The fate of the allied forces lies in the hands of Joanna Holmes (daughter of Sherlock Holmes) and the Watsons (Dr. John Watson, Jr - Joanna's husband), and Dr. John Watson, Sr (partner and ally of Sherlock Holmes), in The Blue Diamond, by author Leonard Goldberg, a Daughter of Sherlock Holmes mystery.

During a critical stage in World War One, the Governor-General of South Africa journeys to London for a meeting of The Imperial War Conference. Days prior to the conference, the Governor-General is scheduled to have an audience at Buckingham Palace at which time a most precious Blue Diamond ( weighing nearly 3000 carats) will be presented to King Edward as a symbolic gesture of the colonies’ resolute and never-ending allegiance to England.

However, before this happens, despite the extreme security precautions, the Blue Diamond is stolen with no clues left behind. Joanna and the Watsons are called in to investigate.

Other theft, injury, and murder occur, as well as a plan to murder Joanna and Watsons. Several attacks occur on their home, and their very lives are not only threatened, but are in extreme danger. The clues need to come together to get these crimes solved, and to save their lives, and in fact their Country.

I really enjoyed The Blue Diamond from beginning to end. The cover art work is brilliant and beautiful.
5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Leonard Goldberg for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

While I didn't feel that this was one of the better in the "Daughter of Sherlock Holmes" series--perhaps because I'd just finished "A Study in Treason" which also dealt with stolen war documents--it's a worthy addition to the series. If you're new to the series, you can readily pick up this volume and jump right in.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press

The Blue Diamond by Leonard Goldberg is a continuing story of the Daughter of Sherlock Holmes series. The story begins right away with a missing diamond and a man who is on hurt severely at the hospital for the attack to his head. The plot features many thoughts from Jon Watson Jr. as he watches his wife, Joanna, try to solve the missing diamond and how they entered and exited the hotel unseen. Throughout the entire story, more elements of the mystery keep popping up and Joanna and Watson Jr. travel to various places trying to solve the mounting problems. There were moments where Joanna would watch and explain, and I, personally, felt like it did not need to be there. It was the same thing over and over. Readers might find this a little boring and want more action. I sure did. When it came to the end of the story, I do not know who stole the diamond and did the deed. I do not know if the story being so repetitive that I was not fully vested in the plot, and I did not catch who the villain was. I even flipped back through the ending of the story and had a tough time trying to figure out who did it. Overall, The Blue Diamond by Leonard Goldberg was not as exciting as past novels in this series. I needed more action. Not head hopping for chapters about a certain discovery.

I received a complimentary copy of The Blue Diamond by Leonard Goldberg from Minotaur Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

Another book in the Daughters of Sherlock Holmes series, a series that you do need to read in order otherwise nothing will make sense. The mystery kept me guessing until the end. I enjoyed it. Though I tend to enjoy all things Sherlock.

I like this take on new Holmes' stories. Here we work with his daughter and Watson (father and son). They are interesting with lots of twists and turns involving the famous reasoning of a Holmes. The mystery kept me guessing.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I feel incredibly privileged to have been given an opportunity by Minatour Books to read this book prior to its publication. It is yet another fantastic book in the Daughter of Sherlock Holmes mystery series. Joanna and the Watsons are called to Scotland Yard to assist Inspector Lestrade and the government in unraveling recent thefts occurring in posh hotels in London. A blue diamond, a Ming vase and, most importantly, a case containing documents critical to the war effort are involved. The thief has a somewhat unusual manner of entering the rooms as he is clearly a professional mountain climber. Complicating all of this is a warning from the Yard that someone is planning the deaths of all 3 Watsons with the plan to “wipe them off the face of the earth”. Several attacks occur on their home culminating in an abduction which is solved with the assistance of the always resourceful Baker Street Irregulars. Although there is one roadblock after another the Watsons finally solve the crimes. The story was enjoyable from start to finish.

