I love these characters! The individual “mysteries” not at much. They had a lot of potential, but the execution seemed extremely lazy. It’s as if the writers decided to take the easy way out. I don’t know if these were supposed to come across as “cozy” mysteries or not. If they were, that explains a lot! But Holmes, Marple, and Poe are not the cozy mystery type!! Give us more!!!!!

After years without a James Patterson read, this one intrigued me with characters named Marple, Holmes, and Poe. While enjoyable, it lacked an overarching high-stakes case, feeling more like short stories in alternating chapters. Small nods to the originals, like Baskerville the dog and receptionist Virginia, were appreciated. I favored Marple, though her age remained unclear. Holmes and Poe needed more depth beyond their interests in cars and weapons. Naming one character after Patterson himself seemed odd, and the cases lacked surprising twists. A fun but not seriously gripping read.

The title sucked me in. This book has most of the goods, and needs a bit of a rework or something to take it from bland to WOW. The story kept me reading, but I just felt it came off flat, and that saddens me as I am a 100% fan of James Patterson. Holmes, Marple & Poe has the branches of longevity. I do look forward to book #2, cause there is lots of room to grow.
NetGalley, thank you for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was an unexpectedly fun read!

Auguste (Poe), Brendan (Holmes) and Margaret (Marple) are three private investigators with exceptional detective skills and unidentified sources of wealth. They may or my not be related to Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Agatha Christie, and it was interesting to see how fully developed their characters became through the course of the book, with my favorite, Margaret Marple, holding the team together.

I loved the way the story flowed, with one case starting as another one began. I lost track of the number of cases, but because there was always a new one, I never got bored or tired of reading. Each case had a clever solution, but the PIs were not always danger-free in pursuing their leads.

Thank you so much to Little, Brown and the #JamesPattersonStreetTeam for an advance reader's copy.

Three previously unknown private investigators open their business in an old bread factory. They manage to solve crimes that the police are unable to solve. With their link to their namesakes they are the perfect crime-solving trio.

Brendan Holmes, Margaret Marple and Auguste Poe. Of course I was interested in this read when I saw the names! I found the book to be interesting. Three investigators with unique abilities in solving crimes. They also have connections that have others wondering where this trio has come from. I love their mysterious backgrounds. While they seem to be a Wonder Trio they are also a flawed trio. Especially the men. It seems that Marple is kind of the glue that holds them all together. The negatives of the story for me were the drugs, sex and language. But there's help to be had for the drugs, the sex is not graphic and the language is sparse. I'm not sure if this is going to be a series, but I kind of hope it is because I'd read the next book to see if we learn anymore about Holmes, Marple and Poe's pasts.

Meet three interesting crime solvers in Holmes, Marple & Poe by James Patterson and Brian Sitts. This is a fast paced book with several mysteries solved by this unique group.

This was a very enjoyable read and I would love to read more about these characters. Their famous surnames could only amplify their collective detective agency. There’s Auguste, Brendan and Margaret. My favorite was Margaret but I also really liked Detective Grey. Each of them have quirks, faults, strengths and demons. I liked the old NY building where the agency set up the new agency. It has it’s own history and mystery to solve. Their first case takes many unexpected turns and involved despicable humanity. It kept me guessing and engaged long into the night. I hope there will be more novels about this detective agency. It would make a great series and I liked the writing duo of Patterson with Sitts.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy of “Holmes, Miss Marple and Poe Investigations” by James Patterson and Brian Sitts, Little, Brown and Company Hachette Book Group. These are always my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without any compensation.

This was a great read! While a bit tongue in cheek, these characters have depth and somewhat mirror the idiosyncrasies of their namesakes. Through the course of the story, they solve a murder, a kidnapping, and grand theft of priceless art! I'm not sure if there are more stories in the works for these three, but I certainly hope so!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

Love the cover and title. They are what drew me in. I am not a huge Patterson fan, but I believe this book has made me into one.

It was a roller coaster ride of events. The book is set in New York with three private investigators who worked brilliantly together. They are great characters, and Patterson did an awesome job building their personalities.

The book is fast moving. The chapters are short and I found myself reading the entire book in one day.

Highly recommend.

