‘The Cursed Writer’ by Holly Hepburn

My Review (5 stars out of 5)

In her basement office within the Baker Street Building Society, Harriet (Harry) White has been given the job of responding to mail addressed to Sherlock Holmes. A telegram asking for the great detective’s help prompts Harry to investigate. A nephew of the author Philip St John is convinced someone is trying to kill his uncle. Using a pseudonym, Harry travels to Cambridgeshire to Thurmwell Manor and begins her investigation into the strange events. But with further attempts on St John’s life, can she find the would-be killer before he or she succeeds?

The premise of this series is inspired by the real Abbey Road Building Society on Baker Street, who employed staff to deal with letters addressed to Sherlock Holmes. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it’s a jolly jape by anyone’s standards. The story takes a little time to get going but once Harry arrives at Thurmwell Manor, things begin to happen. Ms Hepburn tells an entertaining tale with lots of suspects and red herrings in true Holmesian style. The characters are all well drawn, and the plot has plenty of references to Arthur Conan Doyle’s original stories, which is nice. My only quibble is the author’s use of the word ‘teenager’, which didn’t come into common use until the 1940s, and the American word ‘drapes’, which jars somewhat in an otherwise English setting.

An entertaining and clever tale that’ll please lovers of Sherlock Holmes.

Author Bio

Holly Hepburn writes escapist, swoonsome fiction that sweeps her readers into idyllic locations, from her native Cornwall to the windswept beauty of Orkney. She has turned her hand to cosy crime inspired by Sherlock Holmes himself. Holly lives in leafy Hertfordshire with her adorable partner in crime, Luna the Labrador.

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NB This post first appeared on the Blog Tour for The Cursed Writer, via Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources.