Nicholas Meyer

Sherlock Holmes investigates a series of apparently unrelated murders in London's theatre district.

A Posthumous Memoir of John H. Watson, M.D.

The West End Horror

Sarah Sammis

Last year I re-read and reviewed The Seven-per-Cent Solution by Nicholas Meyer. This year I cracked open the sequel The West End Horror throws Sherlock Holmes into the middle of the London's theater district.

Some reviews point out a similarity between the Jack the Ripper murders and the deaths in the West End Horror but Jack the Ripper is not part of this mystery. He does, however show up in Time After Time, also by Nicholas Meyer.

When I was reading The West End Horror I was reminded most of The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl. It has horrific deaths though not described in as much detail as in Pearl's novel and a mixture of famous people in a fictional setting: Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, Bernard Shaw among others.

The solution to the mystery in The West End Horror isn't as obvious as it is in The Seven-per-Cent Solution. Nor is there as much emphasis on Holmes's mental health. A difficult mystery with Holmes allowed to be himself makes for an entertaining book. The only gaff I noticed was the naming of the "Scottish play." Theater types wouldn't do that.

The West End Horror A Posthumous Memoir of John H. Watson, M.D.