I'm always up for reading new Sherlock Holmes novels, I'm more than happy to see authors trying new things with the characters and taking the iconic detective into interesting places. When I saw that Tim Major was going to be bringing out an entry in The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series it got my attention pretty quick. Having previously read his other work, both Snakeskins and Hope Island, I was interested to see what he'd do with Holmes. His previous work were great character led pieces that took a lot of chances, and I was eager to see that same kind of energy brought to a character I love.

The story begins with Watson returning home to his Baker Street apartment to find a new client already there, seated in his own chair no less. The young woman, Ms Abigail Moone is an author who writes mystery novels under a male pseudonym; an author that Watson himself has enjoyed reading and whose books sit upon his shelf. It turns out that Abigail has come to the famous detective and his trusty chronicler because she believes she may have helped to kill a man.

She explains to the two that in her research for her next novel she came across an interesting looking man who visited the Tate Gallery every day, a man who piqued her interest during her regular people watching sessions. After following the man and learning his routine for a few days she came up with a hypothetical way to murder him, as a kind of mental exercise to help her with her mystery stories. However, when the man suddenly drops dead, killed in the same way she came up with, she believes that she may have inspired an actual murder.

Intrigued by the unusual nat`ure of the case Holmes and Watson agree to get to the bottom of things, but this means that they're working on a case in a way that they've never done before, one that's going to require them to have to broaden their approach and come at things back-to-front.

Major takes a very different approach to his Sherlock Holmes story than a lot of other writers, and as such I found that the mystery really tested me (and Holmes and Watson too). Instead of the standard murder mystery set up of someone having been killed and there being a number of suspects in this book there are none. The mystery starts with the detectives knowing how the murder was done, but not why, and with no possible suspects. The book very much earns its name.

Because of the strange nature of the case there is a lot of backwards and forwards as Holmes and Watson try to find any kind of clue as to what could have happened to this man and who could have killed him. There are a number of interesting ideas put forward, and there are clues given early on that do point towards the answers, but with so many theories and so little information I think even the most experienced mystery reader will be left scratching their head.

What Major does give readers, however, is some interesting character moments; especially with regards to Abigail Moone. She's probably the most interesting character in the book, and whilst Major does write Holmes and Watson well I do think it's Moone who gets the most room to shine. She's an independent young woman, one who isn't afraid to go against society's expectations of her and do her own thing. Watson has always been someone who gets somewhat flustered by women, but seeing him thrown as much as he is by Abigail during the course of the book is quite a lot of fun.

She's very similar to Holmes in a lot of ways, and I think her deductive mind, her independent attitude, and her desire to do her own thing instead of what people might expect of her probably grates against Watson because he sees a lot of his friend in her. There are moments in the book where Watson is worried that Abigail is angling to replace him as Holmes' partner and chronicler, and I really liked seeing this kind of insecurity in him as it's not something that you get to see all that often.

Another thing that I really enjoyed about the book was something that Arthur Conan Doyle himself has done in a Holmes story, but I've not really seen done very often. Towards the end of the book, as we're learning the important details as to why this man has been killed we get several chapters that follow him in his past, delving into his backstory and seeing the events that led him to this point. This reminded me a lot of the first Holmes story, A Study In Scarlet, and how that book had a large section that were set in the US as we learnt the backstory of Jefferson Hope and Lucy. The later sections of this book felt a lot like that, and it was an interesting way to bring the readers up to speed on things in a different way.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, and found it to be an interesting take on Sherlock Holmes. It didn't do anything drastic to change the characters or the setting, and could very much have slotted into the original stories that Arthur Conan Doyle created, but because of how it presented the mystery it felt fresh and different in a very unique way. A great addition to my Sherlock Holmes collection.

May 1898: Sherlock Holmes investigates a murder stolen from a writer’s research.
Abigail Moone presents an unusual problem at Baker Street. She is a writer of mystery stories under a male pseudonym, and gets her ideas following real people and imagining how she might kill them and get away with it. It’s made her very successful, until her latest “victim” dies, apparently of the poison method she meticulously planned in her notebook. Abigail insists she is not responsible, and that someone is trying to frame her for his death. With the evidence stacking up against her, she begs Holmes to prove her innocence. I adore anything Sherlockian and this story did not disappoint in the least. I hope there are many more in this series. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

#TheNewAdventuresOfSherlockHolmes #NetGalley
A must read.
Sherlock Holmes assists a popular mystery writer whose plots seem to be coming to life.
May 1898: Sherlock Holmes investigates a murder stolen from a writer’s research.
Abigail Moone presents an unusual problem at Baker Street. She is a writer of mystery stories under a male pseudonym, and gets her ideas following real people and imagining how she might kill them and get away with it. It’s made her very successful, until her latest “victim” dies, apparently of the poison method she meticulously planned in her notebook. Abigail insists she is not responsible, and that someone is trying to frame her for his death. With the evidence stacking up against her, she begs Holmes to prove her innocence…
Thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for giving me an advanced copy of this book

I'm a huge Sherlock Holmes fan, and happy to read any regeneration in the hope it piques my interest as much as the original series.

