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The Dr. Watson thriller series, to recap, puts John Watson in the midst of WWI as a medical officer, while Holmes, retired, typically plays his own role from afar. In each book, Holmes and Watson are apart, with Watson getting most of the screentime, but their stories always closely intersect and usually include at least one in-person reunion.
I didn't care for Book #2, "The Dead Can Wait". Actually, I had so many little criticisms that I almost gave it two stars on Goodreads -- but at base, Robert Ryan's writing is too good for a 2-star rating. Book #3, "A Study in Murder", was MUCH better, and I would rate it a firm 4-stars, right next to Book 1. Probably better, because A Study in Murder didn't feature any dumb twists!
The basic premise: Watson finds himself in one of Germany's worst POW camps. Three English POWs have died by apparent suicide during a secret seance to contact their dead comrades. The Germans want Watson to figure out what really happened. At the same time, Holmes has been contacted about a transfer. He can save Watson from the camp by offering himself up instead -- and Holmes takes the bait!
The good:
This book ties back to the first in the series so effortlessly that it feels like it's the REAL Book #2! Bloch, the German sniper, makes a natural and unforced reappearance. Watson remembers the tragic events and the men he lost in Book #1 whenever appropriate! (In Book #2 he seemed to have selective amnesia, or came across as weirdly unaffected by the loss). Mrs. Gregson returns, of course, but so does Miss Pillbody, the spy I hated so much in Book #2 and loved to pieces in Book #3.
A character from "His Last Bow" plays a significant role in this book, which is a plus for ACD fans. Probably less fun if you haven't read "His Last Bow" since fifth grade, like me! XD
The pacing was excellent. The level of description remained top-notch. Holmes' and Watson's characterization was pitch-perfect imo. The first book jumped around a lot from one POV to the next -- it was busy, but it worked. The second book tried to do the same and became a muddy mess. The third book dispenses with this, limiting us to basically three intersecting plotlines, all of which flow naturally into each other. I didn't get the sense that I was being ferried from one inauthentic cliffhanger to the next.
We also finally get confirmation of Mrs. Gregson's feelings for Watson, and his feelings for her, which was handled well imo. I'm a diehard Holmes/Watson shipper but Ryan manages to write romance for Watson while firmly centering the Holmes/Watson relationship, so I actually enjoy Watson's straight love life in these books.
The bad:
Hmm. It's hard to think of anything, really. Oh! Watson was deliciously competent and intelligent in Book 1, while still fumbling just enough to keep it realistic. In this book, he wasn't quite so intelligent or competent imo. Again, like my criticism for Book 2, I would have appreciated more deduction and brilliance from our main character. But he DOES solve the mystery, so it's not that big of a complaint.
Once again, stolen identity becomes a plot point, but it's less egregious here than in Books 1 and 2. What is Ryan's obsession with stolen identities?? This time, it was handled pretty well -- a kid who used to run errands for Holmes and Watson on Baker Street happens to be trapped in the same POW camp as Watson, as a servant to the officers. But it turns out he's an officer in disguise, he never knew Holmes and Watson before, and he's secretly running a scheme to extort wannabe escapees.
See, that's a bit more reasonable than the false identities in past books.
Okay, and the quotes!
( Quotes )
I didn't care for Book #2, "The Dead Can Wait". Actually, I had so many little criticisms that I almost gave it two stars on Goodreads -- but at base, Robert Ryan's writing is too good for a 2-star rating. Book #3, "A Study in Murder", was MUCH better, and I would rate it a firm 4-stars, right next to Book 1. Probably better, because A Study in Murder didn't feature any dumb twists!
The basic premise: Watson finds himself in one of Germany's worst POW camps. Three English POWs have died by apparent suicide during a secret seance to contact their dead comrades. The Germans want Watson to figure out what really happened. At the same time, Holmes has been contacted about a transfer. He can save Watson from the camp by offering himself up instead -- and Holmes takes the bait!
The good:
This book ties back to the first in the series so effortlessly that it feels like it's the REAL Book #2! Bloch, the German sniper, makes a natural and unforced reappearance. Watson remembers the tragic events and the men he lost in Book #1 whenever appropriate! (In Book #2 he seemed to have selective amnesia, or came across as weirdly unaffected by the loss). Mrs. Gregson returns, of course, but so does Miss Pillbody, the spy I hated so much in Book #2 and loved to pieces in Book #3.
A character from "His Last Bow" plays a significant role in this book, which is a plus for ACD fans. Probably less fun if you haven't read "His Last Bow" since fifth grade, like me! XD
The pacing was excellent. The level of description remained top-notch. Holmes' and Watson's characterization was pitch-perfect imo. The first book jumped around a lot from one POV to the next -- it was busy, but it worked. The second book tried to do the same and became a muddy mess. The third book dispenses with this, limiting us to basically three intersecting plotlines, all of which flow naturally into each other. I didn't get the sense that I was being ferried from one inauthentic cliffhanger to the next.
We also finally get confirmation of Mrs. Gregson's feelings for Watson, and his feelings for her, which was handled well imo. I'm a diehard Holmes/Watson shipper but Ryan manages to write romance for Watson while firmly centering the Holmes/Watson relationship, so I actually enjoy Watson's straight love life in these books.
The bad:
Hmm. It's hard to think of anything, really. Oh! Watson was deliciously competent and intelligent in Book 1, while still fumbling just enough to keep it realistic. In this book, he wasn't quite so intelligent or competent imo. Again, like my criticism for Book 2, I would have appreciated more deduction and brilliance from our main character. But he DOES solve the mystery, so it's not that big of a complaint.
Once again, stolen identity becomes a plot point, but it's less egregious here than in Books 1 and 2. What is Ryan's obsession with stolen identities?? This time, it was handled pretty well -- a kid who used to run errands for Holmes and Watson on Baker Street happens to be trapped in the same POW camp as Watson, as a servant to the officers. But it turns out he's an officer in disguise, he never knew Holmes and Watson before, and he's secretly running a scheme to extort wannabe escapees.
See, that's a bit more reasonable than the false identities in past books.
Okay, and the quotes!
( Quotes )
