Poe, Marple and Holmes are names that conjure up expectations of mysterious crimes that are cleverly solved. However I was disappointed in the lack of sleuthing and the quite weak storylines. Not a book for me which is surprising as Patterson on his own is such a superb author with compelling stories that keep you gripped.

It takes a lot of self-confidence as a writer of a detective story to name your three main characters after Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple and Edgar Allan Poe as it immediately invites comparisons and raises expectations. This self-confidence was sadly misplaced on this occasion. The story felt laboured and contrived, the characters were cartoonish and the plot was predictable. Not for me I’m afraid.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

Brendan Holmes, Margaret Marple and Auguste Poe run a detective agency in New York. They are very successful and work in conjunction with the Police. Each of them has their own individual specialisms.
They are soon caught up in unsolvable crimes which they solve with ease.
But this brings them to the attention of all sorts of people - good and bad.

A different concept and an interesting read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

I’ve read quite a few James Patterson collaborative novels as well as his own books and loved every one, but sadly this one not so much.
Holmes, Marple and Poe, the three PI’s who live and work together (that’s slightly strange in itself) are all enigmas in their own right and the book didn’t give much away about any of them, save the fact that Holmes is a heroin addict with a hyper sensitive sense of smell, which seemed rather unlikely considering the detrimental effects on the nasal mucosa caused by snorting heroin!
There were lots of cases going on all at the same time and I found it all quite confusing. It seems that they solve cases use more gut instinct than anything else and I was somewhat surprised that the police force allowed them such access and allowed them to accompany them on raids.
Very disappointing on the whole, although I would say that if it’s the start of a series, I would read the next one just to see if I can get more insight into the trio and their back stories. I was left wondering who they are and whether or not they are actually criminals themselves?

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot - you can find reviews like that out there if that's what you're looking for!

This was an enjoyable read. I've read a lot of books by James Patterson, but this one felt quite different.

There are multiple plots going on, and short snappy chapters move the action along. I also liked the underlying theme about the history of the building which added another layer.

I was initially drawn to this book by the title of "Holmes, Marple and Poe" - clear references to familiar and much-loved literary characters/author. Each of the characters shares some characteristics of their namesake - but are all very mysterious, with background checks turning up very little...so who are they really? We'll have to wait to find out...

Hoping for more novels in this series!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

I'm a big James Patterson fan, I was keen to get my hands on this new book from him, for me it didnt live up to his other books however this was a join effort between authors and was slightly different to JP other books. While I found the different story lines good, I did have to keep checking who was who and found there was no real surprise when the kidnapping case was solved. Overall, it was a good fast read however I have read much better from JP.

I must admit, I love all of James Patterson’s books. I don’t think I’ve read one yet that I didn’t like.
An easy to read book with a great plot.
A great start to what I’m hoping will turn into a fantastic new series.
Fingers crossed.

Clever bringing together of three namesakes well known in the detective genre. Have to say the kidnapping plot was so obvious from the start but the rest of the novel was interesting and engaging. Good strong characters who can easily stand alone. Looking forward to more adventures.

Difficult to believe but this is the first book I have read by James Patterson from the more than 180 books he has written or collaborated on. Read in a day this fast paced thriller is set around three Private Investigators, Holmes, Marple and Poe. The obvious links to Edgar Alan Poe, Miss Marple and Sherlock Holmes are utilised with many references to Agatha Christie and Miss Marple which pleased this reviewer as a reader of Christie stories for over 50 years. I mused at the reference to "The Great British Bake off" but i guess the Americans get to see this much loved British cookery competition. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to experience James Patterson writing.

This book was an unusual offering from James Patterson. As it was written by two people, it seemed very disjointed and had too many separate crimes to solve. Each one was quite vague in how they arrived at their evidence and it was all a little convenient and confusing. Maybe two crimes investigated in depth that maybe had a link would have improved the book. The characters were all quite different and fairly interesting although one being a heroin addict seemed unlikely with his apparent sharp brain. A series could have promise if the heroin addict gets clean and the stories are written by one person who follows a clear timeline. Also, that he details the investigations properly rather than having evidence miraculously drop into their laps. I could only recommend this book if a second book is vastly superior and this one would therefore provide a back story.

Rated 4.5/5

The writing was engaging and despite the fact that there were lots of things going on, I did manage to keep up. Sometimes it took a second or two to remember who was who, especially if we hadn't heard about them in a while, but this didn't affect my enjoyment of the book.

The style of writing was cleverly reminiscent of real life in that there was lots of different cases and things going on at the same time that the characters had to work through.

The chapters were short and snappy so you were constantly moving forward. The shorter chapters allowed for more storylines to be added in. You didn't linger on anything for too long so your mind was constantly engaged.

I enjoyed how all the different storylines intertwined with one another. They were very cleverly done. Due to the number of different storylines I don't think that longer chapters would have helped. I think that the readers' focus would have been lost and it would be harder to keep up with what was going on.

