This story portrays Sherlock Holmes as a young student just beginning to find himself. He is not a consulting detective but a sometimes student studying what he finds interesting. He is approached by a fellow student named Stamford about a problem at the British Museum. This is the beginning of the great detective as Doyle later wrote him. Here he is learning his art and testing his skills. Together with Stamford he uncovers the plot to steal the Rosette Stone. This was an enlightening read. Picturing Holmes as an unsure student struggling to become the master detective he was to become was pure joy. The pacing was good, the characters strong, well written and believable.

Mr Stamford meets Sherlock Holmes while studying at St Bartholomew’s Medical College in London. With his intense stare and unorthodox methods of doing things, Holmes has already gained a reputation as an eccentric but brilliant man.
When suspected intruders are sighted at the British Museum, Holmes is called upon to give his opinion of what happened.
But before he can come to any conclusions, something horrifying happens – one of the great treasures of the world, the priceless Rosetta Stone, is stolen from the museum.
A unique story. I recommend to anyone who loves a good thriller or mystery, to add this book to your list. Your pulse will race as this story takes you on unforeseen twists and turns as the mystery is unfolding; be prepared to hang on tight.

The book, Sherlock Holmes and The Rosetta Stone Mystery by Linda Stratmann, certainly brings back the memories of tell- tales of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle. The plot hooked me right from the beginning. And, the climax was totally unexpected. The story starts from a horror note, but, eventually jumps on to a marvelous tale of adventure and mystery.

I will definitely give the book 5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and Sapere Books for providing me an opportunity to read and review the book.

There are plenty of variations on the Holmes story, but very few of them actually manage to capture the particular tone the original stories had. This variation, however, does a splendid job of it. I had the same feeling reading this story as I did when I read the original stories for the first time.

I appreciate that the author gave Holmes a new companion instead of Watson. The earlier, different perspective on Holmes's work was fascinating, and I liked that Stamford is the one to suggest Holmes and Watson should live together. The relationship between Holmes and Lestrade gets a little preview here as well, just enough to keep you wanting more of them in further instalments.

It is 1876 and young Holmes is a student at college already with a reputation of being brilliant especially at solving mysteries so when medical student, Mr. Stamford's usually level-headed uncle and a director at the British Museum reports seeing a strange unearthly vision at the Museum, Stamford asks Holmes to investigate. But before Holmes can reach any conclusions, the seeming impossible happens - the Rosetta Stone is stolen from the Museum and, worse, one museum worker is found dead, clearly murdered and another unconscious. To save the reputation of the Museum, when the police seem to be unable to make any progress, Holmes is asked to do his own investigation. The game is once more afoot and Holmes is on the case with the aid of Mr Stamford.

Most fans of Sherlock Holmes, and I include myself here, have read his exploits with Dr Watson but now we can read of an early exploit pre-Watson thanks to Linda Stratmann in the latest (and earliest) edition to the Holmes iconography, Holmes and the Rosetta Stone Mystery, the first in two books in The Early Casebook of Sherlock Holmes. Stratmann has a real understanding both of the historical period and Conan Doyle's writing style and it shows. The mystery is compelling, Stamford makes a fine companion to the great detective and the solution was satisfactory. this was a fun read and I recommend it highly to any Sherlock Holmes mysteries or historical fiction mysteries in general.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Sapere Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

A delightful new series from Linda Startmann starring a young Sherlock Holmes in a riveting and captivating whodunit set during the 1870s. Cleverly plotted with enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat and blessed with an colorful and unforgettable cast of characters. A magnificent fictional tapestry of the Victorian Era at its height, skillfully woven with lots of delicious dialogues and some unexpected chills!
A highly entertaining novel and the beginning (one can only hope) of a long and successful new series!👍

Many thanks to Netgalley and Sapere Books for this delicious ARC

Young Mr. Sherlock Holmes has developed a reputation around St Bartholomew’s Medical College in London as being unorthodox in the subjects he pursues. Mr. Mike Stamford is intrigued by Mr. Holmes, but it isn’t until a fellow student approaches them about the mysterious strangers his uncle has seen at the British museum that they are really thrown together. The Rosetta Stone is under threat. Can a young Sherlock Holmes solve the crime when the police are puzzled?

