A fun book 7 in this creative series featuring Sherlock Holmes' housekeeper, Mrs. Hudson, and her exceedingly smart housemaid assistant, Flotsam, as sleuths more capable than Sherlock himself. Always love to see gutsy female characters succeed in traditional male endeavors. Can be read solo but Holmes' fans, especially, will want to devour the whole series.

This is a very fun series, although I must admit that this has been my least favorite book so far. It was still enjoyable, don't get me wrong, but it didn't have quite the same magical resonance that the others did. I really enjoy watching Flottie's character continue to develop, although I missed having the constant presence of Scraggs in this installment. The mystery in this one wasn't quite as compelling to me as earlier stories, honestly, and that's a large part of the disconnect I felt this time I think. Still, the writing is always strong and the characters are a delight, so I'll happily look for the next book to see what comes next!

I have read another in this series in which Mrs Hudson assists Holmes in some of his (lesser known) cases. However, i can't say I enjoyed this one (Mrs Hudson and the Capricorn Incident by Martin Davies) very much. Probably because Mrs Hudson didn't feature much in the book (despite it having her name in the title) and it was Flotsam, the housemaid who seemed to see most of the action. I'm pretty sure that if you invest time in the whole series then this book is great, just not for me.

Martin Davies’s Mrs Hudson and the Capricorn Incident is billed as Book 7 of his Holmes and Hudson series. However, we really don’t see a lot of Holmes…. I’m delighted to say! The undoubted star of this book is Flotsam, the young housemaid who assists Mrs Hudson. Holmes has recognised Flotsam’s intellect (which, as Dr Watson himself happily acknowledges, is far above Watson’s) and is happy to involve her in his various cases. Mrs Hudson is also extremely astute, as well as having an immense network of useful contacts.

The book is immense fun, poking fun at Conan Doyle’s habit of referring to previous cases and far-fetched scenarios that he never turned into stories, such as the way Madame Emma St Aubert fooled the New York police by leaving her six Siamese cats behind in the care of a one-armed Irish butler. Those readers with a little Latin might want to think about the full names of General Pellinsky and the Archduke – I suspect Davies really enjoyed slipping in some of these jokes.

However, don’t be fooled by these tongue-in-cheek quips. The plot centres around the disappearance of Count Rudolf, heir to the Grand Duchy of Rosenau, and his fiancée, Princess Sophia. There is also another strand following the blackmails carried out by someone known as Colonel Maltravers, although it is suspected that this could be an alias. Although some aspects of the narration may playfully spoof Conan Doyle, the plot is very skilfully handled, bringing the strands together with an erudite denouement. I can smugly state that, in my younger days, I’d read several eighteenth century novels such as Tom Jones, so I was a little ahead of Flotsam – but only a little. We see how Holmes’s comments that we initially read as a parody, such as “one of the search parties […] will discover in a rural location and around twelve yards from the track, a pair of discarded boots in very good condition” are based upon a breathtakingly rapid realisation of what happened. Flotsam is in jeopardy and, although she narrates the story and so we know she must end up OK, the author does a very good job of nudging us towards the edge of our seat. This is a very well-written mystery that happens to have some entertaining moments; it is emphatically not just a spoof of Conan Doyle.

There is fun; there is suspense; there is a touch of romance; and we get a touching glimpse, with Olga Nethersole and Kate Field, of true love. I’m sorry I hadn’t read the earlier books in the series, but I shall remedy that as soon as I can…

#MrsHudsonandtheCapricornIncident #NetGalley

Thanks to Alison & Busby and NetGalley for the ARC.

