I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I was going too. However I absolutely love Sherlock Holmes and before reading this I had built it up quite a lot and thought I would be in love with it so that’s probably partly my fault.

Started off loving this book, it felt very atmospheric and the characters grabbed me. The poor-man's Sherlock Holmes with his trusty side-kick, Victorian underclass, hints of dark time, all good stuff. However, maybe it was just me but I got a bit distracted in the middle of it, lost track of some of the story lines and generally lost a bit of interest. In summary, I can see potential but it didn't live up to it for me in this first book.

This was fun.

Arrowood lives and works in London as an investigator. Unfortunately for him he finds himself competing for work against Mr Sherlock Holmes – a man who Arrowood believes benefits from good reporting but is (in Arrowood’s opinion) not as great as his reputation suggests.

Struggling for money Arrowood is given a fiscal lifeline when a woman tries to engage his services to locate her missing brother. Her seemingly simple request will lead Arrowood and his companion Barnett on a trail around some of the darker sides of Victorian London and will place them in danger on more than one occasion. Through the pubs and inns Arrowood and Barnett will bribe, cajole and intimidate the staff of the finer houses and will dig deeper into the puzzle of the missing man. But they are not the only ones looking and the stakes will be raised as a potential witness is murdered in front of their eyes.

The author does a great job of bringing Victorian London to life and the characters encountered are frequently rough and ready. Arrowood is not the most heroic of lead characters, frequently deferring the unpleasant tasks to Barnett and hiding until it is safe to emerge. But he is not adverse to breaking the law to achieve a result and this made for entertaining reading.

I don’t read many historical novels but Arrowood was pitched just right and captured the feeling of time and place that allowed the story to flow.

If you have enjoyed Sherlock Holmes stories then this tale of one of his rivals is well worth seeking out.

It’s an interesting concept, viewing Sherlock as the attention seeking famemonger instead of the observant intelligent world famous detective. Arrowood is convinced that Sherlock only points out the obvious, and has just had a really long run of luck. As I said, it is sort of amusing to think of him as the annoying fly in the ointment.

Arrowood considers himself to be equal to Sherlock in every sense, well perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he considers himself to be superior to him. As far as Arrowood is concerned, Sherlock is too interested in fame and being a celebrity. Someone as vane, pompous and enamoured by his own intelligence could never be a decent detective.

Just like the fame-hogging Sherlock, Arrowood has also got a very sensible and capable sidekick. Norman Barnett seems to be more of a general dogsbody and more often than not he ends up in very dangerous situations, courtesy of Arrowood of course.

The main character is certainly the anti-type to Sherlock. In more ways than he might think. Behind all the complaining and the hard-nosed façade there lurks a huge heart, but hey don’t tell anyone, none of us want to ruin his street cred, right?

Finlay has created a detective, who actually represents the dark side of London. Where Sherlock merely dabbles now and again in the murky underworld and streets filled with people trying to survive, Arrowood lives and breathes that stark reality.

It is a fresh and captivating read with a memorable set of characters. Hopefully this won’t be the last we hear of Arrowood & Co.
*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy of Arrowood.*

Finlay's book is wonderfully playful, being both a Conan Doyle style pastiche - detective and story narrating sidekick – and an enjoyable romp about prostitution and Irish revolutionaries in its own right. Creates just enough pleasure to warrant a further outing.

3 1/2 stars

An interesting mystery with a unique protagonist. This was well plotted and well written. However be aware that the protagonist is a very dark and bitter character. His insights are brilliant, but he and the plot reflect a dark and depressing London and this remains as true and the end as it was at the beginning. Highly recommended though for its absorbing plot and vivid characters.

* ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review *

Arrowood was crafted for those liking a juicy bit of historical mystery - Sherlock Holmes-esque but without the posh, monster ego and smugness. Actually, Holmes and Watson are referenced often in this novel being contemporaries of Arrowood in late 1800s London. This has caused our man no end of grief but his specialty is the every man-man, the working class and the seedy underbelly of society.

The atmosphere in this novel is top notch. The reader can feel the grit in their teeth just reading about how real people lived in Victorian London. It feels almost like a time machine - that authentic - and really makes flesh and blood of the characters.

Arrowood is not alone in his pursuit for justice. Trusty Barnett helps him on his quest and works to soften Arrowood's rough edges and temper. They make a good team balancing each other out.

I really liked this book and hope it's the first of many. The plot becomes increasingly complex in an enjoyable way that feels ominous and threatening. Even more atmosphere to revel in. Hooray!

