About the Book
June, 1916. With a world war raging on the continent, exhausted John H. Watson, M.D. is operating on the wounded full-time when his labors are interrupted by a knock on his door, revealing Sherlock Holmes, with a black eye, a missing tooth and a cracked rib. The story he has to tell will set in motion a series of world-changing events in the most consequential case of the detective’s career.
Amid rebellion in Ireland and revolution in Russia, Germany has a secret plan to win the war and Sir William Melville of the British Secret Service dispatches the two aging friends to learn what the scheme is before it can be put into effect. In pursuit of a mysterious coded telegram sent from Berlin to an unknown recipient in Mexico, Holmes and Watson must cross the Atlantic, dodge German U-boats and assassination attempts, and evade the intrigues of young J. Edgar Hoover, while enlisting the help of a beautiful, eccentric Washington socialite as they seek to foil the schemes of Holmes’s nemesis, the escaped German spymaster Von Bork.
Sherlock Holmes and the Telegram from Hell plunges Holmes into a world that eerily resembles our own, where entangling alliances, treaties, and human frailty threaten to create another cataclysm.
About the Author :
Nicholas Meyer is the “editor” of several Watson manuscripts, including The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, which spent forty weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. His screenplay of the film received an Oscar nomination. His film credits include writing and directing Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. He wrote and directed Time After Time, co-created Medici: Masters of Florence, and directed The Day After, about nuclear war that attracted the largest audience ever for a television movie. A native of New York City, he lives in Santa Monica, California.
Review :
"Nicholas Meyer’s stirring tale of the turning point of the Great War reveals the pivotal roles of Sherlock Holmes and his friend Dr. Watson. Solidly based on history, it’s thrilling, full of surprises, yet touchingly poignant in its depiction of the aging partners. Please continue unearthing these lost accounts, Mr. Meyer!"
"Nicholas Meyer, a master storyteller, brings Holmes and Watson triumphantly to life during the English, American and Mexican intrigues of the Great War. His witty and riveting mystery, based on a crucial historical event, has a brilliant climax."
"For me, Nicholas Meyer has managed the impossible, which is to sound exactly like Arthur Conan Doyle, as he plunges Holmes and Watson into a time in our history when the survival of Britain and the British was under threat. The danger is real and so, by this stage, at any rate for most of us, are Holmes and Watson. The combination is irresistible. It will not surprise the reader that in Sherlock Holmes and the Telegram from Hell, the Great Detective surpasses himself."
"For decades, Nicholas Meyer has held sway as the preeminent author of Sherlockian tales, and Sherlock Holmes and the Telegram from Hell demonstrates his strengths in profusion: crisp plotting, rich cultural-political background, many flashes of wit, and an abiding zest for the game."
"Another tour-de-force from Nicholas Meyer, once more channelling Conan Doyle to tremendously entertaining effect, this time weaving in a Mexican-American connection which is, remarkably, both true to history and stranger than fiction."
"The Sherlockian mystery is solid and delightful on its own, but Meyer’s portrait of this moment in history adds a surprising and fascinating bonus. . . . Ingenious international froth studded with historical tidbits."
"“[Meyer] weaves real people into this fabulous tale, including Alice Roosevelt Longworth and a very young J. Edgar Hoover, all while keeping the game very much afoot. Baker Street Irregulars everywhere will enjoy this."
"The combination of a terrific plot, surprising twists, and the poignant relationship between the elderly Holmes and Watson makes this a memorable read."
"A delightful, fast-paced, historically correct novel . . . that perfectly captures the zeitgeist of the period."
"Sherlock Holmes and the Telegram From Hell is certainly fun to read . . . In such works of homage and affection, the great detective lives on."
"A thrilling, fast-paced, and dangerous story . . . Of all the Holmes novelists—and there are a lot of them—Meyer is one of the best, and it’s wonderful to see these two characters back in action."
"Mr. Meyer’s touch is as deft as ever, as the veteran Sherlockian serves up a potent solution of action, deduction, history and affectionate banter."
"The resolution of this epic tale is as unpredictable as everything that has preceded it. In order for WWI to end in favor of the Allies, Holmes and Watson’s mission must be a success. Being aware of the war’s outcome does not take away from the enjoyment of reading Sherlock Holmes and the Telegram from Hell. This is a Holmes tale that no fan of his novels should miss."
"[Meyer has] written a beautiful ode to friendship set against the backdrop of international warfare and espionage, with a subtly elegant structure that perfectly suits his characters and themes."
"Meyer gives us a wonderful plot line with lots of thrills and chills and a chase that makes me long for a film version."
"[Meyer] once again proves that he’s especially adept at playing in other creators’ sandboxes."
"The plot is clever and the writing exceptional, but what makes this book stand out is how Meyer weaves into the story dozens of historical figures and events, including the spy plot at the center of the novel."