I enjoyed this one a lot! I’ve read stories about Sherlock Holmes as a boy, so I was intrigued by the idea of him as a young man. I also liked that we have Mike Stamford as our “Watson” of the story. It is presented in a way that makes it plausible to fit in with the details left by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

The author does a fantastic job of recreating Holmes as a young man who is still learning. The mystery presented of the Rosetta Stone just vanishing from the museum was well thought out. If I had to name something that didn’t sit quite right, it is the references to the person of a mathematical disposition who is the shadowy puppet master, as it were. It just didn’t feel quite right.

Overall, it is a fantastic story and I would definitely recommend it to fans of Holmes looking for an adventure.

1876 Holmes has already garnered a reputation of being odd, eccentric, not quite following the rules and the bane
of London Police Chiefs. They do not like his unorthodoxy, his so called modern methods and his way of doing things
just out of the box.

When the priceless Rosetta Stone is found missing from the museum - no break in, no obvious sign of damage it is
extremely puzzling to all including the Police. Followed by a ransom note to say that unless paid, the Stone would be
cast into the sea - it sends everyone on a wild goose chase to the Docks to see whether the stone is being hid on a
ship there. But how did it get there as it was a cumbersome thing to move.

When one employee who was coshed on the head dies during the burglary, and the other suffering from amnesia Holmes
considers it an inside job and slowly starts to unravel the pieces of the puzzle.

Quite slow on the detective angle, at times lingering and repetitive, the story picks up rapidly and then moves on
with a number of characters involved and different sets of people and places.

Interesting angle on Holmes, Watson and Stamford.

This is an exceptional Sherlock Holmes novel, based around the early years of Holmes’ forays into detection. Partnered with and narrated by Stanford instead of Watson, the tale nonetheless feels reminiscent of Conan Doyle’s style. My understanding is that this will be the first in a series of novels relating the early days of Sherlock Holmes, which is cause for celebration indeed, considering how enjoyable this was to read.

I liked this new Sherlock Holmes pastiche as it's engrossing and entertaing.
A young Sherlock, a different partner and a complex mystery.
It kept my attention till the end and kept me guessing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A good novel and story to hold your interest. The author stays true to the original Sherlock Holmes portrayal. The characters are well done and I enjoyed the story. A good mystery read.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Looking back from 1924 Mr A. Stamford reflects on his first meeting with Sherlock Holmes back in the Spring of 1876, London at the St Bartholomew’s Medical College. Dr Edgar Martinson, resident keeper at the British Museum, is concerned as he has seen unexplained things at night in the museum. Holmes is asked to investigate with the help of Mr Stamford, but when the Rosetta Stone is stolen and a ransom received Scotland Yard in the shape of Inspector Caldwell and Sergeant Lestrade take over. So they believe.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery, with its cast of likeable and varied characters. A good start to this new series.

I very much enjoyed this "early" version of Sherlock Holmes pre-Watson. I have read a smattering of Conan Doyle's canon as well as the YA series Enola Holmes. My dad is a big fan of the OG Holmes and I got this book to see if he would like it.

The story is told from a medical student's perspective, Mr. Stamford, much like Holmes' later tales penned by Dr. Watson. This time the Rosetta Stone has disappeared from London's museum and everyone, even Holmes, is baffled as to how the crime was carried out since the stone weighs just under a ton. There are constant red herrings and misdirection throughout, although the story comes together very neatly as Holmes puzzles out clues and discards distractions. The contempt for Scotland Yard is present, even though Lestrade, whom Holmes considers an idiot in later stories actually comes across more clear headed than his superior, Inspector Caldwell.

Overall, I liked this foray into early Holmes. The story was quite readable and at times actually amusing. I looked forward to picking up this book again at the end of the day. I would love to read more in this series. It actually made me want to revisit Conan Doyle's tales as well.

I'm game for pretty much any Holmes variation. I first read Conan Doyle's stories when I was ten. I didn't "get" everything, but I loved them. I've been rereading them regularly ever since. And because the Conan Doyle canon is finite, I welcome other opportunities to spend time with the great detective.