Abigail Moone is an author, writing murder mysteries under a male pseudonym. A man is killed in the way she has written about, and she asks Sherlock Holmes to investigate before she is arrested by the (as usual) bumbling Lestrade.

A bit drawn out in parts, but on the whole a good read, and I look forward to the next book.

Found the story intriguing at the outset and it then became very obtuse. Seemed like two different stories with a stretch of connections that were very confusing in a frustrating rather than delightfully surprising way. Thought the relationship between Holmes and Watson was a bit offensive in Watson’s seeming need for Holmes’ approval of Watson’s “getting it.”

This is a new version of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries and while I am a huge fan of Holmes I wasn't, thrilled with this story. The ending I will say, was a surprise, so that was a plus! The story did stay true to form for those familiar with the classic mysteries so, to some, they would not be disappointed. I found this a bit slow . I read it hoping the end would come sooner rather than later.

I'm a sucker for new riffs on the Holmes theme, so I knew I wanted to read Tim Major's The Back to Front Murders the moment I first heard about it. Major has a lot of the Conan Doyle moves down—easily embarrassed Watson, preoccupied with his own opinions regarding appropriate gender roles; irritatingly recalcitrant Holmes; shifts in time, location, and narrative method. Major also gives readers a mystery worthy of Holmes: complex with multiple threads spinning together then tearing apart repeatedly. A female mystery author writing under a male pseudonym realizes that the novel she's been planning features the same victim and method as a real-life murder. Is she actually a murderer, as well as a writer? Who was the murdered man and what motive would anyone have for killing him?

If, like me, you're always glad to discover a new Holmes variation, you'll want to read this title. I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher; the opinions are my own.

In addition to GoodReads, I have also posted this review on Edelweiss+ and LibraryThing.]

This excellent series from Titan is great for fans wanting more of Sherlock Holmes and his biographer Dr. Watson, it allows readers to discover new/and not so new authors who each dip their toes into the canon and come up with new stories to entertain us. Dr. Watson narrates the Back-to-Front Murder, in this case Holmes takes up the case of a man who has been murdered, his interest is peaked by Abigail Moone who witnesses his death.

If you haven't tried the New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes then do so, they tick all of the boxes.

Thanks to Titan and Netgalley for giving me the chance of reading an early copy.

I enjoyed this book! I am always up for anything relating to Sherlock Holmes and this one did not disappoint. Abigail Moone has been writing murder mysteries and a man has been killed in the way she has envisioned. She turns to Sherlock and Watson for help in determining what has occurred.

Although I found the mystery to be a bit convoluted in explanation, I liked the characters and the story was interesting. I did not for a minute guess at the ending so that was good as well. I would be up for another Holmes adventure written by Mr. Major.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start by saying I've never read any of the original Sherlock Holmes stories (I know a crime punishable by death, but please forgive me) so I can't compare this to the stories that inspired it, but I will say this is a very enjoyable story and felt authentically set in the same period. I appreciated the way the author got Sherlock to reason things out and observe. I also found that, unlike most mystery novels, I couldn't guess whodunit, so it kept the mystery alive right to the very end. It was an easy read and at only a couple of hours, a perfect read for an evening. I'm hoping the author writes more in this vein as I'd like to read more by him

"Sherlock Holmes assists a popular mystery writer whose plots seem to be coming to life.

May 1898: Sherlock Holmes investigates a murder stolen from a writer's research.

Abigail Moone presents an unusual problem at Baker Street. She is a writer of mystery stories under a male pseudonym, and gets her ideas following real people and imagining how she might kill them and get away with it. It's made her very successful, until her latest "victim" dies, apparently of the poison method she meticulously planned in her notebook. Abigail insists she is not responsible, and that someone is trying to frame her for his death. With the evidence stacking up against her, she begs Holmes to prove her innocence..."

I've found this series very enjoyable with it's vast array of authors and plots, my friend George Mann even wrote one!