The Art of Deception: A Daughter of Sherlock Holmes Mystery

At the start of Goldberg’s pleasing if flawed fourth Daughter of Sherlock Holmes mystery (after 2019’s The Disappearance of Alistair Ainsworth), Inspector Lestrade calls on Dr. John Watson, Joanna Blalock, and Joanna’s husband, Dr. John Watson Jr., at 221b Baker Street shortly before Christmas 1916. Lestrade needs their help catching the vandal slashing costly paintings in London’s West End. Joanna deduces that the culprit is seeking something—perhaps another artwork—hidden behind one of them. All the canvases have been repaired at the elite but financially troubled Hawke and Evans art gallery by Harry Edmunds and James Blackstone, making them prime suspects. But since Edmunds has apparently died in an explosion, while Blackstone has fled to Australia, neither man can be questioned. When Joanna’s son, Johnny, comes home from Eton, he adds his own astute analysis to the case. The overly talky investigation and lack of dramatic action may disappoint some readers. Holmes lovers will enjoy the intricate Sherlockian reasoning Joanna and Johnny bring to the puzzle. [em]Agent: Scott Mendel, Mendel Media Group. (June) [/em]