After reading Tales of Scotland Yard: Ratcliffe Highway, by Bianca Jenkins, one word comes to mind. More than one, actually. Wonderful, and an interesting take on the Sherlock Holmes milieu. This novel focuses on Giles Lestrade, one of the inspectors who interact with Holmes and Watson in Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories. Focusing on a minor character from the Holmes stories is a refreshing change.
As a newly appointed inspector, Lestrade is assigned a murder case. None of the other inspectors want it as it involves a young, impoverished woman living in one of the poorer sections of London. “Without the suit, Inspector Lestrade would have fit right in with some of the lower members of society passing by on the street.” With smart thinking and dogged footwork Lestrade solves the case.
Jenkins’ characters are well-rounded, especially Lestrade. Despite his tough upbringing, he can be tenderhearted. Smith and the other, more seasoned, inspectors kid Lestrade even as they take a collection to reimburse him for money he paid to feed the murder victim’s two children. Jenkins’ Lestrade is tenacious, as he is in the Doyle canon. Additionally, he is small and wiry in both this work and Doyle’s offerings. Using subtle similarities like this keep the new additions to the Holmes canon interesting to lovers of the original stories.
However, the plot was a bit transparent as to who committed the murder. I felt fairly certain about who was responsible about halfway through the book. This did not decrease my enjoyment of the story, though.
Overall, I very much enjoyed this offering. It is an entertaining addition to the many recent contributions to the Holmes and Watson world. Bianca Jenkins wrote another novel about Lestrade, which I will seek out. Future works in this series would be a welcome addition.
Tales of Scotland Yard: Ratcliffe Highway
by Bianca Jenkins
© 2024
MX Publishing – Orange Pip Books