The characters were great. I loved how they managed to work things out and call in favours from people who they had helped over the years. Sometimes you didn't quite get to see how they managed to pull things off, but I think that added to the charm. You were in the same position as the supporting cast.

The main three characters (Holmes, Marple and Poe) were mysteries all on their own and unlike other books you never really got to know their true selves. I do think that if there were parts dedicated to finding out about the main characters it would have involved more complicated storylines and information, which would have taken the focus away from everything else that was happening.

Lastly the settings. I enjoyed being taken round different parts of the USA. I also liked the fact that whilst the story was mainly character based, there were some moments when the settings were key to what was going on, to the point that they became characters in their own right.

Overall an enjoyable book and one which has encouraged me to read more of James Patterson's works.

My favourite mystery/crime authors all date from the era commonly referred to as the "Golden Age" of crime fiction: Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers, Arthur Conan Doyle ... the list is seemingly endless. And of course for fans of mystery, mixed with macabre, there is no one better than Edgar Allan Poe (though he predates the aforementioned "Golden Age").
So, you can imagine my excitement on hearing that Patterson was releasing a contemporary crime novel, featuring three protaganists named:
Brendan Holmes
Margaret Marple
and Auguste Poe.
Surely, this novel would be full of references to the works starring the namesakes and characters themselves?
Well, while there are some amusing references to Marple having spent time living in villages and Poe quoting from the works of Edgar Allen Poe, there is little in the novel to hold my attention.
Like, the "original" characters, each of the trio appears to be gifted at reading people, but their ability to make deductions far surpasses anything I've seen previously and takes from my enjoyment of the novel. I'd rather see the trio follow clues, than have sudden 'feelings'. Plus, the characters are difficult to connect with as we learn so little about their lives - this is part of the mystery of the trio and undoubtedly will be revealed in future novels but meant thar I couldn't connect with the characters or their actions.
The cases, or investigations had the potential to be intriguing but once again, the lack of logic and reliance on instincts proved frustrating and took from my enjoyment.
I had such high hopes but ultimately this book was a let down for me.

Really enjoyed this. A wonderful way to bring the works of Agatha Christie, Conan Doyle and Poe into the 21st century with an American twist. The collaboration between the three investigators works well and I liked the introduction of the girl to work in the office.

This is great fun, witty and warmly giving homage to some great fictional detectives and a writer. Love that Miss Marple turns out to be gutsy and equal to the boys. Some light hearted mysteries and great characters, some great little details, enjoyable.

Three sleuths, Holmes, Marple and Poe, solve crimes galore in this light-hearted murder mystery. Like that they have characteristics similar to their famous namesakes (Brendan Holmes has a drug problem), but the book seems to wander between being daft and confusing, with a few dramatic passages. Love that Margaret Marple is so unexpectedly gutsy at the end though. Not one of James Patterson’s better collaborations.

I’ve heard of James Patterson but I’m not very familiar with his work so I was excited to get a copy of Holmes, Marple and Poe.
However, I was quite disappointed from the start. Some of the writing felt clichéd, for example the description of Poe “the kind of thin moustache that can look either silly or sexy, depending on the owner. On him, Gretchen thought it worked – kind of brooding and rakish at the same time”.
I also found it jarring that when talking about the murder of Mary McShane in 1954, the headline read “Young Girl Slain Before Dawn”, but the girl in question was 19, which by 2023 standards is young, in 1954 not so much, in the 1950s, women married at age 20 and men at 23.
I felt there were too many mysteries to tie them all up sufficiently. I still don’t understand who stole the art and why. Or why did the Siglik brothers kill people, because their father did? I felt that the only clue that pointed to them was that Marple got a bad feeling when she passed the house.
And regarding bad feelings over logic, the mystery of Mary McShane was solved by Virginia’s seeing a shadow and smelling bread.
It was fast paced, which was good, and the short chapters kept me reading and guessing.
If this is the start of a series I would read on as I did like the characters, Holmes with his heroin addiction and Poe’s alcoholism were easter eggs to their namesakes.
With thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I just reviewed Holmes, Margaret and Poe by James Patterson. #HolmesMarpleandPoe #NetGalley

I had great expectations of this book (pardon the pun!) as it had three great names in the title so I thought it would be one heck of a read….. unfortunately it wasn’t.

It was very slow and you never got a “bond” with the characters.

I felt that this book was a mix of short cases designed to show case the abilities of the the three PI's who worked together. I thought that the end of the book would bring the cases altogether but this did not happen. The characters did not connect with me at all. Their surnames (intended to be humorous) grated with me after a while. I have read a number of James Patterson collaborative books before but I did not enjoy this one as much as previous books.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for the advance copy of this book.

The description of this novel really interested me and it started off well. I suppose if it is the start of a new series some element of introduction is required, but to me none of the cases had enough depth and certainly no twists. To be honest it was slightly disappointing if I’m honest. It was a quick read, but rather than do 2 crimes with depth, it seemed to me there were too many with quick resolutions. Not sure I would read any more. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy. I’m sure it will sell well.