Name: The Scroll of the Dead
ISBN: 9781848564930

David Stuart Davies

"...Sherlock Holmes attends a seance to unmask an imposter posing a a medium. His foe, Sebastian Melmoth, is a man hell-bent on discovering a mysterious Egyptian papyrus that may hold the key to immortality. It is up to Holmes and Watson to use their deductive skills to stop him or face disaster." -- Cover, p. [4].

The Scroll of the Dead

Emmett

A very delightful afternoon read. Though I found the style markedly different from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's (more dialogue than the traditional tales, for example), it's not a bad thing to come across a refreshing change. The pace was just right which made it enjoyable (and probably too much that it became a distraction of sorts as I couldn't put it down until the last page had been turned), with the original characters intriguing in their own way. Initially plot twists and turns were exciting but I felt it plateaued somewhere along the middle, and predictability was a bit off-putting. Especially in the mystery novel involving these famous detectives, I have come to expect the contrary, with surprises in every corner. Not to say there weren't any; some good ones were peppered throughout the novel. I liked Davis' portrayal of Holmes and Watson, though it would be nice if they were wittier.