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)

Excellent!

I have always enjoyed the original Sherlock Holmes stories. The pastiches not so much. Usually the author goes overboard to be faithful or makes the story ridiculous trying for laughs. I am not a Holmes purist, Basil Rathbone is still my favorite Holmes, regardless of the movie plots.

This book was excellent! The Holmes character has some of the edges smoothed yet not so one wouldn't recognize him. Watson is thoughtful and decisive. The Lestrade character is perfect, though this one might be the one least like the stories. The crime to be solved is one of the most well known in history. There is plenty of tension as Holmes comes up with a very plausible solution.

Really Enjoyed

I have been a Sherlock Holmes fan for longer than I care to remember. While not a classic Holmes yarn, the overall "feel" of this story was close enough for me. I thought the writing captured the flavor of Holmes and the England of his time. In addition to a very good story, the narration was outstanding. What a difference an excellent narrator can make.

Excellent Holmes story. Believable.

I really enjoyed this Holmes story. Considering the timeframe of the story, its premise is quite believable (if you allow yourself to believe that Sherlock Holmes actually existed)... Narrator did a stellar job. Lyndsay, I'm a dedicated fan now. Please write many more Holmes stories. Keep them reasonbly believable.

Great story, great performance!

Simon Vance is unimpeachable and the Holmes/Watson story presented by Lyndsay Faye is easily the equal of any and all its justly vaunted forebears.

Lyndsay Faye nailed it!

What other book might you compare Dust and Shadow to and why?

The Complete Sherlock Holmes

Any additional comments?

I just finished The Complete Sherlock Holmes and went right into this book. It was very nicely done. I could not really tell much of a difference between Faye and Doyle's writing. Both audio books were narrated by Simon Vance (I'd listen to him read the phone book) which added to the consistency.

great read

interesting story & very well narrated. keeps you guessing till the end. pick this one up for the fun of it.

Simon Vance Does Pitch Perfect Narration

I've read a lot of Holmes (original and pastiche) and I've read a lot about Jack the Ripper and I've read fiction that combined them. I was rather dubious about trying this American author's version but it was on sale on audible so I took a chance on it-- feeling assured that if it was read by Simon Vance I would at least not be able to fault the narrator.

While I'm not sure that I would whole heartedly recommend this book as a mystery, I did enjoy it as a trip to the late 19th century streets of London.

Vance, as usual, delivers. His Holmes, Watson, Lestrade and the various other non-canonical characters have a genuine feel. Of course this is largely owed to Faye who penned the words, but a even a well written book can be all but destroyed in audio form by an inept narrator.

I did think that Faye did a good job with presenting the information about the ripper killings in a way that did not seem like mere regurgitation of the facts, even to someone who read several nonfiction books on the subject.

So-- a really good pastiche. Faye does make the relationship between Holmes and Lestrade rather warmer than expected, and Watson is treated with respect for his intelligence, even though he is not Holmes' equal. Not an exceptionally good historical mystery. I didn't think that Faye laid a very good foundation for the climax. However, I did enjoy listening to this novel and would recommend it to any fan of Simon Vance.
Comment Comment | Permalink

Dust and Shadow indeed Dr. Watson

I do consider myself a Holmesian if you will and I was drawn to this story by the showdown - Jack the Ripper vs. Sherlock Holmes. I understood this would be historical fictional based in part on real events. And indeed this story does draw from the well known and documented Jack the Ripper case file. I also believe that Ms. Faye faithfully depicts Holmes and Watson in a true Conan Doyle style. I also applaud the reader, Simon Vance who puts on wonderful show.

Now all that aside, I believe the story fails is in the search for a compelling narrative and foil for Holmes. Ms. Faye's various foils for Holmes are really hollow paper. I was hard pressed to believe that the great Sherlock Holmes would be lead astray by absurd, obvious and clearly excludable suspects. Jack as he is described by Holmes is unique, with a varied skillset and keen intellect. The suspects clearly possess none of these attributes. Having Sherlock literally chase his tail to an obvious dead end...unbelievable.

I was also very unsatisfied by the ending or should I say the resolution of the story. While I am very aware that this is fiction and it is the author's prerogative to resolve the story or leave it open ended, there was no need for a final resolution in my opinion. I would have been satisfied with the Ripper slayings forever haunting and frustrating Sherlock Holmes. Something like another Professor Moriarty only more vile and gruesome. The story does toy with this idea and has Jack spar with Holmes only to leave him grasping at shadows and dust. Grappling with a very new paradox...the serial killer who's only motive is the kill. Holmes is vexed and frustrated at every turn, finding no real evidence, no leads, no links or threads. Those themes were far more satisfying than the Sherlock in the news blather, that I found tedious. If we are going to do that I would have been more intellectually tweaked by leaving some doubt about whether Holmes is in actuality Jack. So we reach the climax, and no it was not in Mary Kelly's bedroom where it should have been. Instead, we are on the heels of the culprit who really does not fit the profile, in fact the culprit's skillset is woefully lacking. And the ultimate resolution I found contrived and thoroughly unsatisfying.

I was entertained by the narrative, the banter and the history. I thought the characters were treated well, except for having Holmes pursue obvious red herrings. However, in the end the story and its execution was little more than Shadow and Dust.

Fantastic!!!

Wonderfully written and performed. Story line was riveting and engaging. Even when you think you know what’s going to happen there is still plenty of surprises to keep you interested and in the edge of your seat!

great murder-mystery!

What did you like best about this story?

I thought this story was fantastic! What a fantastic Sherlock Holmes adventure! I thought that Faye did a good job of intertwining a Holmes mystery and the Ripper murders. There were so many twists and turns and classic Holmesian deductions that I never wanted to stop listening! The only reason that I didn't give it a 5 for story was that I felt that the ending was a little too neat and tidy and served to the listener with a little bow on top. It was a little too abrupt and seemed like the author was in a hurry to wrap it all up.

Have you listened to any of Simon Vance’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I love Simon Vance. He is a fantastic narrator. Part of the reason I got this audiobook was because he was the narrator. He does not disappoint in this book, either.

Any additional comments?

I think, after reading the other reviews, that this book is best for the casual Holmes enthusiast, not the diehard one. If you are familiar with Holmes tales, that helps, but then you can follow along without being disturbed by discrepancies with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original interpretation. All in all, though, this was a great listen. I enjoyed it thoroughly!