Sherlock Holmes

A Year of Mystery: 1881

By: Richard Ryan, David Marcum, Derrick Belanger, Jay Ganguly, Mike Adamson, Tim Gambrell, Will Murray, Craig Stephen Copland, Ian Watson, Jana Jenkins

Narrated by: Brian D. Belanger

Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

The beginning of a beautiful friendship!

For all we know, or think we know, about Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, what we don’t know is far, far greater. In the duo’s first case, A Study in Scarlet, we learn that Holmes and Watson met on January 1st, 1881, and subsequently moved into an apartment together at 221b Baker Street. Their first case officially began on March 4th of that year, and it is argued that “The Adventure of the Resident Patient” possibly took place in October of 1881, depending on which version of the story you read. But what happened during the rest of 1881? Or all of 1882?

To help fill the void, we have asked today’s top Sherlockian writers to rummage through their Watsonian correspondence and uncover the many mysteries left untold until now. There’s a new story for every month of the year!

©2021 Belanger Books (P)2023 Belanger Books

Excellent narration, intriguing plots

Too many narrators for whatever reasons adopt a squeaky quirky voice for Holmes which is distracting and irritating. This narrator gets it just right. I would have given six stars for narration. The stories are also just the right length for a whodunnit. Anything much longer would simply have been padded out by digressions into angst over relationships or scenic descriptions or worse office or other politics. This was most enjoyable.

A very pleasing collection of pastiche.

This was a very pleasing collection for any fans of Holmes and Watson. There were some things to nitpick, of course: words and phrases a bit out of place (which other reviews have already mentioned), and if 's' sounds at the end of words getting picked up by the microphone drive you crazy then you may want to consider a physical copy of this book (it gets a bit better in the later stories, but all the 'sss' hissing started to really irritate me early on). Overall, however, if you're willing to give the premise a chance and put away your copy of Baring-Gould's chronology (and Bell's, and Blakeney's, and Christ's, and Brend's, and Zeisler's, and Folsom's, and....) then I think you will find satisfaction with this collection.

Intriguing concept - first year of untold stories

I was intrigued by the concept of an entire book dedicated to the untold stories of Holmes & Watson's first year of collaboration. Each story is written by a different author. The narration is excellent. My only critique, and it is relatively small, is that not all writers are created equal. Some stories are written by more experienced, and talented, authors. One or two less so. Otherwise, I am more than happy to recommend this book!

Great Idea

I like the ideal of filling in the blanks, plus we get more Sherlock stories out of it. Check it out

Worth A Listen

The concept for not only this book, but the series, is quite interesting. This anthology is written by folks who have more than a passing acquaintance with the ACD material and while their interpretations are not always 'spot on' they come pretty close.

I've enjoyed the work quite a bit - using the same reader was a great idea as it adds consistency.

If you like Holmes and Watson and are looking for something a bit different, this is worth a listen.

A very enjoyable group of stories

A fantastic set of stories from the beginning of Holmes & Watson's adventures together. This is a great collection of interesting cases which feel fresh and are a pleasure to listen to.

Lay off the footnotes!

Footnotes are okay as long as they are unobtrusive. They are most properly used in nonfiction works to validate facts/claims in the text.

Their use in fiction is questionable, especially in an age where information has never been more accessible. When used, it should be sparingly.

There seems to be a growing trend amongst Holmes pastiche writers to pepper their texts profusely with the things, and now they are cropping up being read verbatim into spoken word recordings.

Footnotes have no place in a fiction audio book. They break up narrative flow, and since Holmes readers are likely to be more familiar with the times and events they are reading about, are "surplus to requirements".

Offer a pdf of " notes on the text" if you must, but spare listeners the tedium of having a story interrupted every other minute for a factoid. I have skipped the writings of several writers I otherwise enjoy due to being beaten over the head with information I already know or have no interest in due to this trend.

For an example of footnotes in fiction done well, look to the Sherlock Holmes titles of Nicholas Meyer.

Great compilation of pastiches!

Being a fan of canon true SH pastiches, I thoroughly enjoyed these stories. I would have given 5 stars if the narrator had a British accent and we're a less breathy.

Classic Holmes!

Great stories, great voice acting and all wrapped in a classic Holmes vibe! A must have for any Holmsian.

great start

love the idea of a progression of books to fill on the blanks. this book is a great start and I look forward to additional books as the series moves forward.