I also must confess how, at age 27, that same foolish allure brought me to the Battle of Maiwand, and painful introductions to a pair of Jezail bullets. Although I was invalided out, I recovered in due course, returning to my natural athleticism.
Holmes and I were young men, barely thirty, when we first took up this work. Both of us were at our physical and intellectual peaks. We found we worked well together and relished sharing the danger. As Holmes once said to me, “Watson, you were born to be a man of action. Your instinct is always to do something energetic.”
Of course, our monetary compensation was more than adequate, which allowed me to purchase a medical practice in London. After we were joined by Miss Loveday Brooke, the nature of our assignments expanded — and not always in a positive direction, according to Holmes.
Unlike a similarcache of papers I depositedwith the bank of Cox
and Co., at Charing Cross, all of the cases contained in this strong- box are government property. They are simple case reports to Whitehall, dry overviews of our assignments and their outcomes. Inasmuch as I was prohibited from even talking about our missions, crafting these reports with the same flourish and attention to detail given to my published work seemed rather a wasted effort.
I will leave the task of fully fleshing-out thesechronicles to future scribes if they are so inclined—that is, if and when a successor to Mycroft decides the Official Secrets Act is no longer pertinent. Upon reflection, I am not too sanguine about that eventuality.
As for myself and Sherlock Holmes, it is only a few days since we had a quiet talk — quite possibly the last we shall ever have — after our apprehension of a notorious agent of the Kaiser.
On the eve of war, I intend to rejoin my old regiment, if they will have me. Holmes will leave the comfort of his small farm on the South Downs, no doubt once more to tiltat windmills, in the service of the Lion and the Unicorn.
John H. Watson,MD 10 August, 1914.
221B: On Her Majesty's Secret Service is an exciting read that follows Loveday, Sherlock, and Watson, special agents working for Her Majesty's Secret Service to investigate the most nefarious of schemes. The trio are tasked with defeating an organization called Hephaestus Ring, who plan to launch a terrifying new weapon onto the world at the 1889 Paris Exposition. Holmes and Watson are forced to bond with their new partner as they uncover mystery after mystery.
This novel is broken into several parts and includes both a Foreword and Afterword, as well as character and concept bios for some of the major elements of the story. The Foreword is written from the perspective of John Watson, explaining the origins of the case before handing over the rest of the novel to the omniscient author. This is a strong choice, as it establishes the novel as having been a previous adventure for our character. The "Who and What They Are" section was also enjoyable, as it provided necessary context on characters like Loveday, who is not as well known as Holmes and Watson, and on technological advances that were central to the plot but required more historical background to fully grasp.
Overall, this was a well-written novel that is polished and professional, making for a thrilling and intellectual read. The characters have rounded arcs, their dialogue natural and fitting to the time period. While this novel does take a creative spin on the traditional tales of Sherlock, choosing to make 221B a special investigative unit rather than the location from where Holmes and Watson conduct their sleuthing, it does so in a way which is clearly respectful of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Having read other Sherlock Holmes mysteries from MX Publishing, this novel is a satisfying addition.
This book is rated 4/5 stars for its well-crafted prose, but lack of a "wow" factor.