William Arrowood is a detective and he's, frankly, got no time for Sherlock Holmes. Which is a shame because most of the rest of London have got such a crush on him it's almost as if Benedict Cumberbatch were already in the role - there is a great running joke throughout the book that whenever Arrowood and his assistant Barnett meet anyone new they start to enthuse about the great Sherlock, much to Arrowood's disgust. Our heroes, however, take on the cases of people who are too poor to afford Baker Street rates and they delve into cases which seem much more sordid than anything Dr Watson would care to describe. In this book they are searching for a missing young Frenchman but soon become involved with the criminal underworld (in the form of a gang who have London sown up and would like to move onto stitching up Arrowood and Barnett), the fight for Irish independence, human trafficking and prostitution. The plot is rather nicely complicated and I really liked some of the characters. It looks as though this book ends poised to begin a whole series - in which case I look forward to hearing more about Neddy, the obligatory urchin, and Arrowood's indefatigable sister.

An interesting read and very good for a debut novel. Although I enjoyed it overall I did find it a bit slow in places. I would be very interested to read more from this author as their style develops - the story itself was fascinating. Worth the read.

Arrowood, ‘the guvnor’ is a private investigator. He solves the cases that Sherlock Holmes wouldn’t be interested in. He is overweight, drinks heavily has no social skills and detests Sherlock Holmes. But despite his many faults he is loyal to those who work with him and his clients.
The narrative is told by his assistant Barnett. Barnett has suffered a personal loss that he hasn’t discussed with the guvnor and he regularly suffers physical abuse. Some of it from the guvnor but also from the police and the people they encounter in their investigations.
What appeared an easy case for the team proves increasingly baffling and dangerous. I just wanted to protect Neddy, as well as give him a bath. It was hard to work out who they could trust, everybody including the police seemed to have their own agenda.
The description of a life in poverty in the London slums was the best that I have read in a long time. Not only could I visualise it, I could also smell and even taste it. Very convincing and I would love to read more about Barnett’s experience of a slum existence.
I have said it before, about numerous books but this would make great television. 19th century crime fiction, in the same city as Sherlock Holmes but could be a completely different world.
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received via Netgalley.

Thanks Harlequin (UK) Limited and netgalley for this ARC.

Starts out slow but once you get hooked in that's a wrap. This mystery pulls into its heart, soul, and you won't see the end coming.

Oh, I loved this book! I really hope it is the start of a new series as I am hooked. For my sins, I've never actually read any of the Sherlock Holmes books but doesn't everyone feel steeped in the world of 221b Baker Street these days? The Guy Ritchie films, the Benedict Cumberbatch TV series..... I'm even addicted to the New York set TV series Elementary (with the dreamy Jonny Lee Miller as the quirky detective and the awesome Lucy Liu as Dr Joan Watson). So I feel like I have a handle on the world of this story, which is very much in the background but shapes most of the humour in this book. William Arrowood is a detective who hates Sherlock; he's wildly envious of his famous competitor and is driven into a furious rage every time Sherlock is handed yet another high-profile case. This is despite the fact that Arrowood operates in shady South London - a world away from Sherlocks posh West London digs. The case is very twisted, dark and intriguing, making this a fantastic book to travel with. I was completely drawn into this story and even enjoyed reading the grizzly bits (which is unusual for me). I highly recommend this book.

This was a solid book, with engaging characters. I enjoyed the poking of fun at Sherlock Holmes, and, concomitantly the demonstration that Arrowood's methods aren't universally successful either.

Arrowood and Barnett are private detectives in London in 1895. Holmes and Watson they are not --- and they keep being reminded of this at every turn, by clients, the media, the police and the general public. Arrowood in turn sets out to show Holmes as something of a fraud. The story is told in the first person by Barnett, who, along with his employer Arrowood, is a flawed and realistic character. This novel follows the two protagonists over the course of an investigation on behalf of a young French woman, Caroline Cousture, who engages Arrowood to find her brother, Thierry. In the course of the investigation both detectives and their young assistant Neddy find themselves in life-threatening situations. There are wild goose chases and meetings in dingy pubs a-plenty; a fair amount of porter and oysters are consumed and issues of women's rights, child labour and Irish home rule are addressed by the narrative. This was a really enjoyable read and I was very glad to read in the final words of the story that there will probably be more adventures for Arrowood and Barnett.

Arrowood and Barnett: investigative agents, inhabitants of 19th century London, and most assuredly not Sherlock and Watson.

Whilst Mr Holmes has become the stuff of legend, a genius of his time, Arrowood - man of emotions, reader of people, master of the alternative solution - struggles to secure a decent case. And yet, here one comes.

Set in the universe of Holmes and Watson but told from a very different point of view, Arrowood is a story that is at once familiar and fresh. Not your parents' period detective novel, this grittier cousin of Doctor Watson's accounts will keep you gripped from one twist and cleverly-revealed clue to the next. As Mick Finlay dangles each new development, nudges each unturned cobble and edges us ever-closer to the characters and the conclusion, we become ever-more dependent on the high of intrigue. And it's a high that Finlay readily supplies.

