⋙ [PDF] Gratis Dust and Shadow An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr John H Watson Lyndsay Faye Books

Dust and Shadow An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr John H Watson Lyndsay Faye Books

Download As PDF : Dust and Shadow An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr John H Watson Lyndsay Faye Books

Dust and Shadow An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr John H Watson Lyndsay Faye Books

Dust and Shadow is a remarkable effort by Lyndsay Faye for her first novel, especially when you consider that she is attempting to craft a Sherlock Holmes tale concerning Jack the Ripper. Many authors would be intimidated by the canon of Holmes stories that have come before. The book is subtitled "An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson." This is in keeping with the other Sherlock Holmes stories that Dr. Watson has supposedly given readers over the years. I have always been a fan of the Sherlock Homes books, but I am far from being a true aficionado. It has been quite a while since I read any of the stories, but I thought Ms Faye pulled it off admirably with Dust and Shadow.

The main characters in the book are well known. A. Conan Doyle's immortal detective has been a favorite of readers for years. We are all familiar with his amazing deductive skills, and we follow his escapades through the eyes of his trusted companion Dr. Watson. Both characters remain true to form in this book, and they are still great fun to read about.

The Jack the Ripper killings have held great fascination for people since the late 19th century. The killings took place in 1888 in a largely slum area of London called Whitechapel. Victims were prostitutes. Usually their throats were cut and their bodies mutilated. The killer was never identified, and the murders have been fertile ground for authors since that time.

Ms Faye has done an excellent job of maintaining the expected Sherlock Holmes atmosphere while telling the story of his efforts to identify and stop Jack the Ripper. If you enjoy the Sherlock Holmes stories, I trust you will also enjoy Dust and Shadow


Tags : Amazon.com: Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson (9781416583301): Lyndsay Faye: Books,Lyndsay Faye,Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson,Simon & Schuster,1416583300,Thrillers - General,Serial murder investigation;England;London;History;19th century;Fiction.,Serial murderers;England;London;History;19th century;Fiction.,Watson, John H. (Fictitious character);Fiction.,(Fictitious character),19th century,AMERICAN HISTORICAL FICTION,AMERICAN MYSTERY & SUSPENSE FICTION,Crime & mystery,England,FICTION Mystery & Detective Historical,FICTION Thrillers General,Fiction,Fiction - Mystery Detective,Fiction General,Fiction Mystery & Detective Traditional British,Fiction Thrillers,Fiction-Mystery & Detective,GENERAL,General Adult,History,London,Mystery & Detective - Historical,Mystery & Detective - Traditional British,MysterySuspense,Serial murder investigation,Serial murderers,United States,Watson, John H.,Watson, John H. (Fictitious character);Fiction.,FICTION Mystery & Detective Historical,FICTION Thrillers General,Fiction General,Fiction Mystery & Detective Traditional British,Fiction Thrillers,Mystery & Detective - Historical,Mystery & Detective - Traditional British,Fiction - Mystery Detective,(Fictitious character),19th century,England,History,London,Serial murder investigation,Serial murderers,Watson, John H.,American Historical Fiction,American Mystery & Suspense Fiction,Fiction,MysterySuspense,Crime & mystery

Dust and Shadow An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr John H Watson Lyndsay Faye Books Reviews

Stories and variations on the Sherlock Holmes detective stories are numerous and infinite in variety, but there are not a lot of books where Holmes takes a back seat and Watson comes to the forefront. "Dust and Shadow" highlights Dr Watson's caring and honourable nature, his pride in being the close friend of the brilliant Victorian detective, Sherlock Holmes, yet sorrowful over his friend's self-destructive nature. Written by Watson, and featuring some rather unusual and louche characters who may or may not be involved in the Ripper killings (you will have to read the book!), we are given an alternative and highly plausible reason for why the murders suddenly stopped.

