A Slight Trick of the Mind

Oddly enough, this is one time I will say that the movie worked better, though I have my quibbles with that as well. The book is essentially three tales, but they never overlap enough thematically to make a satisfying conclusion. The audio is beautifully performed, however, and kept me listening. A lesser performance would have had me abandoning this book before the end.

This is a perfectly crommulent book, it's just not the book you probably think it is. If you are expecting a battle of wits between an aging Holmes and an evil archvillian, forget it. Although Holmes does solve a few minor mysteries, this book is about an imperfect though great aging man dealing with loss and regret.

A shambling mess of a novel, it misunderstands its main character (Sherlock Holmes) and the construction of a mystery story. There's almost no purpose to the novel: Holmes travels to Japan and doesn't have an adventure with the child of a former client, doesn't have an adventure with the accidental death of his housekeeper's son and recalls a case that wasn't an adventure. The actual writing itself is just plain bad: overblown and rambling.

At the end of the book I was left wondering why the author bothered telling this story at all.

And the character of Sherlock Holmes is entirely misrepresented. And I don't mean taking liberties with a well-established character like the Sherlock TV series. I mean this novel simply doesn't understand who Sherlock Holmes is or the nature of his character, even as a 90+ year old man.

The narration is adequate. Often the rhythm of the narration is at odds with the written word and the narrator doesn't seem familiar with the material.

Mitch Cullin, No. Simon Jones, Yes.

There was no intrigue, mystery or even interesting characters including Holmes himself.

The woman who played the Armonica.

Fall asleep several times.

The stories were simply narratives with little satisfaction at the end of their telling. It's a caricature of what the 1970's Holmes would have become.

Remove Holmes and retitle it, "Reflections of a dying old man" and it may be a better book, but the inclusion of Holmes leaves a reader/listener expecting something memorable and interesting.

The Author, Mitch Cullin has managed to strip nearly every enjoyable aspect of Holmes and left us with a rambling old imposter or character impersonator who thinks he was once Holmes.

I loved the way it studied, in a unique, new way, the main character - Sherlock Holmes.

His vocal pacing was very good.

The focused, yet imperfect mind, of an aging former detective.

A read for true Holmes fans, because they will appreciate the story without being disappointed that this is not a classic Holmseian mystery.

The premise of a Holmes getting senile is interesting. There are three stories and all of them are incomplete. That being so, I wonder why they were told in the first place. There are plenty of unanswered questions. Maybe this is to replicate Holmes' memory loss but, if so, why write this book. Mysteries need a conclusion and there isn't one here.

Bring something to conclusion - even Holmes' death in a relevant situation.

Holmes

Some insight into memory loss, but not in this context.

When discussing all of his associates' deaths, it gets very depressing. Again, maybe realistic, but that's not what I read Sherlock Holmes for.

Very high

Too many to mention

I have been reading Sherlock Homes stories since I was a teenager - over 50 years ago. I still enjoy re-reading these tales. It was a nice change to read about Sherlock in his old age, still the spritely individual I have enjoyed forever.

truly an excellently written book....

Mitch writes beautifully. The problem is that he seems to fall in love with his words while neglecting the story. The end result is a very genteel tale with piles and piles of lovely words that become forgettable shortly after you hit the STOP button on your DVD player. If you like being talked AT while sinking into an overstuffed chair at the Savoy during high tea, then this is for you. If you're looking for something to stimulate, look elsewhere.

This book is incredibly tedious and depressing. Definitely the worst thing I have found here at audible.