Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson

When I first saw Dust and Shadow in a book shop, I had no interest at all. Holmes versus Jack the Ripper? Please. It struck me as a subject better suited to graphic novel than to printed literature. And in any case this was not only fiction, but meta-fiction: a fiction on a fiction. It would be difficult to be invested in a story about a fictional character when the events didn't occur, even in the "real" world of the fictional character.However, after reading author Lynday Faye's second book, The Gods of Gotham, I had to give Dust and Shadow another look. The influence of Holmes on that second book was clear. I wondered how she had handled Holmes himself.And the answer was: remarkably well. Faye set herself a remarkable challenge: to work Arthur Canon Doyle's brilliant characters into the documented facts of the Jack the Ripper Story. To pull that off seemed a virtually impossible task. But within just a few pages, a description of a case which preceded the Ripper killings, I was hooked. I had the same feeling I'd had, years ago, reading the originals.With the beginning of the Ripper killings, the strength of the writing continued. The intermixing of fact and fiction was seamless. There was no sense of events being contorted to fit the facts of the actual murders, nor was there to me a feeling that Holmes was failing to pursue the case to his full talent. This was among Faye's greatest challenges: the Holmes of the original stories was famous for solving cases very quickly. In contrast the Ripper case extended weeks. But I never felt in reading the book that I was reading an imitation of Holmes rather than Holmes himself.I've seen criticisms of this book in reviews here: that he was too action-oriented or not brilliant enough. I feel these are unfounded. In a Study in Scarlett, the first Holmes novel, Holmes silently hitches a ride on the back of a coach to follow a quarry. In The Sign of Four, there is a boat chase with a gun-fight worthy of Bond. It was no accident Doyle cast Holmes as an ex-boxer. He was a man of action, not just theories. The "action" scenes in Dust and Shadow fit right in with those in the original.The other was Holmes failed to display his usual brilliance. Again, I disagree. It's quite challenging for an author to walk the narrow line between a plot in which the result is obvious to the reader and one in which the result is completely unpredictable. The reader, of course, has an advantage, knowing based on context within the book whether there is already sufficient information to identify the culprit. Holmes's progression through the case seemed fully consistent with his brilliance from the Doyle books.If there's one incongruence, I'd point to A Sign of Four, where Holmes says to Watson: "Women are never to be trusted; not the best of them." I think we can forgive Lynday Faye for having Holmes embrace a different view for her work. I also agree the name is unmemorable.So I strongly recommend this book. Faye did Holmes justice, and provided herself a nice springboard for Gods of Gotham, which was clearly inspired by him. I try to restrict 5-star ratings to books which are truly outstanding in their class, and while I would hardly rate this book as being of the same class as Doyle's originals, within its domain Dust and Shadow is an amazing work.

How author Lyndsay Faye melds the Jack the Ripper killings with Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes mysteries is nothing short of masterful. In a story chronicled by Dr. John Watson, Holmes’s faithful ally, the reader is taken step by step through the murders of five unfortunate women whose deaths have been rigorously studied by crime sleuths for over a century. Faye has done extensive research to portray the murders as they happened, even providing a map of the Whitechapel streets of London at the time. Holmes and Watson investigate the murders leading them to wander the streets in disguise and enlisting the help of a female confederate from the area to gather information.Throughout the novel, Faye remains true to Holmes’s penetrating interpretation of clues, Watson’s voice, and depictions of the Whitechapel environment in the late 1880s. From the homeless women walking the streets after dark to the rapacious tabloid journalists fanning the public frenzy, the novel captures the mood of the time. The Ripper in this novel turns out to be someone who, had this person really existed, would have fit what was known about the man perfectly. A climactic scene where the Ripper attacks Holmes is thrilling. Readers who are only somewhat familiar with the actual crimes may have difficulty separating the real characters from the fictional ones. This novel is a must-read for Ripperologists, Sherlock Holmes’s devotees, and historical fiction fans.