Holmes, Marple & Poe by James Patterson and Brian Sitts
A Mystery/Thriller, 2024 by Little Brown and Company, 352 Pages

What I Didn’t Like:
-Content Warning: Drug use and overdose, suicidal thoughts and actions.
-Everyone recognizes their names (and a few think it’s a joke) so we’re in a world where these characters are common YET we have no idea who they are or who they connect to. The whole thing about their names is odd.
-The cases almost seem to wrap up too easily. That’s typical from the namesakes of these characters as well, but it’s still not my favorite mystery trope.

What I Did Like:
+The cozy-little-mystery vibe from this one matches what you’d expect from a Marple or Holmes adventure, and those are big shoes to fill. I appreciated that old-school vibe in a modern book.
+There is plenty of action and mystery to move this book along. It feels like every chapter is a cliffhanger and every action gives you more questions.
+This reads like an opening book in what could end up being a series. You meet a few (4) characters who you really like and get introduced to someone who could be a recurring villain. It’s a good setup.

Who Should Read This One:
-Fans of Holmes books (or the House TV show) who like when a group of brilliant minds make solving a mystery look almost too easy.

This was such an enjoyable read that I'm hoping it develops into a series!! What better billing added to the famous names of Poe, Marple, and Holmes than "The Brain", "The Eyes", and "The Muscle"? Enjoyed the fact that there were several cases to keep our attention and to involve the private investigators in many ways. Added to that we see that as Poe and Holmes search to solve crimes, they are battling their own personal demons. The addition of Detective Lieutenant Helene Grey brings interactions with the NYPD, which are less than friendly but add an element to the story that has much promise in future books! And of course, a possible love interest for Poe? While we got to know Poe, Marple and Holmes in this book, I feel there is much more to discover about them! For instance....why can't Grey find any history of them? Where did they come from and who are they really? While I don't have the option to give a 4.5 that is what I would like to rate it! Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #HolmesMarple&Poe

James Patterson does it again...and again...and again....Is it just me or does it seem like he is cranking out a book every other day?! This time...with a little help from Brian Sitts, it seems. This book takes you along for the ride, er....investigation...of several crimes as Holmes, Marple & Poe Investigations has opened for business. Everything about this slick team makes you want to go along for the ride. From the mystery that lingers in the building where they choose to set up their business, to the mysterious way they seem to find their one employee... From each one of their quirks, to the mystery of who, REALLY, each one of them are... This was, for sure, a ride I am willing to hop on! Honestly, the only downside that I felt, while reading , was the hopping from one case to another. There were certain ones that we read about in the story, and then didn't come back again until the "wrap up". It was all, in fact, wrapped up, but all I can say....PLEASE LET THIS BE A SERIES!!!

4. 5 stars but I will gladly round up for the sheer entertainment value.

Holmes, Marple & Poe draws you in slowly then doesn't let go to the final page.

The trio are a team of detectives (what else could they be with those names) in New York City and have opened their own agency.

I would hire them just on their names and curiousity alone.

The trio have their own demons they are fighting and I wondered who are they really.

James Patterson and Brian Sitts have written a fun fast paced read that has you trying to solve the case before Holmes, Marple and Poe.

I hated the book to end because you just have to know there is more than meets the eye with these three.

I am excited for this new series and cant wait for Holmes, Marple and Poe to return soon.

Thanks to Net Galley and Little Brown and Company for an adventure I wont soon forget.

This is a very enjoyable modern day twist to old classics. The authors did a great job taking three very distinct, well known characters and develop them into a crime fighting force.
I really loved how the characters stayed true to their original personalities while bringing in modern day experiences. It was really well done.
The murders and mysteries did justice to the original books with enough drama and red herrings to make them complete.
Enjoy!

Free eARC was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher for reviewing purposes.

Let me begin by saying that I am a mystery reader. I enjoy them. I love trying to solve it before the reveal. And to name your book and characters after two of the most famous literary detectives and one of the most famous mystery/horror writers of all time is really setting expectations high. I went into this book excited for a modern day mash up of some of my favorite detectives and I was sorely disappointed. Not only is the writing cheesy, the characters flat (Holmes is a drug addict, Poe is an alcoholic, Marple knits. That's about all you get from them.), the twists and reveals predictable, but some of the things that happen in this book are so far beyond reasonable or realistic that my suspension of disbelief was gone in the first 15% of the book. (SPOILER: Holmes' nose is so good that he solves a missing persons case by smelling a dead body buried in manure at a farm. This is not a joke or exaggeration). I wanted to quit then, but told myself to give it a chance and read to 50%- by that point I was skimming the text so quickly that the kindle bottom bar said I only had 30 minutes left in the book, so I decided to stick it out. This was a mistake. Reading the last half of this book brought it down from two stars to one star in my eyes.
To sum up if you don't want to read spoilers below: this was a waste of my time to read, and although it clearly wants to feel like dramatic, dark TV police procedural, I've watched many better written and more compelling episodes of SVU, Elementary, and NCIS.