With humour and warmth providing just enough sugar amid the bitter realities of the lower classes and of the genuine peril the protagonists endure, here is a novel crafted with panache. Arrowood is the other side of the Holmes coin: he is the emotion to his logic, the open-mindedness to his hard fact, and yet he, too, is flawed. Pasts, deceptions and secrets cloud each character, and neither Arrowood nor Barnett are above committing crime for the greater good of solving the case. So too are the flaws in London's soul exposed, as Barnett leads us through grim bars and back alleys, to slums and secluded doorways where darkness may not even protect you. Crime, it seems, is the currency this London knows best.

Although a departure from Conan Doyle, here too are parellels: clashes with policemen, political tensions surrounding Afghanistan and Ireland, both Arrowood's and society's attitudes to women are all here and are all relevant in our time, too. Like Holmes, Arrowood is not perfect, and his relationship with Barnett, though complex, is in essence as charming as that of Sherlock and John. Most importantly, though, is the biggest similarity: here is a truly great novel.

In short, Finlay drops us into a fully-formed world, gives us glimpses of the past and flashes into the future whilst dazzling us with the present, and leaves us begging for more. I am hooked.

Arrowood will be exactly as you picture it if I describe to you... 'a gritty, dark murder mystery set in London, 1985'.
It is in no way a sunny, pleasant read, it is an ugly, gritty, harsh murder mystery.
Following private investigator Arrowood and his sidekick Barnett through the impoverished streets of South London in the 1890s.
Told from Barnett's point of view it follows the hapless and (not particularly likable) duo as a simple missing persons case spirals dangerous out of control.
Arrowood as a story is a low and steady but by no means boring. The book took me longer to get through than other reads of this size would have. Although its worth taking the time to read to soak in the beautifully written scenes. I thin k the fact that I would describe the book as being "unpleasant and ugly" is a great compliment to Mick Finlay's writing.
It was a great steady read and I would definitely recommend to any fan of detective mysteries.
Thank you Netgalley and HQ UK.
A solid 3 STAR read.

A brilliant read and very entertaining.

The premise of this novel was very appealing to me as a lover of historical (especially Victorian-set) crime fiction: a private detective operating in London at the same time as the celebrated Sherlock Holmes. However, this detective, the eponymous Arrowood, solves the crimes that Holmes won't touch: those of the poorer and less salubrious London citizens.

The narrator of this novel is essentially Arrowood's sidekick, a kind of Watson-esque figure who both reports the events of the novel and provides a kind of commentary on his 'guvnor' (a word very overused and the only thing that really grated on me in the book). The story itself initially follows a case of a missing person who was caught up with London's seedy underworld and the Fenians, thus bringing a political dimension to the story, although the plot quickly escalates to a murder investigation.

Overall, this is a pacy and well written detective story, although I did feel that the action flagged a little in the middle. The setting is grim and adds to the atmosphere of the story - we are a long way from the drawing rooms of polite Victorian society as Arrowood searches the pubs, brothels and cheap lodging houses of South London. However, there are touches of humour and likeable characters, so things are never too bleak. I felt like there was more that could be done with the detectives, so will definitely keep an eye out for any sequels.

This was a very entertaining crime novel that I can't wait to share with my blog readers. Although William Arrowood is the titular character, it is narrated by his 'Watson', Norman Burnet. Holmes and Watson are the bane of Arrowood's life;. they get the big cases while he, and Norman, get the petty thefts and wayward husbands. When a young lady comes to them asking them to find her brother Arrowood and Burnet get pulled into a much more complicated case, involving a local crime lord, War Office officials and Fenians gun running Enfield Riffles to Ireland.

I really enjoyed the complications of the case and the character building, the history woven into the main narrative and the descriptions of London in 1895. The weaving in of the Sherlock Holmes canon makes this novel interesting, as Arrowood gives alternative possibilities for the resolution of some of Holmes' most famous cases.

Review will be available on rosemariecawkwell.wordpress.com on 16th March 2017

This is my Goodreads review.

This was a complex, interesting read in a Sherlock Holmes vein (though that's not a comparison Arrowood himself would appreciate) which raised some important points about class and societal tensions in London as well as wider afield. However, I didn't find myself loving it the way I hoped I would, and I'm not quite sure why that is. There was nothing exactly <i>wrong</i> with it: the characters and their relationships are engaging, the writing is good, and the plot is neither too predictable nor too convoluted, although I didn't have the brain power at the time I was reading it to try and guess what was going to happen next. For some reason, it didn't click with me, and I think that's probably just to do with how tired I was at the time.

That said, I found there were aspects of it that weren't all that easy to follow as somebody who knows shockingly little about Anglo-Irish relations during this period, among other things: I could have used more background knowledge. While it's usually a good thing when a book doesn't info-dump, it made it hard to fully understand / appreciate in places.

I'll try and write a better and more complete review for my blog in the near future -- I'm finding it a bit hard to marshall any detailed thoughts right now. Probably a 3.5* read: 4* book, 3* emotional response from me.