Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Beer Barons

By: Christopher James

Narrated by: Steve Davison Smith

When a beer barrel containing the body of a man is delivered to the door of 221b Baker Street, an intoxicating new adventure begins for Sherlock Holmes. Together with his faithful companion, Dr. John Watson, Holmes travels north to Burton-upon-Trent to investigate the poisoning of a regiment in India from a contaminated batch of pale ale. The incident threatens the reputation of the mighty brewer, Houghton's, which supplies beer to half the world. But Holmes is not the only detective working the case.

Miss Gertie Cresswell, owner of a first-class mind and a yellow umbrella, has a few ideas of her own. With militant suffragettes, folding bicycles, and the footprints of what appears to be a three-legged man, the unlikely trio face their most fiendish mystery yet. The game is on!

©2020 Chris James (P)2022 MX Publishing

seeking answers

with poisoned pals ale showing up in India and even with Mycroft Homes, a journey of discovery is set before Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.

Do you really like beer?

If so, you will probably really like this book. I’m not much of a beer drinker myself, so all the passages waxing rhapsodic about the amazing beer were lost on me.

This tale was a bit long, and too complex. It’s as though the author wanted to write three or more stories, and did, but jammed them all together.

I also didn’t like the needless inclusion of “Mary Sue.” The story would have been just fine without it. In fact, eliding that thread would have gone a way towards reducing the complexity.

However, the narrator did a pretty good job. There were a few times when his misreading or mispronouncing words yanked me out of the flow. But still and all, he made it an enjoyable listen.

In my book, he saved this audiobook. You might like it, you might not. But be forewarned.

PS if you don’t know “Mary Sue” you should look it up.

Not a strong pastiche

If you trim two or three hours from the book, and remove some of the very uncharacteristic (and frankly unbelievable) elements of the story, this pastiche might have been enjoyable. Instead it is a mismatch at best. Sadly Watson is written in the Nigel Bruce vein, as an older bumbler who doesn't seem to know when to stop talking. The one true highlight is narrator Steve Davison Smith's talent at bringing this jumble to life.