Publishers Weekly
04/12/2021
It’s 1917 in Goldberg’s so-so fifth mystery featuring Joanna Blalock (after 2020’s The Art of Deception), and one morning Joanna, the daughter of the late Sherlock Holmes, receives a visit at 221B Baker Street, which she shares with her husband, Dr. Watson’s son, from Emma Adams, a playwright and the owner of a pub and a theater in Whitechapel. Mrs. Adams persuades Joanna to find Penny Martin, the star of her current play, who has gone missing. Meanwhile, the commissioner of Scotland Yard asks Joanna and both Watsons to help investigate a series of murders of prostitutes. The mutilation of their bodies is similar to that inflicted by Jack the Ripper. However, 28 years separates the Ripper’s killing spree from the current deaths. Is it the same man? Joanna believes it is and is sure that Penny will be the next to die. A simple, linear plot and a lack of surprises and humor limit the appeal of this homage. Most Sherlockians can safely take a pass. Agent: Scott Mendel, Mendel Media Group. (June)
From the Publisher
Praise for The Abduction of Pretty Penny:
“Goldberg weaves a tightly packed narrative…..throw the Watsons and Holmes into the mix, and you’ve got yourself a tremendous late-night read!” —Historical Mystery Review
"Leonard Goldberg’s latest installment in The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes series is filled with a classic Sherlockian vibe...What truly stands out in this novel is the writing and dialogue.” —Reviewing the Evidence
“The story is excellent and engaging…There is certainly enough angst, tension and misdirection to keep the pages turning and the reader involved to the last page.” —Gumshoe Review
"Leonard Goldberg’s cozy mystery spin on the Holmes/Watson partnership involves the Baker Street Irregulars to track the suspects, aided by 'the keenest nose in all London.' This is an appealing series.” —Bookloons
“Compelling, with clever revelations and pithy dialogue—a worthy successor to Conan Doyle’s original” —Charleston Post and Courier
“A perfect summer read” —Red Carpet Crash
"The Abduction of Pretty Penny is darker in tone than the other books in the series...But like the others in the series, this one is very well written, with clever dialogue...I highly recommend this latest in an excellent series." —Historical Novel Society
"Take a dive into the darker side of London and start with the first book of the series and work your way to this one. You won’t be disappointed. Great reads and very entertaining." —The Champaign News-Gazette
Praise for the Daughter of Sherlock Holmes Series:
"Goldberg's Sherlock Holmes pastiche is pitch-perfect..." —Library Journal
“Avid Sherlockians will be delighted with the many echoes of the original Holmes canon.” —Publishers Weekly
"Fans of the original mysteries will get a chuckle out of the antic language, and there is a mercurial Mary Poppins appeal to this not-to-be-trifled-with heroine that will appeal to fans beyond Baker Street." —Booklist
"Holmes lovers will enjoy the intricate Sherlockian reasoning Joanna and Johnny bring to the puzzle." —Publishers Weekly on The Art of Deception
"Fans of all things Sherlock-ian will delight in Joanna, so like her father and already training her schoolboy son, Johnny, in the methods that have solved so many cases like this exceptionally tricky one." —Kirkus Reviews on The Disappearance of Alistair Ainsworth
"Suspenseful and entertaining, with many twists and turns....This is one of the best Sherlock Holmes series since Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell books." —Historical Novel Society
Kirkus Reviews
2021-04-14
The disappearance of an enchanting actress brings Joanna Watson face to face with a storied killer.
After her first husband died, Joanna, who's Sherlock Holmes' daughter, married John Watson Jr., the son of Holmes' sidekick, and settled in at 221B Baker St. to follow in her father’s footsteps, deploying the same amazing skills. Now, the Whitechapel Playhouse has hired her to find Pretty Penny, their missing star, a beauty of immense talent from a poor background. Though at first there seems little reason for Penny's disappearance, Joanna soon notices subtle hints about why she might be gone. The suspects include three theatrically talented physicians who acted with Penny. At the same time, Scotland Yard requests help in the search for a vicious killer whose work bears the hallmarks of Jack the Ripper. Joanna reasons that The Ripper has taken Penny but not yet killed her, unlike the unfortunate prostitutes he’s recently mutilated and murdered in the most shocking ways. The Baker Street Irregulars are called in to watch the three doctors, all of whom frequent The Ripper’s prowling grounds in Whitechapel, while The Ripper taunts them with missives, one of them threatening the life of Joanna’s clever son, Johnny. When Johnny is abducted, the Watsons are desperate to find him. Johnny escapes, but Penny’s still missing, and The Ripper’s continuing to kill, forcing Joanna to adopt a dangerous plan.
Sherlockian ratiocination and authentically stomach-churning detail prop up a mediocre mystery.