This is a continuation of Sherlock Holmes highlighting his daughter, Dr Watson’s son, and an elderly Dr Watson. It is well written in the style, using many of Sherlock’s sayings.
Danger abounds when the blue diamond is stolen. After many leads, it is discovered important war documents also are at large. A massive hunt begins. Are the Germans behind the theft?
Assassins are after those living on Baker Street.
Can Joanna and Scotland Yard apprehend the villains in time?
A very engaging and page turning read!

In the continuation of the Daughter of Sherlock Holmes series, we catch up with Joanna and her husband, who happens to be the son of Dr. Watson, helping Scotland Yard recover a famous stolen diamond. The governor-general of South Africa is in London with the diamond, and despite the large amounts of security, it’s stolen from the hotel before it can be presented to King Edward. Despite appearing as a theft initially, add in a few deaths and the discovery that the diamond wasn’t the only valuable object stolen, we discover the outcome of WWI may be affected.

One of my favorite parts of this series, this book includes, is that Joanna is a strong character who has the full support of John Jr. the mystery itself is in line with a fairly typical Sherlock Holmes story, with intriguing clues that don’t seem to fit together initially. I liked seeing Dr. Watson involved in this one. The resolution was a bit of a let down in this one, but otherwise I enjoyed it!

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Exactly the right amount of pretentious you'd expect from a Sherlock Holmes type of novel. The Blue Diamond did have some moments where it felt dry, particularly in the middle. There was also probably 2-3 unnecessary characters and scenes. I would have liked to see some of the dramatic moments have issues, it felt like everything resolved much too easily. All-in-all, I enjoyed the main characters and would read another in this series and would recommend it to any fans of Sherlock Holmes.

The blue Diamond. We experience this mystery from the younger Dr Watson’s perspective and I can’t help but feel we are missing out. Joanna Holmes is the great detective, taking after her father, and we don’t get to experience any of her great thinking — just a lot of detail on meals being served and confusion about whodunit by John Watson. I would have loved to be taken into Joanna’s mine and thought process as she solved quite a few mysteries and crimes. There were some interesting features to the mystery and story in the beginning, like the phosphorescence, but the story really slowed down once Joanna determined who was responsible for the main crime and set out to very very slowly catching them. Things that could have been really interesting — like a coded message that featured prominently as a clue — were never actually solved or fit into the resolution. The resolution of the story, btw, being rather swiftly wrapped up and rather unsatisfying. Sadly, not the most engaging of these mysteries — I enjoyed the previous one more.

This book started with a slow build and finished with a bang. It’s a well thought out story which I feel stayed true to the original Sherlock Holmes’ books. We’re treated to little glimpses of Sherlock Holme’s life by Dr Watson.
I enjoyed the story. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me via NetGalley. I really enjoyed this book. It was really well written and it just had you trying to solve the mystery. I look forward to seeing what’s next from this author.

The fate of the world rests in the hands of Sherlock Holmes' daughter Joanna Watson as she and the two doctors Watson try to discover who has stolen Allied plans for turning the tide of World War I. Three daring robberies at three London hotels include a priceless Ming vase, a colossal blue diamond, bearer bonds, and by total coincidence, the secret plans for the allied offensive. The quest leads the Watsons on a merry chase through London trying to find the plans and other stolen items and protect themselves from a dangerous assassin. Another entry in this delightful series.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books, in return for an honest review. While the sixth book in this series, it is easily read as a standalone. Sherlock Holmes has a London-based daughter, Joanna, of equal brilliance and sleuthing skills. She is loved and supported by her second husband, Dr. John Watson, Jr., and his father, Dr. John Watson, Sr. Joanna has a son from her first marriage who is off at school and doesn’t appear in this book. This time, as WWI is in full, miserable carnage, the Governor-General of South Africa comes to London to attend an Imperial War Conference, as well as meet the King and present him with a rare 3000 carat blue diamond as a token of South Africa’s commitment to supporting the British war efforts. Staying at a luxury London hotel under the tightest of security, how is the blue diamond stolen from his suite? How does this tie to two recent thefts at other luxury hotels – these two were bearer bonds and a rare Ming vase? When a subsequent theft at the Governor-General’s hotel results in the loss of highly secret war plans and a member of the hotel staff is killed, the police turn to Joanna and the Watsons for help before the plans are sold to Germany. When a second death occurs, with a third person seriously injured, things look bleak for the British war efforts.
Joanna has a warm and caring relationship with her father-in-law and her husband. She loves to hear stories of Sherlock’s adventures and how he approached solving cases. This time, the Dancing Men are particularly important to solving this case’s intricacies. Dr. Watson, Sr. suffers from health issues and both she and her husband are solicitous of his welfare while still using his experience and expertise to help solve this case. She is less demonstrative with her husband but there exists a strong current of affection between them, and he actively supports her work.
Joanna is a strong heroine and a worthy successor to Sherlock Holmes. I love the cover art of these stories and how the author pays homage to the original stories. I look forward to the next in this series.