Sherlock Holmes is tough for a modern writer to get right. The language, the character, the historical details, the overall atmosphere... after all, Conan Doyle was living in the world he was writing. Modern writers have to go back try to re-construct it, and make the world and the characters seem authentic to the period. That's hard to do. Throw in a real historical event (the Jack the Ripper killings), and you've got quite a task for an author. In Dust and Shadow, Lyndsay Faye by and large nails the time period, the atmosphere, and the characters. This is a believable Sherlock Holmes tale, with a wonderful London-by-gaslight atmosphere that I've rarely seen done as well. Sherlock Holmes and his trusty physician / biographer Watson as presented here fit in very nicely with the characters Arthur Conan Doyle crafted over a century ago. The novel is a tad over 300 pages, but moves along quite nicely. I looked forward to picking this book up every night and spending an hour or so with the splendid characters.If there is one place the book fails somewhat, it is in the mystery and presentation of Jack the Ripper. The name Jack the Ripper has for a hundred years conveyed the images of terror and mystery -- a predator hunting the fog-shrouded streets of Victorian London, preying on those unfortunate enough to cross his path. Lyndsay Faye tries, but only has limited success in pressing that image onto the page. Part of this is simply the constraints of a first-person narrative: since Holmes stories are told from the viewpoint of Watson, it's not really feasible to build tension with the murders themselves. Instead, we're left with the characters finding the aftermath of the Ripper's rampages, and Watson's rather restrained descriptions of the murder scenes. We learn very little about the individual victims -- less so with each murder, it seems -- which also serves to blunt the emotional impact. There are only a few moments of tension in the book, only a couple of which directly involve the Ripper himself. The solution is just so-so. Faye avoids using some of the more fantastical conspiracy theories out there and sticks with a reasonably believable solution which I appreciate, but the climax and the revelation of the Ripper's identity don't have a lot of impact. The story here is more about Holmes and how he tracks down the Ripper, rather than a "whodunit" with an interesting solution.All that said, overall I very much enjoyed this book and recommend it for anyone who enjoys either Sherlock Holmes, or the Victorian time period. Where Dust and Shadow really shines is in capturing the atmosphere of the period both through the writing and some interesting characters it brings in. Holmes and Watson as written here are both characters you look forward to encountering again. The story, for its imperfections as noted above, holds the reader's interest. So grab your glass of brandy and wax candle, and dig in.

We all know several versions of the Jack the Ripper story, and I'm sure others will follow. But this one is innovative and quite gripping. I look forward to more from this author.

I am a little sceptical of Sherlock Holmes pastiches, I have read some truly awful ones and adding the Whitechapel murders to mix is brave. This book does work and is an entertaining read. It doesn’t have full on cracking pace I suspect it is dictated to by the murders historical timeline.Two things irritated me, the first is the American spelling of English words, for example - specialized. This book purports to be written by Watson, Watson wasn’t American. The second is Holmes using the the American phrase “gotten”. These are minor criticisms but for me marred what is a very entertaining read. I have pre ordered the authors second book.

Astonishingly good tale of the good Doctor and the world's first consulting detective. Holmes v Jack the Ripper has been done many times before, but Faye captures the feel and the atmosphere of Holmesian London much better than many other feted examples of non-canonical Holmesian adventures. Even that high-water mark of the genre, The Seven Per Cent Solution, can be faulted for making Holmes almost an action hero at the climax, while some others, such as Michael Dibdin's Ripper tale, read as basic sketches or exercises rather than lasting contenders. (And the less said about Anthony Horowitz's too-clever-by-half Moriarty the better!)Faye's language holds up well for the most part, apart from some anachronisms that other reviewers have commented on, and I found myself slowing down as I reached halfway because I felt like I had discovered an authentic lost tale of Holmes and did not want it to end!In her own excellent series of policing in New York in the 1840s, starting with The Gods of Gotham, Faye's ability to conjure up an authentic period tone of voice and feel finds full expression, which this excellent debut hints at.

Dust and Shadow is a brilliant first novel by Lyndsay Faye. She effortlessly brings together two great icons of crime together, Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper, with a story so logical you forget it is a work of fiction. No plot spoilers but at the end you will see the why and the how. Book also contains a street map of Whitechapel which helps in seeing where the action takes place. A brilliant read as are her other two books about the early work of the NYPD.

A very good and believable take on events, exciting with great atmosphere.Loved it

Like others I can't praise this highly enough.