The Cthulhu Casebooks: Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows

The Cthulhu Casebooks, Book 1

By: James Lovegrove

Narrated by: Dennis Kleinman

It is the autumn of 1880, and Dr. John Watson has just returned from Afghanistan. Badly injured and desperate to forget a nightmarish expedition that left him doubting his sanity, Watson is close to destitution when he meets the extraordinary Sherlock Holmes, who is investigating a series of deaths in the Shadwell district of London. Several bodies have been found, the victims appearing to have starved to death over the course of several weeks, and yet they were reported alive and well mere days before. Moreover, there are disturbing reports of creeping shadows that inspire dread in any who stray too close.

Holmes deduces a connection between the deaths and a sinister drug lord who is seeking to expand his criminal empire. Yet both he and Watson are soon forced to accept that there are forces at work far more powerful than they could ever have imagined. Forces that can be summoned, if one is brave - or mad - enough to dare …

©2016 James Lovegrove (P)2019 Blackstone Publishing

A fantastic departure of the classic

I think this book encapsulates the very stuff of creativity I crave more than anything else, the regular turned supernatural. Take a familiar classic and bend the rules to create something new and all together ELDRITCH, as it were. If you wanted Sherlock bathed in weird fiction, this undoubtedly serves it up in a manner that, to me at least, is fine dining at the core.

Can't finish it

I've got about half way through and I can get no further. Surprisingly the author manages to get some of the air of Holmes in the story, so not irredeemable, but the fantasy aspect oddly done.

Perfectly Executed by both writer and voice actor

This is just what I wanted it to be. This is no cheap mashup or cashgrabbing gimmick. It is a lovingly-crafted merging of the Holmes and Cthulu canons, with a writing style that honors and draws on both traditions.

Excellent Alternative!

I’m not normally a fan of “Alternative Holmes”, but I loved this story. Great blend of Sherlock and HP Lovecraft

Fascinating

So over the past couple years, I've listened to all of the stories from HP Lovecraft and while I was interested at first, I quickly grew bored of the generic seeming stories, the constant "indescribable" things, and the racism rampant in Lovecraft's writing. All of which is disappointing because I love the idea of his other worlds, his old gods, and his horrors.

This book, however, while not exactly PC with it's terminology regarding other races does not feel to me (although do not take my word for it as a white person) to be outright racist, just that it was trying to match the previous works in style. This book also was much more enjoyable than any of Lovecraft's stories, but I have more than a passing affection for Sherlock Holmes thanks to Benedict Cumberbatch. 😹😻

I think this is the start of a series and, if I'm right, I think I'll be giving the rest of them a try, too.

Sherlock with Watson, Meet Lovecraftian Moriarty.

Narrator is quite pleasant listening. Acknowledgeable Lovecraft references abound. Sherlock and Watson do not disappoint.

"THE GAME IS A FOOT!"

As a big fan of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes I can say without a doubt that Sir A.C.D. would be very pleased to know that Mr Holmes & Watson were still on the case and now protecting us from terrors from beyond the void.
And let's not forget H.P Lovecraft.
I'm sure that he can rest quietly knowing that his nightmares from beyond are being battled by humanity's very best.
GREAT STORY!
READ BRILLIANTLY!!
Thank you.
Now!
I'm off to the next adventure!

Enjoyable but a bit shallow

First of all, impressive performance. The reader is amazing. The story on the other hand... a bit shallow for a Sherlock Holmes adventure. Highly enjoyable nevertheless.

Come on, that was fun!

If you’re a Holmesian purest, don’t read this! I enjoy Holmes and Lovecraft, so I got a kick out of it. The set up at the beginning of the manuscript is a bit of a slog, but after that it is pretty good!

Interesting, overall

Narrator isn't great. Many times couldn't tell Watson from other characters.

Don't know if it's a Holmes'ian thing but too much over indulgent *smartness* between Holmes & main Big Bad.

Enjoy'd it for free, but wouldn't buy successive books in the series.