Sherlock Holmes and the Egyptian Hall Adventure

Rating:
Summary: Not much of an adventure
Review: This was one of the first non-Doyle Holmes stories that I picked up to read, and I was quite disappointed. The plot is thin, and Andrews tries to capture the spark of the Watson-Holmes relationship without much success. Frankly, I think the book is somewhat boring. Since this book I have found numerous other non-Doyle stories that are very good.

Rating:
Summary: Brisk and flavoursome pastiche Holmes
Review: Val Andrews is, amongt other accomplishments, a noted magicain and theatrical historian and has set a number of these Holmes pastiches against a theatre background .They are for my money among the better and livelier of the series and The Egyptian Hall Mystery is an enjoyable tale in which the author seems to revel in the background detail.
The Egyptial Hall was an actual building and was established by the Victorian entrepreneur and magician J N Maskelyne ,who has a brief role in proceedings although the chief magician is another real figure ,Makelyne's protege David Devant .
Holmes and Watson are called in by a performer at Egyptian Hall, a conjurer named Cyrano .During the course of his act a priceless ring has disappeared and the owner wants it back .The intrepid duo visit the theatret where things take a darker turn with the murder of Cyrano .
The obvious suspect is an enraged inventor who claims Cyrano had stolen one of his illusions but -of course ,this being a mystery ,the obvious suspect is innocent .
The murderer is unmasked on the stage of Egytian Hall and the "new fangled "device the cinematograph plays a key role in exposing the killer
It is a bit thin from the mystery angle and one glaring anachronism rears its head when Holmes speaks of the sum of 30 pence -a mere 100 years before the decimalisation of the currency ! Holmes is an man of many parts but clairvoyant is not one of them !
Quick read at less than 200 large print pages and just about worth it if you are a devoted Sherlockian

Rating:
Summary: Brisk and flavoursome pastiche Holmes
Review: Val Andrews is, amongt other accomplishments, a noted magicain and theatrical historian and has set a number of these Holmes pastiches against a theatre background .They are for my money among the better and livelier of the series and The Egyptian Hall Mystery is an enjoyable tale in which the author seems to revel in the background detail.
The Egyptial Hall was an actual building and was established by the Victorian entrepreneur and magician J N Maskelyne ,who has a brief role in proceedings although the chief magician is another real figure ,Makelyne's protege David Devant .
Holmes and Watson are called in by a performer at Egyptian Hall, a conjurer named Cyrano .During the course of his act a priceless ring has disappeared and the owner wants it back .The intrepid duo visit the theatret where things take a darker turn with the murder of Cyrano .
The obvious suspect is an enraged inventor who claims Cyrano had stolen one of his illusions but -of course ,this being a mystery ,the obvious suspect is innocent .
The murderer is unmasked on the stage of Egytian Hall and the "new fangled "device the cinematograph plays a key role in exposing the killer
It is a bit thin from the mystery angle and one glaring anachronism rears its head when Holmes speaks of the sum of 30 pence -a mere 100 years before the decimalisation of the currency ! Holmes is an man of many parts but clairvoyant is not one of them !
Quick read at less than 200 large print pages and just about worth it if you are a devoted Sherlockian