“Mr. Sherlock Holmes? I am or was, Lady Juliet Armstrong, Baroness Crestwell. Having been murdered, I am deceased and require your assistance.”
Thus began the strangest partnership in the long career of Sherlock Holmes. In Book One of this series we met the brash and bold, silly and sassy Lady Armstrong who wouldn’t let a simple thing like death stop her from seeking the great Detective’s help in solving the mystery of her violent and untimely demise.
Volume 3!
“Mr. Sherlock Holmes? I am or was, Lady Juliet Armstrong, Baroness Crestwell. Having been murdered, I am deceased and require your assistance.”
Thus began the strangest partnership in the long career of Sherlock Holmes. In Book One of this series we met the brash and bold, silly and sassy Lady Armstrong who wouldn’t let a simple thing like death stop her from seeking the great Detective’s help in solving the mystery of her violent and untimely demise.
Volume 3!
She’s back yet again! Welcome Lady Juliet Armstrong, Baroness Crestwell once more to our pages. A former sensation of the London musical stage; a feisty member of the British nobility by marriage but recently, a most definitely deceased arrival at the Elysian Fields. The obstreperous noblewoman was not content to don her halo and bland heavenly garb and join the other celestial denizens in eternal bliss. She had been shot and wanted to find the blighter who did it and bring him/her to justice before going to her eternal reward. Who else to solve the mystery than Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson? Clad in her scarlet Parisian evening gown and wearing a chic corona fashionably tilted on her head, she persuaded the powers that be in Heaven to allow her to return to Earth and seek out Holmes’ assistance. Thus began the first story in Book One of this collection of tales that takes the Glamorous Ghost, Holmes and Watson on a wild tour of crimes, personalities, situations and locations.
Holmes, no believer in ghosts, reluctantly acknowledged the noblewoman’s otherworldly existence and agreed to cooperate with her in what has evolved into a series of semi-supernatural adventures. Watson followed suit.
Another ghostly and no less glamorous character aids and abets throughout. Pookie, a very clever and highly opinionated Bichon Frisé who predeceased her Baronial mistress, barks, whines and wags her way into the proceedings at every turn. Unruly as her owner, she is always instrumental in keeping the action going.
In Book Two, the Baroness and her dog continued their excursions from Paradise back to Earth with Holmes and the good Doctor. Becoming aware of the two winsome wraiths, Mrs. Hudson also linked up with the merry band. Many characters from previous Holmes and Lady Juliet stories also passed through the pages.
Now in Book Three, the madcap mystical mischief and mayhem carries on. Join us for more fantasy and tongue-in-cheek fun!
The legend of Sherlock Holmes lives on. Ever since A C Doyle created him in 1887, he continues to entertain, inspire, and challenge thinkers to unravel crime and mystery after his unique style in different lands, times, and contexts all over the world. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and the Glamorous Ghost Volume 3 by Harry DeMaio is one more book that underscores this fact!
Just as computers have permeated into every sphere of life so has Sherlock Holmes (SH). In this book, the author enlarges the boundaries of the SH world by connecting ethereal citizens (in heaven) and mortals on earth. SH and Watson are still on earth. Dissatisfied souls that departed this life without justice seek their assistance to have the ends of justice met, and, of course, with necessary permission granted by heaven to visit earth briefly and return.
In my opinion, the addition of a dimension that connects heaven and earth to the worlds of SH is a brilliant stroke of genius by the author. Consider cases of unnatural death that don’t get solved because crucial evidence is lacking. Only the departed victim knows, but none on earth. Now consider what if the departed soul can reappear in human form and reveal the missing info? Although earlier SH stories like A Study in Scarlet and The Hound of the Baskervilles have content related to spirits and the celestial world, this author goes well beyond them all. He creates a relatable, friendly, ethereal channel connecting heaven and people on earth. Using it, good former human beings meet/message the great detective, assisting him in supernatural ways that enable him to solve some of the weirdest cases he’d otherwise have been unable to.
I think I sensed a Wodehousian touch in the book. Its stories revolve around heaven, angels, the British monarchy & Gov, palaces, churches, and fine living, and it's narrated with elegant humor, some rarely used words, etc., just like in Wodehouse’s stories. However, the scientific, ascetic atmosphere in Doyle’s works isn’t lost. It is a beautiful fusion of the two and the outcome is a delectable, thoroughly enjoyable book that transports you into a dazzling new realm — one in which you’ve never seen Holmes before!
This book has only a few errors. The style and format are just correct. Consequently, readability is excellent. Although SH fans are the right audience, I believe it's worth reading by almost anyone. To conclude, I’d say (particularly to SH fans), this book certainly won’t disappoint you; on the contrary, it will entertain, inspire, and challenge you even more than all the other Sherlock Holmes books you’ve read so far. Don't miss reading it!