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)

Truly an authentic gen

This is an impeccable amalgam of history and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's finest gift to aural entertainment. A pure joy for any Sherlock fan that can be treated as true canon.

Quite surprised

As both a Sherlock Holmes fan from childhood and a Ripperologist, I was thrilled with the juxtaposition. The facts as can be ascertained from history blend extremely well with the personality of Holmes and Watson, mostly as portrayed by Cumberbatch and Co. I very much enjoyed the narrator and consider him quite talented, with both males and females. But the way the facts of the case were brought alive was the most interesting and even entertaining. The whole story reminds me of the first season of the BritCop show Whitechapel.

Best Holmes since Laurie R. King

Very, very, good, hard to believe it's Faye's first book, can't wait to read her next book

Good story but don't expect Doyle

I have read or listened to every known Published Sherlock Holmes story written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. As well as many not written by Doyle. I enjoy and am always looking for any good Sherlock Holmes incarnations. Although this author did a decent job reproducing some of the genre traits, Sherlock's brilliance was dulled and the surprise twist at the end was missing which was disappointing. Sherlock's failure to pick up on some of the most "elementary" clues really frustrated me. I kept hoping that maybe the obvious clues were misleading me as with many of Doyle's stories. But although it was a good ending I saw no real surprise twist and had no real "Aha" moments.

That being said I would still recommend this book to the casual fan. It was a well written and fairly captivating story. Just don't go in expecting Doyle and the Sherlock brilliance, or you will be sadly disappointed.

Another plus: Simon Vance is always a superb performer. He may even be able to make the dictionary a good listen. Thank you Mr. Vance.

Delightfully original yet feels like an old friend

I've often been disappointed with "new" stories not done by the creating author. But not so this time. Obviously not Sir Doyle yet crafted in such a way that it feels like it belongs in his cannon. I've always enjoyed this type of story where it's revealed that either a historical figure interacted with a well known fictional setting and visa versa as long as it's well done.

This story managed to catch the feel of a Holmes mystery and the London of that period. The excellent narration just added to my enjoyment. Knowing that this wasn't an original story allowed the author to portray the well known characters more as we've come to imagine them than as Sir Doyle penned them. But it's done subtly without the huge grin and wink at the reader that can so easily ruin this sort of story for me.

All in all it was a delightfully spent day of listening.

Another Sherlock Holms

If you enjoy the classic Sherlock stories then this would be good to add to your collections. That said, the author's portrayal of Sherlock leans a tab towards arrogant.

Sir Aurthor Reincarnated?

Between the auther and the performer you couldn't get a better Sherlock Holmes story. This author had the cadence down so perfect that I was constantly amazed at this writing ability to sound just like the original Sherlock Homes creator. Absolutley fantastic writing....But then again it's boosted to a perfect score all the way around because of the execellent performance from Simon Vance......Going down the road I had the movie in my mind because each voice had it's own signature and reminded me of some of the old Basil Rathborn Sherlock Holmes movies....Damn good listen...Damn good...

So good!

As true to the source material and history as anything I've ever read. Simon Vance is 100% brilliant as always. Please. Make. More!

Exciting Re-Telling

What did you love best about Dust and Shadow?

It's difficult to choose just one thing that I liked best. I loved the introduction of Mary Ann Monk, that Sherlock was shown to be a human being, and the cat and mouse game that the Ripper and Sherlock play.

Which character – as performed by Simon Vance – was your favorite?

I really enjoyed the Character of Mary Ann Monk. She was a woman who did what she wanted and knew her worth. I really enjoyed seeing a strong female character, especially for the time that it was written.

I also liked the Sherlock that was portrayed in this book. He starts of as the typical character, cocky and self-assured. As time goes on though he begins to get frustrated and obsessed. It humanizes Sherlock in a way that makes him relatable, even when his cognition is so above the norm.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were several moments that really drew me in, but I can't say without spoilers.

Any additional comments?

I really liked this book. It was a captivating re-telling of Jack the Ripper and Sherlock's hunt to find the culprit. I liked how the author included so much human suspicion, frustration, hope, dread, etc. It wasn't a book about how Sherlock Holmes instantly discovers the culprit from some overlooked clue, it showed the human side of Sherlock as he struggles to solve the case. It also gave a very real look as to how people react when they are scared, how they look fro someone to blame. Lastly, it showed how people can grow, change, and try to do better. Overall, a great story.

Holmes fans will love it. Perfect narration.

If you are a fan of the original Holmes stories, you will love this recreation. It has much the same feel of the A.C. Doyle stories. Very well done! Simon Vance is the perfect narrator for a work set in Victorian England.

On a one to five scale:

Violence: 4 for post-violence descriptions
Gore factor: 5 for detailed descriptions of murder and desecration of human remains
Language: 0
Sexuality: 2 for references to prostitution with no detailed scenes
Difficulty level: 3 due to the Victorian English