Linda Stratmann's Sherlock Holmes and the Rosetta Stone Mystery provided me with several evenings of very satisfactory reading. Given that Holmes needs no introduction, I'd like to move on to a few observations about this volume in particular—

• I appreciated that Stratmann gave us a different, earlier sidekick for Holmes rather than adding to the many volumes of Watson-narrated Holmes variations. A variation should be a variation—distinct enough from the original to stand on its own merits, with characters or tropes that weren't included in the original.

• The choice of Stramford as narrator is interesting. He "bridges" the Holmes-Watson relationship, having met Holmes before Watson did—in fact, in this novel he's the man who was ultimately responsible for suggesting that Holmes and Watson might share a flat. He's a medical student who credits Watson with having inspired him to move from general practice to surgery.

• I am, however, withholding judgement on that narrator. Stramford is intelligent and likeable enough, but I don't think he's really "blossomed" yet. I want to see what quirks and individual strengths he reveals as this series progresses.

• I think Conan Doyle was wise to put most of his Holmes-creating energies into stories, rather than novels. I am quite fond of the novels, but they can drag a bit. The condensed form of the stories is a better match for the quickness of Holmes' mind.

• That said, Sherlock Holmes and the Rosetta Stone Mystery doesn't feel "padded" in the way some of the weaker novel-length variations by other writers do. The novel has some engaging twists and there are layered mysteries, some more substantial than others, that keep things moving.

• Stratmann also gives readers a preview of the Lestrade-Holmes relationship that is so often featured in Conan Doyle's stories. I appreciate the chance to imagine an early Lestrade.

This is a series worth following for any Holmes aficionado. I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

5 Stars.
(I apologise if this is so long but there needs to be more hype for this book)

*Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for my own review*

I'm a fiend for all Sherlock Holmes retellings and reiterations, when I saw this available I immediately made it my first reviewed ARC. It fulfilled all of my Sherlock Holmes needs and currently sits with A Study in Charlotte as my 2 favourite extensions of Sherlock. There are tie-ins with cannon works throughout, I double checked a couple of references and was delighted when I realised how thought-out and prepared Linda Starmann had been. I researched Linda's other works and seeing her background in history and non fiction as well as fiction wasn't surprised too see how well she took on an iconic character. I'm very excited to see this series evolve.

The book sets it's pace immediately and the story opens up quickly and fluidly. The writing itself is very Doyle-like, descriptions and references fitting the narrator and the original books well enough that it is a believable extension of that universe. The mystery fell somewhat to the side to make way for the character's and their relationship coming to light and wrapping up in a way similar to the original novels. This is something I feel in future novels with balance out as their working relationship builds.

Stamford and Sherlock seem a little more equally footed than Sherlock later in life with Watson, I attribute it mostly to the time the book is set, both being students and Sherlock only having solved cases within his friend group. Despite their similar fields and care for Sherlock, Stamford did have differences to John's character, where Watson was brawny and empathetic Stamford was cautious and logical. He immediately takes to Sherlock and rather than place him on a pedestal seeks to learn the same way that he does, practicing deduction skills later throughout the book. Seeing these 2 men together really sets the foundation for Sherlock's future relationship with John.

Sherlock in this story is a little less extraordinary and more youthful, you meet the beginnings of his genius. I loved seeing his quirks without his vices and learn how he came to hold his opinions in later books. I particularly loved seeing how his respect for Stamford comes from his appreciation of a new set of eyes, Sherlock is aware of what he doesn't know and appreciative of people who explain the gaps in his knowledge. I found his respect for Stamford to fit with Canon Sherlock and how readily he accepts John into his life with his adventures, he has had something similar in his past.

It's very reader friendly, there is no gore or romance to worry about so very much open to all readers (middle grade and above). I do recommend past knowledge in Sherlock Holmes's lore, even if you don't read the novels but get a clear grasp of the characters and cases.

2 Quotes I loved are:
"It mattered nothing to him if the mystery was fresh and poignant or was thousands of years old. The mystery was all."
"He was not, I eventually realised, entirely without emotion, but he always strove to ensure that it was never allowed to cloud his judgement."

An enjoyable novel, with the young detective having to try to unravel the mystery of a disappearing historical artefact.

The nature of the story means that to comment is to produce spoilers, but Ms Startmann stays true to the formula and ethos of the originals.

Worth reading for fans of Sherlock and his adventures.