The Blue Diamond, the sixth book in Leonard Goldberg’s The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes, is a serviceable historical mystery with a wearisome premise.
For those who haven’t read previous installments in Goldberg’s mystery, the premise is that the characters in this book are the descendants of the characters in the original Sherlock Holmes stories. So, we have Joanna Holmes (daughter), John Watson, Jr. (son—and Joanna’s husband), even another Inspector Lestrade. While this already feels like an overwrought concept, the bigger issues is that none of them has a unique personality—Joanna talks like Sherlock, John Jr. talks like John (actually, both Watsons are alive and involved, which is its own kind of exhausting). Readers who can’t get enough of Holmes and who want more, albeit with superficial changes, will find this particular echo chamber might satisfy that fancy.
Those comments aside, the mystery is fine, and the historical element is well done. Goldberg’s repetition of the phrase ‘the daughter of Sherlock Holmes’ was enough to drive me to distraction, though.
Recommended for devotees of the original Sherlock Holmes stories.

I was given a free e-copy of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

During a critical stage in World War One, the Governor-General of South Africa journeys to London for a meeting of The Imperial War Conference. Days prior to the conference, the Governor-General is scheduled to have an audience at Buckingham Palace at which time a most precious blue diamond will be presented to King Edward as a symbolic gesture of the colonies’ resolute and never-ending allegiance to England.

The flawless blue diamond, with its magnificent luster, weighs nearly 3000 carats which renders it one of the world’s largest and most valuable gems. On the Governor-General’s arrival, he is ensconced at the fashionable Windsor Hotel under the tightest security, with his entire entourage and formidable security team occupying the entire penthouse floor. All entrances and exits are locked down and closely guarded, and no one is allowed entrance after 6 PM.

Despite the extreme precautions, the famous diamond is stolen from the Governor-General’s suite in the middle of the night, with no clues left behind. With Scotland Yard baffled, Joanna and the Watsons are called in to investigate the theft and it becomes clear that the crime is not simply the work of a master thief, but one that could greatly aid the Germans and turn the tide of war in their favor. Time is of the essence and the blue diamond must be recovered before it begins its travels which could cause irreparable damage to the allied war plans. (Goodreads synopsis)

I have read all of Leonard Goldberg’s novels in his Daughter of Sherlock Holmes series, and consider it one of my go-to pastiches.

I have said it before and I will say it again, Joanne is Sherlock Holmes with more personality. This time we see her as a daughter in law being concerned for her father in law. I can relate to that, except my father in law doesn’t take care of himself which is the opposite of John H Watson. There is also the obvious presence of her deceased father, Sherlock, as she consistently asks Watson about him. Mentions of his past cases, emphasis to the Dancing Men, and even “what would he do” situations.

It would appear that the elder John Watson has redeemed himself in this novel as he showed the reader his clever side. This is an improvement from the previous novel, as stated in my review. The younger John seemed to have more difficulty coming to the point at a few occasions but very clearly put his faith in his wife.

The mysteries (because if you have read the series you know there is more than one) flow very well, and give attention to the conflicts of the era. Again, there is another connection to Sherlock Holmes as Joanna is asked to assist with the recovery, and ultimately the relationship, of the Blue Diamond and South Africa to England. There are secret service agencies and spies aplenty.

Overall I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.