The very large Malabar Rose ruby is brought to London to be put on show, and Holmes and Watson are asked to make sure that it is not stolen. Meanwhile Mrs Hudson and Flotsam look into the disappearance of James Phillimore, a clerk.
Well-written with a good mystery with some likeable characters. ( )

This was a very good book told about a mystery in Sherlock Holmes' time. The main heroine is his housekeeper! What an amazing woman she seems to be. She is just as observant as Sherlock and much more astute about human nature than Sherlock. A good, fascinating story from the early part of the 19th century London. ( )

A fabulous ruby, the Malabar Star, is stolen in spite of defenses that should have been impregnible. Holmes is of course called in, but it's Mrs. Hudson who in the end discovers the connection between a missing husband, a dazzlingly beautiful Spanish dancer, and a world-famous illusionist, and recovers the priceless gem. In this she is aided by her own personal Watson, a housekeeper named Flotsam, who - like the good doctor - recounts the details of the investigation in first person.

Though some Holmes purists may protest giving Mrs. Hudson the spotlight, at least Davies resists the urge to depict Holmes as a boob. He's just kind of - superfluous - here.

I went into this not expecting much, so have no right to be disappointed. Still, it's a shame that while Davies manages to make Mrs. Hudson a moderately believable sleuth, he doesn't manage to make her a very interesting one. (Perhaps the most apt word to describe her is "inscrutible.") Nor is the mystery terribly mysterious. (You'll probably figure out how it was done long before the denoument.) Nor is the conduct of the investigation particularly enthralling. (No shouts of "the game's afoot!" ringing through the night here! Mostly it's just interviews.) Nor do any of the minor characters rise above the category of stock types (ex: "the maid with a heart of gold", "the affable neighbor", "the winsome urchin").

Perhaps the best way to describe this novel is "comfort food for Sherlock Holmes fans." Like comfort food, it's full of familiar ingredients, it evokes happy memories, and it doesn't try to claim it's good for you, but it works as a meal if you're hungry enough and not in the mood for something fancy. ( )

Very light Christmas cozy that features Sherlock Holmes, Mrs. Hudson and a cast of supporting characters. Told primarily through the eyes of Flotsam, the maid, this is a mystery that focuses on appearances, disappearances, and distractions. Reassuring and therefore entirely in keeping with the Christmas season. ( )