Dust and Shadow

An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson

By: Lyndsay Faye

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Breathless and painstakingly researched, this is a stunning debut mystery in which Sherlock Holmes unmasks Jack the Ripper. Lyndsay Faye perfectly captures all the color and syntax of Conan Doyle’s distinctive 19th-century London.

In Dust and Shadow, Sherlock Holmes hunts down Jack the Ripper—the world’s first serial killer—with impeccably accurate historical detail and without the advantage of modern forensics or profiling. Sherlock’s desire to stop the killer who is terrifying the East End of London is unwavering from the start, and in an effort to do so he hires an “unfortunate” known as Mary Ann Monk, the friend of a fellow streetwalker who was one of the Ripper’s earliest victims. However, when Holmes himself is wounded in Whitechapel attempting to catch the villain and a series of articles in the popular press question his role in the crimes, he must use all his resources in a desperate race to find the man known as “The Knife” before it is too late.

Penned as a pastiche by the loyal and courageous Dr. Watson, this debut signals the arrival of a tremendous talent in the mystery and historical fiction genres.

©2009 Lyndsay Faye (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Impressive…Sherlockians will hope to see further pastiches of this quality from Faye.” ( Publishers Weekly)

“An exciting and grimly vivid tale that confronts the murderous Jack the Ripper with A. Conan Doyle’s immortal detective better than ever before.” (Conan Doyle Estate)

“At long last, an author of rare talent combines a thorough, enthusiastic knowledge of the Sherlock Holmes canon with truly rigorous research into, and respect for, the Jack the Ripper killings.” (Caleb Carr, New York Times best-selling author)

Fabulous!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely! I thoroughly enjoyed this book...well worth the time and money spent. The writer's way with words was so good that I could almost travel down the dark winding alleys with Dr. Watson and Holmes, seeing it through their eyes. I especially liked Simon Vance's narration...I hated for it to end!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dust and Shadow?

Very hard to decide...when Holmes goes into the room and does not come out...Dr. Watson follows him in after calling his name and Holmes does not answer.

Which scene was your favorite?

the above, or I really don't know...too many, I think

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

not really...just couldn't stop listening...listened all the way through in a couple of days!

Any additional comments?

If you are a Sherlock Holmes, or mystery fan...you won't be disappointed!

Different and enjoyable.

What did you love best about Dust and Shadow?

It moved quickly, but had a lot of detail. Not too narrative. Felt like an original Sherlock.

Any additional comments?

Fun historical mystery.

Same as it ever was

What did you love best about Dust and Shadow?

I've both read and listened to the entire Sherlock Holmes canon, so the prospect of a new story written in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's style excited me. Lyndsay Faye did not let me down. Dust and Shadow is an affectionate pastiche and an exciting mystery in its own right. I hope she doesn't lose her own style after such a lengthy excursion into Doyle's brain, but all Holmes fans have benefited from her efforts.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dust and Shadow?

The last few chapters are pulse-pounding.

What does Simon Vance bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

After listening to 58 hours of Simon Vance narrating the original Holmes stories (and 31 hours of his Nicholas Nickleby), I was excited that he was the narrator of Dust and Shadow. His performance is typically fantastic and will likely spoil me for any other readers of Holmes.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, if only life allowed for 15 hours without disruption.

Just like Sir Arthur’s

Very good Sherlock Holmes’ story. I always wondered why back Doyle never wrote of Sherlock encountering the Ripper. Now we have that.

You'll forget it's by a modern author!

I love mysteries and historical fiction, and this is the best of both. I also love Sherlock Holmes. The author captures Holmes and Watson perfectly. Simon Vance was excellent as the narrator on the audiobook. My only complaint was his pronunciation of "Lestrade", which is pretty minor. It's not his fault that I Francify everything!
Highly recommended!

Finally someone who gets Conan Doyle and ISN’T just trying to make a quick buck off his work.

This is the first and ONLY modern Holmes story that, in my opinion at least, captures Holmes as Sir ACD wrote him and intended for him to be portrayed.

Thank you Lindsey Faye!!!!

As for the narrator, it’s Simon Vance so duh. 😃

Hope this is helpful to y’all and enjoy your day.

One of the better Sherlock Add-ons

The story, involving the attempt of Sherlock Holmes to track down and apprehend Jack The Ripper, was probably the best non-Doyle Holmes story I have read. There is mystery, a long and drawn out investigation, the chance that Holmes himself might be arrested for the killings and the final resolution of the mystery, all well done. The author even managed to tie up why no final announcement of The Ripper's capture was ever done. All in all, a good job.

I have not generally cared for non-OEM Sherlock Holmes stories as they never really seemed to be in the spirit of the originals. I know some are very popular but I, like many others, "discovered" Sherlock Holmes as a young boy and fell in love with the whole idea. In the end I became a devoted fan and read most, if not all, of the originals and watch occasional TV and movie interpretations. Unfortunately many portray characters that are very different from those in the Doyle books and thus never seem real to me. This are much better.

An interesting story, characters that fit into the mold of those in the original stories, an interesting mystery and a satisfying resolution. Hard to beat.

I like this author a lot

A good author and a good narrator make a really good listen. I am a big Holmes/Watson fan and the story worked for me. I went on to the Timothy Wilde series - I listened to the first two books, but downloaded the third on Kindle since the last book had a different narrator - narrators can make or break a book. And some like Simon Vance can work magic with a good story. I am looking forward to what the author comes up with next.

We need more stars

There aren't enough stars to rate this one properly.

This is Sherlock Holmes in every detail, every nuance. It sounds right. It feels right. It's a terrific addition to any Holmes fan or collector's library. There have been many theories on the Jack the Ripper mystery; to have Holmes take a crack at it is a fabulous treat.

dust and shadow

interesting but not as good as the actual doyle holmes books; will go back to doyles books