Christopher Sherlock Webster received his unexpected middle name because his father was obsessed with his well-known namesake, Sherlock Holmes. The new London based private investigation firm, The Baskerville Agency, got its start when Christopher was approached by his college pal, Morris Rennie. Morris proposed the agency, and because both Sherlock and Mo were at a point where they were ready to find a transition in their lives. Mo would finance the agency, Sherlock would provide the brains, and they would share the profits 50/50.

Besides reviewing the early history of The Baskerville Agency, the book is a collection of first-person reports of five early cases thrust upon the new agency. The cases are interesting to read, but are not as satisfying as those by Arthur Conan Doyle. I found the first one fairly simple to solve long before reaching the end of the story. The last was a bit uncomfortable (I did not finish it) as it dealt with the production of pornography. The other three were somewhere in between - though none measured up to the original canonical Sherlock Holmes collection of works. Having said all these things, the stories are worth reading and provided several evenings of entertainment.

This edition is the third printing from a new publisher of a book originally written in 1997. Though it has been 20 years since the original was published, I expect there is little chance that additional works in this series might be forthcoming - but one can hope.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.

I am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan, and always on the look out for books that emulate him, and this book did not disappoint.

Christopher was bullied at school when they found his middle name was Sherlock (his father was huge fan) and refused to have anything to do with the books, after the death of his father, he is filled with guilt and decides to read one the Sherlock Holmes book, and from there is hooked, and with his friend Mo sets up a detective agency, trying to solve typical 'Holmesian' cases.

Very entertaining, recommended for fans and non fans of Sherlock Holmes.

A marvellous and entertaining read,that threatens to turn us all into detectives! Christopher Sherlock Webster had a father who was obsessed with the great detective, hence his middle name. Christopher, however was bullied at school and refused to have anything to do with the stories that his father enjoyed so much,and it wasn't until Christopher,aka Sherl,by his friends, became smitten by the stories that he became inspired by the exploits of the great detective. Sherl and his friend Mo Rennie, decide to start up an agency that will investigate Sherlock type problems and use the same investigative techniques of reason and calculated deduction. They choose the name The Baskerville Agency, and through careful advertising manage to get some cases to solve, 5 of which make up this book.
The 5 cases are well written, the words flow freely,and Sherl asks exactly the questions that spring to the readers mind. There is the excitement of trying to solve the case before the explanation is given, I managed to solve the first,The Fur Trade, failed with two , The Warminster Agreement and The Persistent Assignment, made a decent stab at the Gardener's Questions and solved the last one, which was The Balcony Scene.
We have blackmail, kidnaps,murders,UFO's, all beautifully created and they have a lovely old fashioned appeal to each story, despite being throughly modern in tone.They are great fun and make you smile at times. So easy to read and so satisfying.
My youngest son adores Sherlock Holmes, has read the books, seen the DVD's,visited Baker Street and has got the T- shirt. Last year,we took him to the New Forest for a birthday meal to Minstead. I casually remarked that the grave of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was in the nearby churchyard, and his joy and delight was complete!! This book comes out before his birthday in February, so this will be a total surprise for him, and I'm sure he will recommend this to his fellow Sherlock enthusiasts !!
I have really enjoyed this book and hope there will be others to follow. I have given this 5 stars. I have posted this review on Goodreads today.

The Sherlock Effect is a homage to Conan Doyle that he would be proud to acknowledge. It compliments but doesn't copy the iconic detective and his powers of observation. Growing up Christopher Sherlock Webster found his name a burden. But after his Holmes-obsessed father passes away, he delves deeper into Conan Doyle’s stories and discovers that he too has an affection for Holmesiana and a talent for deduction. With his marketing friend Mo Rennie, he opens an agency devoted to solving the type of unusual crimes that Holmes himself would enjoy. Christopher may be a tad bit reluctant to dress the part (Mo insists it is important for branding), but he addresses their unusual cases with enthusiasm and perception.

I was very impressed by the creative mysteries Raymond Kay Lyon created to challenge Christopher. The stories were unique and had no graphic violence so they are easily enjoyed by Holmes fans young and old. I enjoyed The Sherlock Effect and I hope that Raymond Kay Lyon follows it with another collection of stories featuring Christopher Sherlock Webster and Mo Rennie.

