Although I have read and enjoyed others in this series, this book didn't hold my interest. I don't know if I can quite put my finger on the reason, but something about the storyline didn't seem to mesh well with how the characters were acting and reacting to things. I love all Sherlock lore and enjoy the revamp to following the daughter of Sherlock and Irene, along with Watson and his son. The blue diamond recovery just didn't seem like enough of a mystery to warrant an entire book. I'll certainly continue with this series, but this one wasn't my favorite.

That being said, the narration was sublime. The accent and language delivery seems very true to genre and the banter delivers Sherlockian style. I can't say enough positive things about it.

Another great adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ daughter. I enjoy this series because it is so different from others. I like the breakdown of her thought process and the fact that the men defer to her brilliance. I also enjoy seeing the change in the times and emerging sciences happening during the time period.

Steve West is a brilliant narrator for this series. There is something about his voice that transports the listener to 221B Baker St.

Blue Diamond (AUDIO) by Leonard Goldberg is another in his series of stories about Johanna, the daughter of Sherlock Holmes, her husband (and narrator of her stories), Dr. John Watson, and his father, Sherlock’s old companion, Dr. John Watson, Sr. They all live together at 221B Baker Street and ably taken care of by Miss Hudson. Scotland Yard has asked for assistance in solving some robberies that have recently taken place at several upscale hotels. There are few, if any clues, until the latest, the blue diamond, the largest ever mined, was taken from the Governor of South Africa. Then things start happening quickly. The next night some jewelry and important documents were taken from the room of France’s Minister of War while they slept. Now there begin to be clues and it is immediately obvious that the documents are the most valuable of the items stolen as they hold the future of the war. Next, the hotel night manager jumps and kills himself. Or did he? Things begin to move at a rapid rate including threats against Johanna and the Watsons by what appears to be a professional assassin, which is yet another thing to investigate.

Johanna is so like her father in that she can puzzle out anything presented to her given time to think. She notices things and puts them together in a less than obvious way. She is a well-written character whose personality reveals itself more on every page. Her husband is a skilled observer and so in tune with his wife that he can nearly read her mind. He uses his medical knowledge in pursuit of the truth and is a helpmate in every way. His personality is less defined but he is a necessary character. The senior Watson is nearly in the background having been well-established much earlier. Inspector Lestrade, the son of the original, is Scotland Yard all the way. The mystery was a good one, very war-related. The solution was obvious relatively early on but the motivations and the how-to’s and where-for’s still needed to be sorted. As always it was well written and interesting, with many temporary characters related to this story only making in appearance. It was a good read and of course, a successful conclusion.

The audio was provided by Steve West, who was difficult at first, seemingly much too serious and formal, but as the book wore on he grew on me, doing a credible job with all of the characters, even those with slight accents. I enjoyed the listen.

I was invited to listen to a free e-ARC by Macmillan Audio, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #macmillanaudio #leonardgoldberg #bluediamond

The Blue Diamond is the sixth book in the Daughter of Sherlock Holmes mysteries. This novel tells the tale of the hunt of the missing diamond. I love Joanna as a character. She is smart and observant like her father. I also like that we get more of a backstory into Joanna’s background. I also love her relationship with her husband, John. With that said, I thought the mystery was very weak and confusing. I really could not follow it. I did not see any clues to the conclusion. Still, this is a very well-written series. The narrator did an excellent job and made all the characters come to life. I love the characters and the homage it pays to Sherlock Holmes! I recommend this for fans of Deanna Raybourne, Anna Lee Huber, and Karen Odden!

As I had never read a Sherlock Holmes mystery myself, I wasn't too certain what to expect. As this being a daughter of Sherlock Holmes Mystery, I was quite pleased with following along the trail of the missing diamond.

I enjoyed the nostalgia that I assume some would have with still having Dr. Watson in the picture as the father of Joanna's, Sherlock's daughter's, husband. It seemed fitting that they would be married together and this is told from his point of view, watching his wife work and musing over the old days when their fathers worked together.

This is also set during World War One, which was handled nicely with a few references to U-boats, spies and bombings. But it's highlight was definitely on solving the crime and following the path. Plots to evade the thief and catch him out, plans that go awry, and little hints of luminescence that lead the way.

I usually love this series, but this one was so slow and drawn out that it was not even remotely interesting or enjoyable. It was a DNF for me.

Everything about The Blue Diamond by Leonard Goldberg made me want to love it. It is a Daughter of Sherlock Holmes Mystery, it takes place during WWI, it involves Scotland Yard and multiple countries are represented as the allies are explored. I love the medical glimpses as Joanna was a nurse and expands upon medical descriptions with great detail. Watson and his father continue to work well together and the three of them make a great team. I just never found my hook in this story. There is a lot of detail, and each chapter builds successfully to the next chapter. None of the explanations seem unrealistic and the dialogue is rich and methodical. It truly is a fantastic journey from start to finish and all possibilities are explored. Perhaps it was that Joanna was always one step ahead of everyone else and too predictable in knowing the underlying explanations. That is one of the things I love usually love about Sherlock, so I thought I would in this case as well. Again, I think I just never found my hook to really grab my attention. I will gladly read more by this author and certainly other books in this series.
The narrator, Steve West, did a good job with the cadence and voices, it just lacked a spark that could have brought the story to life a little more.
I received an audiobook from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.