Spring in Baker Street, and Holmes and Watson are once again at a bit of a low ebb after the conclusion of a particularly thorny case. Housemaid Flotsam is called up to the study to help sort correspondence and try to sort the wheat from the chaff among the many requests for help. An unexpected and very ornately clad visitor throws them all into the centre of an apparently urgent case with international diplomatic repercussions. A princess has gone missing from the London home she is staying in before her wedding to a prince; the wedding is desirable for all sorts of reasons, to secure the succession to a small principality and keep Europe stable.
Mrs Hudson's contacts and Flottie's ability to enter parts of society that exclude even Holmes and his faithful friend are needed to solve this, and another, possibly much more dangerous, mystery.

What a delight from start to finish! A frothy romp, perfectly paced so that if there's a wobble in the plot you can just move past it, trusting that you'll be back on an even keel in a minute. An even bigger delight to discover it's number 7 in a Mrs Hudson series. Perhaps not for Holmes purists!

What if Baker Street’s most gifted resident wasn’t called Sherlock Holmes?

This is the premise for a mystery series based around Sherlock Holmes' housekeeper / landlady, Mrs Hudson, as the primary investigator. This particular tome is number seven in the series, which I wasn't fully cognisant of at the time of reading, so my comments are based solely on this tome.

Not a fan - Mrs Hudson was not to my mind, central to the storyline at all, it more based around the housemaid, Flotsam, who is also our narrator. Maybe I should I read the first books, as I was certainly not invested in this one.

Flotsam is lost material washed up on a beach, but it is also applied to destitute people washed up in the gutter. One such person, rescued from one such gutter, is now housemaid to Sherlock Holmes and so assistant to Mrs Hudson. Her given name is possibly unknown, but the name she goes by is Miss Flotsam, or just Flotsam, or Flottie. She is late teens and possessed of an intellect which rivals that of Holmes, who recognises her talent and trusts her investigative skills; as does Mrs Hudson, who is herself an astute observer of humanity and possessor of great analytical skill. When three different crimes happen, two involving the apparently separate kidnappings of two members of the Archducal House of Capricorn, and one involving a possible swindler, it is clear that Holmes must be involved with the first two leaving the third with Watson; which in practice means leaving them with Flotsam and Mrs Hudson. In fact Holmes before he sets off, more or less commands Watson to take direction from Flottie. As the various threads are followed, Flotsam becomes embroiled in all the incidents, leading her into London’s theatrical world and the unsavoury and dangerous streets behind the glittering facades of the theatres and Music Halls.
Sherlock Holmes is a hard act to follow, but the books describing his cases are fairly formulaic. This book adheres quite closely to Conan Doyle’s style without straying into parody. Although it is the 7th in the Holmes and Hudson series, it works as a standalone (although the rare reader unfamiliar with Holmes might be puzzled). The main character here is Flotsam, an interesting and enterprising young woman, in the role not only of protagonist but also of narrator. The three plots are suitably twisty, although not particular difficult to resolve, and quite a lot of it depends on coincidence, and on Mrs Hudson’s acquaintance with numerous people of the highest and lowest orders. It is an easy and enjoyable cosy crime story, perfect within that sub-genre.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

A rollicking good read. Loved the characters. I received this as an advance copy from NetGalley and am leaving this review of my own opinions voluntarily.

This is a delightful engaging read with a great storyline, plenty of exciting action and intelligent characters with charm. The pace is sometimes heart pounding as characters play their roles. Sherlock's ladies perform their parts successfully.

This novel (as well as the whole series) will definitely appeal to Sherlock Holmes! The cases are really closely based on the original cases investigated by Holmes. For me, that was the problem as I read the original books. However, the writing reflects particularly well Sherlock's characters London city. The essential difference is the narrator: here Flotsam is telling the story, the maid of the house. Entertaining novel!
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.

A very enjoyable female lead mystery novel, featuring the beloved characters of Holmes and Watson. The writing was such that at no point does the reader ever feel bored, or that the story is labouring. The mystery is kept a mystery until the end, and, although there are a great many characters, the story is written in such a way that it’s still possible to remember whom everyone is. I really enjoyed this story, and am hoping it is one of a series as I’d love to read more adventures of Flotsam and her employers.