Since Sherlock Holmes first learned of the sinister house of ruthless criminals, his focus has been two-fold; stop the organization from accomplishing any more ruinous felonious acts and, more importantly, uncover the criminal genius behind the whole enterprise. In a compressed timeframe, and relying on his trusted companion, Dr. John H. Watson, and a cadre of colleagues, Holmes was able to devise schemes to prevent the kidnapping of a family member of the English throne, upend an attempt on the life of the German Emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and stop simultaneous assassination efforts against Queen Victoria and President Carnot of France. Yet, despite all of these successes, Holmes seemed no closer to learning who was orchestrating all this malicious activity. However, before Holmes could focus on identifying his foe, yet another gauntlet has been thrown down in his path. A cryptic telegram from his brother Mycroft calls him back to London post haste.
Since Sherlock Holmes first learned of the sinister house of ruthless criminals, his focus has been two-fold; stop the organization from accomplishing any more ruinous felonious acts and, more importantly, uncover the criminal genius behind the whole enterprise. In a compressed timeframe, and relying on his trusted companion, Dr. John H. Watson, and a cadre of colleagues, Holmes was able to devise schemes to prevent the kidnapping of a family member of the English throne, upend an attempt on the life of the German Emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and stop simultaneous assassination efforts against Queen Victoria and President Carnot of France. Yet, despite all of these successes, Holmes seemed no closer to learning who was orchestrating all this malicious activity. However, before Holmes could focus on identifying his foe, yet another gauntlet has been thrown down in his path. A cryptic telegram from his brother Mycroft calls him back to London post haste.
Sherlock Holmes had deciphered the clues that led him and his colleagues to get a step or two closer to uncovering the most sinister organization he has ever faced. However, once the threats against Queen Victoria’s son, the Prince of Wales, and her grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm II of the German Empire had been quashed, Holmes realized there were yet new and ever more devastating threats to be tackled. Assassination attempts against Queen Victoria and President Carnot of France were in the works. If successful, these events could very well result in a domino effect, wreaking havoc on the stability of all of Europe.
Again, racing against time, and this time facing challenges in England and France, Holmes realized the task was formidable. He could not be in two places at the same time. Worse still, both assassination attempts were to take place on the same day and time.
Holmes turned to his brother, Mycroft, to assist him in assembling a team of associates, in hopes they could be relied on to stop the impending events. To address the potential assassination attempt in Paris, Mycroft introduced Holmes to a young man familiar with the Surete by the name of Algernon Quartermaine. Partnered with his old friend, Ormond Sacker, the two men would have to devise a plan to identify and neutralize the assassins before they could accomplish their nefarious deeds. To nullify the impending assassination attempt on the life of Queen Victoria, Holmes assembled another cadre of associates. This included covert agents in the employ of Mycroft, Nathaniel Hobbs and Jonah Burke, and, of course, his trusted colleague, John Watson.
Notwithstanding the overwhelming odds stacked against them, the intrepid teams in England and in France succeeded in learning the identities of the assassins, placed themselves in harm’s way, and stopped the murderers from accomplishing their deadly plans.
But, despite the efforts of Holmes and his compatriots, the criminal enterprise had yet another surprise up its sleeve. Holmes once again faces a new provocation. But, if successful in thwarting this new challenge, he may finally uncover the genius behind the mayhem and learn the identity of the master of this Sinister House.
What is the best strategy for looting the central banks of two wealthy neighboring countries (say, France and England) to the tune of millions of their currencies? Sherlock Holmes: The Synchrony Stratagem by MX Publishing seems to advise that you first distract the attention of the police by committing some high-profile crime, and while they’re disoriented and focused on solving it, loot the banks using freshly recruited bank robbers! Further, you execute the robberies synchronously. If you entertain any doubt this ploy will work, you’ll become convinced that it indeed does after reading the story!
The first quarter of the story (till around p.50) happens entirely on the shores of France. The spotlight is on the Surete (the French police) and particularly, the detective duo Ormond Sacker and Algernon Quartermaine. Then the story transitions to England for around the next three-eighths of its length (pp. 51 - 126). During that time, the spotlight shifts to Sherlock Holmes (SH) and his squad of nearly 12 (which includes Dr.Watson, two Scotland Yard inspectors, Sacker, and a dog named Boomer). In the last three-eighths of the book (pp. 127 - end), the climaxes occur — first in France and then in England. The criminals involved belong to an international network headed by an exceptionally brilliant crime boss who keeps his identity shrouded in strict secrecy. SH & Co. successfully rout the robbers and return the pilfered funds to their rightful banks. Throughout, Sacker and Quartermaine play pivotal roles on both sides of the Channel.
I found the story focused, brilliant, and riveting. While authors of some SH pastiches use a Wodehouseian touch to spice up their work, this author does away with Wodehouse. Instead, he appears to have infused the jaw-dropping qualities of some of Alexandre Dumas’ epic characters into this story. For instance, Louis, a colleague of Sacker, displays the same stoic demeanor of Athos of The Three Musketeers when he serves as a human shield to the French President, successfully saving his life but getting injured by the bullets fired at the President in the process. His injury is serious and he gets hospitalized. However, he’s back to work soon after he recovers in a manner that doesn’t attach much importance to the very incident that could have taken his life!!
As I’ve already exceeded the recommended length of a Reedsy book review, let me wind up now and move on to the summary.
The book has an attractive cover. As mentioned above, the contents are excellent and the story, riveting. However, there are a handful of minor English errors in it. We can safely ignore them since they don’t derail one’s concentration or affect the pleasure of reading. This book is a worthy addition to the SH book world, so I recommend it to all SH fans across the globe. Others whom I recommend it to are crime and mystery lovers of all kinds: amateur/professional detectives, vigilantes, TV/movie producers, crime writers, etc. to name only a few.