SPOILERS BELOW but honestly I thought the solution to all the mysteries were so obvious this barely counts as a spoiler:
One of the last mysteries (the book is made up of several short story mysteries, some of which are intertwined) - a teenage girl moves from Texas to New York City to become a model. She is murdered by her ex-boyfriend who followed her there to "bring her back home". The female detective catches him and then feels sorry for him- WHY? This enraged me. There was further background or reasoning why he killed this young woman who was clearly terrified of him (she reacted with anxiety after a photoshoot because he texted her "FOUND YOU" and the next thing we know she's dead). I cannot fathom why the detective felt sorry for an abuser who murdered a teenager.
Some other problems I had with the book: two serial killer brothers have prison and body disposal system that dissolves all the flesh, leaving only skeletons as evidence, at their house that is so perfectly hidden for 60 years that no one discovers them, and they also have a hideout in a mausoleum with tunnels under a graveyard and yet they choose to bury the skeletons in a subway tunnel rather than the actual graveyard?
Also, a man (who refused to adopt his wife's daughter) and his wife's daughter (who just turned 18) go missing, leaving the wife/mother behind to beg for the help of our detectives. Also missing are the girl's beloved dog, both their electronics and personal possessions. If you have already figured out that this is heading in a Woody Allen/Soon-Yi direction, congrats, you're doing better than all the detectives in this book.

"Crime! Murder! Who are you going to call?

In New York City, three intriguing, smart, and stylish private investigators open Holmes, Marple and Poe Investigations. Who are these detectives with famous names and mysterious, untraceable pasts?

Brendan Holmes - The Brain: Identifies suspects via deduction and logic.

Margaret Marple - The Eyes: Possesses powers of observation too often underestimated.

Auguste Poe - The Muscle: Chases down every lead no matter how dangerous or dark.

The agency's daring methodology and headline-making solves attract the attention of NYPD Detective Helene Grey. Her solo investigation into her three unknowable competitors rivals the best mysteries of Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle, Agatha Christie, and Edgar Allan Poe."

I mean, sure, it's a gimmick, but it's a gimmick I can get behind!

This was such an entertaining story about PI’s. Evey chapater had a purpose and was written to really get you thinking. I really enjoyed this one

Just like Patterson’s other books, this is a fast read. There are many mysteries that have to be solved in 352 pages, and they are. The only mystery that isn’t solved is who are these PI’s? What is their back story? Where did they come from and how did they get here? I enjoyed this but wanted to learn more about the main characters. I don’t know if theis will be a one off or another series but I would pick up the next one to see where it goes.

Thank you for the free ARC from Netgalley!

James Patterson is one of my favorite authors and I was excited to read this one! I love the Agatha Christie vibes and the characters were interesting. But there were too many storylines for one book. This could have been a series. Overall I still recommend it!

This is honestly one of my favorite James Patterson's so far. It was a quick read that just kept pulling you in every chapter. Unfortunately, we don't know much about our main characters. Brendan Holmes, Margaret Maple and Auguste Poe have moved to New York and started a Private Investigations Firm but they are a mystery on their own. Right off the bat, we know that they are not quite who they say they are, as their names are pulled from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie and Edgar Allen Poe, but they are quite good at what they do. There are a few mysteries that are unraveling throughout this novel, including murder, kidnapping and art theft.

I have to say this was a fast-paced mystery, not really a thriller (in my opinion). The character development, while very good, leaves a little to be desired because there is still SO much that we don't know about our crime-solving team. It was very reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes, with our characters being so far ahead of everyone else in their clues and thinking. The novel was written in multiple POV which added to the mystery and created a good storyline. I really hope this is continued in a series!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Little Brown and Co., James Patterson and Brian Sitts for the eARC of Holmes, Marple & Poe in exchange for an honest review. Rated up for 4.5 Stars.

Publication date for Holmes, Marple & Poe is 08 January 2024.