Audiobook Review: Sherlock Holmes - The Affair of the Christmas Jewel by Barry Roberts

Author: Barry Roberts

Narrator: David Ian Davies

Title: Sherlock Holmes -The Affair of the Christmas Jewel

Genre: Mystery & short story

Format: Audiobook

Published:  2002

Where I got It: Audible

Summary: 

Flagged down by Inspector LaStrade of Scotland Yard as they walk through the icy winter streets, Holmes and Watson are transported to the home of the aristocratic Lady Whitebread. Once there, she tells them her traditional holiday centerpiece has vanished in the midst of the Christmas dinner - right under the very noses of her guests. The decoration? An enormous work of the jeweler's art centered upon a three inch round emerald called...the Christmas Jewel.

Review:

Stumbled upon this one while looking for a short and sweet audio. This fit the bill and I love a good Sherlock mystery for sure. 

The epic duo is flagged down by an Inspector who needs help with an aristocratic mystery. Lady Whitebread was hosting a party  for the holiday. Her jewel that was donning the holiday table was snatched in front of everyone and she needs help finding it and figuring out who did it at her party. 

This was short and fun. A nice little mystery of whodunit and where the jewel is. For sure recommend this if you want an Xmas mystery. It's only about 30 mins long.

Ooooo Lady Whitebread...your name is lame BUT I adored you. Thanks to her and her smart actions she made the job for Sherlock a hair easier. Still a lot of people who had motive and opportunity to steal the priceless jewel. 

The narrator was fun. His voice for Lady Whitebread was scary good. It didn't even sound like him. Bravo sir!

In the end, this filled the need I needed. I wanted a quick and fun xmas story. Even better that it was with our epic duo. 5 stars. 

Challenge(s):
- #61 for Audiobook Challenge

 

B's Monday Review: Sherlock Holmes - Murder at Sorrow's Crown

It is July 1881, and a frantic mother comes to 221B Baker Street, begging Sherlock Holmes to find her son. A naval officer posted to HMS Dido, he was part of the Naval Brigade that joined the Natal Field Force to fight the Boers. But he did not return with his men, and is being denounced as a deserter.

So begins a twisting tale of assassination, diamond mines and military cover-ups. Can Holmes and Watson uncover the truth, a truth that threatens the very fabric of the British Empire? 


My thoughts:
You know what, I have actually never read a book about Sherlock Holmes. Ok one, but let us not count the monster one. There might have been another mashup too.

I imagine you know about Sherlock Holmes, if not, then you are kind of living under a rock. I am not gonna explain him. He is eccentric, to say the least.

And then there is Watson, and they do compliment each other so well.

This mystery is about a mother wanting answers. And they dig deep and it gets complicated. There is the Boer war, political intrigues and conspiracies. All while trying to find out what happened to a soldier...

I enjoyed the book. It was light, there were a good mystery and Holmes and Watson is quite the pair.

• Paperback, 320 pages
• Published September 13th 2016 by Titan Books
• Historical mystery
• For review

Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes

Length: 128 mins
Released: 2009 (USA)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime, Mystery
Rating: PG-13, intense scenes of violence and action, startling images and suggestive material
Directed By: Guy Ritchie
Where I Got It: My Shelf (Movie Gallery)





Sherlock Homles (2009) is a remake of the old adventures of Sherlock Holmes and his "side-kick" Watson. This version is a little darker then the old version. It has a more Gothic feeling to it and Watson and Holmes seem to be more partners in this version. They have equal (ish) screen time. The movie starts out with Holmes and Watson running the streets to find and save this young girl from being sacrificed at a Black Magic shindig. The movie follows Holmes and Watson trying to uncover a plot to destroy England and take over the world. Oh no! Can the witty dynamic duo save England from Black Magic?

This film is star-studded, which is one reason why I picked up this movie from the Movie Store. The always charming Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man, Zodiac, Richard III) plays the witty Sherlock Holmes, Jude Law (Cold Mountain, Enemy at the Gates, Repo Men) as the clever Dr. Watson, Rachael McAdams (The Notebook, Mean Girls) as the sneaky Irene Adler, Mark Strong (Tristan & Isolde, Oliver Twist) as the eeeeeviiiil Lord Blackwood, and Eddie Marsan (Hancock, V for Vendetta) as the cheeky Inspector Lestrade.

Like earlier stated this was a darker and more Gothic version of the lovable Sherlock Holmes. I was worried I wouldn't like this version, but I tried to keep an open mind. I kept myself from comparing and contrasting the two very different versions. In doing this I kept from being bias and I actually found myself liking this. I even like how Watson and Holmes had to stand up against "Black Magic" which *SPOILER* in it just turned out to be tricks and science, which I guessed to be the case. *SPOILER END*.

I also really liked how they made Watson and Holmes more equal. They are both smart and had about the same screen time. They didn't have Watson be just the "side-kick" who only had a couple smart moments. Holmes, however, was still a wee bit more clever in some aspects. They also were more friend-like then in the older versions, where Watson was just along for the ride. Along with this, I really liked the casting and the writing. The dialogue seemed a little off at the beginning, but once the story warmed up the dialogue warmed up too. This film was filled with wit and dry-humor. If dry-humor isn't your cup of tea avoid this movie.

There were a couple of things I didn't like. One, I pretty much guessed the ending and for me it was a little predictable. It is a talent of mine, so it isn't the movie's fault. Two, sometimes the story seemed to dry-up a lot and I found myself bored and I could have taken a nap. However, the story would pick back up.

All-in-all, it's nothing like the original Sherlock Holmes, but it's a good movie in it's own right. Before watching this, I do advice to watch this as if you've never watched the original, try not to compare and contrast. Out of five stars, I grant this one 4 stars. ^.^

Favorite Character(s): Watson and Holmes

Not-so Favorite Character(s): Irene Adler and Lord Blackwood

~I completely forgot to type this up and post this Saturday. Sorry. I'm very forgetful sometimes.~

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<3CR

Movie of the Week Announcement

Happy Saturday everyone! I was going to post this Tuesday, buuuuut I have no patience, so I'm announcing my next Movie of the Week today! ^.^ I've seen bits and pieces of this film, but I've never actually sat down and watched it. It's also going to be a Family Movie, so that'll be even more fun. And the movie is..........

Sherlock Holmes!!!!

This remake features the always amazing Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law. They are both breathtakingly goodlooking. I've heard mixed reviews on this, so I'm excited to form my own opinion. Wish me luck!!


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<3CaroleRae