5 / 5

I received a copy of The Sherlock Effect from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom

Before his father dies in Sherls final year at school, Christopher Sherlock Webster holds his father responsible for his name and thus the teasing and bullying he receives all through school. The Reverend Allen Webster was certainly obsessed with Holmes, and bequeathed his extensive collection of Holmes memorabilia to young Sherlock. After the death of his father he is guilted into picking up the copy of the Complete Sherlock Holmes to sample the odd story and is himself soon a 'full-fledged addict'. After several failed attempts at finding his calling, Sherl and his best friend Mo, who inherits a small fortune from one of his uncles, rent a place around the corner from Baker Street, put up some pretty impressive advertising for The Baskerville Agency "just round the corner on 237 Crawford Street, London W.I. Will Investigate All Mysterious and Bizarre Occurrences". Mo feels it necessary to fix the place up in true Sherlock accessories, most of which Sherlock already owns, and provides a trunk of Holmes style wardrobe which he insists be worn while on the job. Sherl objects to the constant branding of Holmes-type clothing and most especially the deerstalker hat but doesn't argue convincingly against the wardrobe as the money for the entire venture is that Mo inherited. They received several calls complimenting them on their sense of humor, but paying jobs are slow to find them. Which explains why they jump at a chance to provide protection for blues singer Vicki Vine.

This novel is a laugh a minute. Sherlock fans are going to find it compelling and laugh at themselves. Non-fans will find it hilarious and laugh at we Holmes fans, too.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Raymond Kay Lyon, and Thistle Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

Yet another Sherlock derivative. Not badly written. Combines 5 quick short stories of various crimes being solved through "analysis" and thought. Only gripe would be - please when you throw in a foreign country (South Africa), it would be really vaguely responsible given the current global audience for books and the huge South African diaspora if you bothered to do a little research, AND keep your facts straight. On page 125 its the "School of Psychiatric Medicine in Cape Town" and on page 143 it's the "Institute of Psychiatric Medicine in Cape Town" neither which exists. The University of Cape Town has a Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health. As far as "institutes" are concerned there is the South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP). A simple google search will give you this information.
Further more, there is no language called "South African" and it's really annoying to hear of Afrikaans referred to as such.

This book was a real let down. I love Sherlock Holmes and after reading the description I thought this was going to be really good.

This book is split in to five short stories I think the book would have been better if it concentrated on one story.

It was a little bit dated as well it would have been nice to have it more modern

I recieved a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.
There are a bunch of cases in this book so it's reads like a short story collection.
Christopher Sherlock Webster sets up a detective agency with his best friend Mo...and they call it the Baskerville Detectives.
This is a great and entertaining book for fans of Sherlock Holmes.

This book is a collection of short story mysteries. If you like mysteries, you will like it. If not, it is still an enjoyable book.

Thank you, NetGalley for a free ebook copy of this book in return for an honest review. This book is due to be published on the 25th Jan 2018. This was a quick read, as the writing flows well and it was very easy for me to become absorbed by the text. I liked the short story format, as it lends itself well to mysteries in cases such as these and makes the book feel like it's being read even faster (which then sucks you in more and the cycle repeats). I liked the odd little explanation as to why this situation came about and why the two men are involved in solving mysteries, and I would very happily read this book again. Along with the twists and turns of a mystery (which is both cosy and shocking), there were also a couple of funny moments which I enjoyed and were deftly woven into the storyline. It's not a groundbreaking portrayal of the "Sherlockian" genre, however for those who enjoy this sort of book it's a nice read and one that will be gotten through quickly and happily. I'm hoping that there are further stories released as I'd definitely pick them up and enjoy them.

This is not what I expected, but that's not a bad thing. Having Sherlock in the title I thought Sherlock Holmes. It is not Sherlock, but a character with the middle name. This character does solve crimes and the story is interesting. He may not be "Sherlock" yet this is an interesting book for a Sherlock fan or if you enjoy crime novels. Know what to expect and you'll enjoy.

I’m a big fan of Sherlock Holmes mysteries so was looking forward to reading The Sherlock Effect - a modern day twist on twist featuring an individual with Sherlock as his middle name due to his father’s obsession with the detective.

After his father dies, Christopher Sherlock Webster finds he has inherited the same obsession and along with his friend Mo, they set up the Baskervilles Detective Agency.

This book was pleasant enough and kept me entertained throughout. It features a number of ‘cases’ which enable the book to be read as a number of short stories.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thistle Publishing and the author for the chance to review.

I found the cases outlined in the short stories with this new version of Sherlock Holmes rather unsatisfying, they lacked depth and felt a little on the superficial side. The answers felt ridiculously obvious as well. I offer numerous apologies but this short story collection was really not for me. Many thanks for the ARC.