The satisfying book is well-written, atmospheric in its build-up of horror, extremely accurate in historical descriptions, sympathetic in its portrayal of the inner-city poor of London and of that most dynamic of duos, Watson and Holmes. I hesitate to write more about the book as I do not want to give anything away, but suffice it to say that people who enjoy tense, well-paced and very well-written mysteries will enjoy Lyndsay Faye's superior book. I literally could not put it down, reading until the wee hours of the morning, and I am betting that anyone who picks it up will be unable to put it down as well. Encore, Ms Faye!
This is the account of the Ripper (as in "Jack the Ripper") killings as told from Dr Watson's point of view. After all, Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper existed at the same time (don't even tell me SH isn't a real person!) so Sherlock must have looked into the case. And probably solved it, but the identity of Jack would have caused more trouble, so no one knew the answer until well after the events.

If you know anything about how Jack left his victims, then you know the descriptions of the scenes are not for the faint of heart. There are no photos (thankfully!) and Lyndsay Faye describes the victims without going overboard on the gore (also thankfully). I've read the original AC Doyle Holmes stories recently, and Faye does a pretty good job recreating Watson's voice. This was really enjoyable, and I read it in just a few days.
After reading other Holmes pastiches, I read positive reviews of this book and purchased it based on those recommendation. I am certainly glad I did to say the least. As a life long lover of Sherlock Holmes, I am eager to read accounts of his exploits and this is the best I have ever read outside of the cannon. An outstanding book, by a remarkable writer. The plot and the voice of Watson were perfect. I look forward to reading her other books. I can not more heartily endorse this book. I only hope she revisits a case of the master.
Cards on the table I'm already on record as saying that Michael Dibdin's The Last Sherlock Holmes Story is the pinnacle of Holmes/Jack the Ripper match-ups. However, like the great detective, I like to match my theories to my facts and not vice versa, so I was quite happy to test my convictions by reading Lyndsay Faye's debut novel, Dust and Shadow.

The set-up pretty much gives you the plot It's 1888, and women in Whitechapel are turning up dead in increasingly horrific circumstances. It only takes two corpses for the Yard, in the form of Inspector Lestrade, to turn to Sherlock Holmes for help, setting him and Dr. Watson on the trail of a killer so fiendishly gruesome that his name still inspires horror over a century later.

Faye's novel reflects both her painstaking research into the Ripper murders and her deep love of Doyle's creations, but though the historical detail is perfect and her story moves right along, her story feels more workmanlike than anything else. The difference may only be noticeable if you've read her excellent Sherlockian short stories, which manage to perfectly balance mystery plots with emotional insights into the characters solving them. While her Watson is strong, Holmes feels a bit flat until almost the end of the novel, and I spent a great deal of time concerned that the attention lavished on the smart, funny original female character meant that she was being set up as an Adlerian love-interest destined to be fridged.

To me, Dust and Shadow reads as the hugely ambitious and mostly successful debut of an author who'd go on to perfect her version of the world's first consulting detective elsewhere. But despite it's brilliant craftsmanship and entertainment value, Dust (for me) still lives in the shadow of Dibdin.
Dust and Shadow is a remarkable effort by Lyndsay Faye for her first novel, especially when you consider that she is attempting to craft a Sherlock Holmes tale concerning Jack the Ripper. Many authors would be intimidated by the canon of Holmes stories that have come before. The book is subtitled "An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson." This is in keeping with the other Sherlock Holmes stories that Dr. Watson has supposedly given readers over the years. I have always been a fan of the Sherlock Homes books, but I am far from being a true aficionado. It has been quite a while since I read any of the stories, but I thought Ms Faye pulled it off admirably with Dust and Shadow.

The main characters in the book are well known. A. Conan Doyle's immortal detective has been a favorite of readers for years. We are all familiar with his amazing deductive skills, and we follow his escapades through the eyes of his trusted companion Dr. Watson. Both characters remain true to form in this book, and they are still great fun to read about.

The Jack the Ripper killings have held great fascination for people since the late 19th century. The killings took place in 1888 in a largely slum area of London called Whitechapel. Victims were prostitutes. Usually their throats were cut and their bodies mutilated. The killer was never identified, and the murders have been fertile ground for authors since that time.

Ms Faye has done an excellent job of maintaining the expected Sherlock Holmes atmosphere while telling the story of his efforts to identify and stop Jack the Ripper. If you enjoy the Sherlock Holmes stories, I trust you will also enjoy Dust and Shadow