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Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson Audiobook
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(3.02) - 1,770 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Breathless and painstakingly researched, this is a stunning debut mystery in which Sherlock Holmes unmasks Jack the Ripper. Lyndsay Faye perfectly captures all the color and syntax of Conan Doyle’s distinctive nineteenth-century London.
In Dust and Shadow, Sherlock Holmes hunts down Jack the Ripper—the world’s first serial killer—with impeccably accurate historical detail and without the advantage of modern forensics or profiling. Sherlock’s desire to stop the killer who is terrifying the East End of London is unwavering from the start, and in an effort to do so he hires an “unfortunate” known as Mary Ann Monk, the friend of a fellow streetwalker who was one of the Ripper’s earliest victims. However, when Holmes himself is wounded in Whitechapel attempting to catch the villain, and a series of articles in the popular press question his role in the crimes, he must use all his resources in a desperate race to find the man known as “The Knife” before it is too late.
Penned as a pastiche by the loyal and courageous Dr. Watson, this debut signals the arrival of a tremendous talent in the mystery and historical fiction genres.
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"for a Holmes pastiche this is pretty enjoyable, even if Faye does occasionally infect Holmes and Watson with a little too much modern emotion. What betrays its American origin is the use of words like morgue when a Victorian Britain would be far more likely to use the word mortuary and hep poor sense of London's geography outside of the well researched environs of the East End. Someone from Whitechapel would not be sent to the workhouse at Lambeth, its in a different parish and on the wrong side of the Thames!"
— Simon (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“At long last, an author of rare talent combines a thorough, enthusiastic knowledge of the Sherlock Holmes canon with truly rigorous research into, and respect for, the Jack the Ripper killings.”
— Caleb Carr, New York Times bestselling author -
“Lyndsay Faye’s depiction of Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, and their world is exceptional in Dust and Shadow, an exciting and grimly vivid tale that confronts the murderous Jack the Ripper with A. Conan Doyle’s immortal detective better than ever before.”
— Conan Doyle Estate -
“Following in the footsteps of such crime writers as Ellery Queen and Michael Dibdin…the author uses a convincing Watsonian voice to present versions of Holmes and his chronicler faithful to the originals…Sherlockians will hope to see further pastiches of this quality from Faye.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Faye displays a superb grasp of the known facts about the murders, and she effectively captures the vibrancy and squalor of the underclass in late nineteenth-century London…She knows how to unfold a tale of murder and mystery.”
— Booklist -
“Sherlock Holmes is Jack the Ripper’s mortal enemy, and never more so than in Lyndsay Faye’s Dust and Shadow. This first novel has bags of atmosphere. With a great deal of skill, the fictional Holmes and Watson are carefully woven into the weft and woof of the true-life Ripper story.”
— Donald Rumbelow, coauthor of Jack the Ripper: Scotland Yard Investigates -
“Fans of the Sherlock Holmes stories recorded by his faithful friend and biographer, Dr. John Watson (especially those depicted on public television starring Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes) will love this audiobook…Simon Vance’s fully-voiced narration is excellent here. His ability to capture the essence of each character is superb, each readily identified by tone, accent, tempo, and intensity of voice. Great reading of an intriguing mystery.”
— SoundCommentary.com
Awards
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An Audible.com bestseller
Dust and Shadow Listener Reviews
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" If you are a dyed-in-the-wool Sherlock Holmes fan, this one is terrific! It is extremely authentic, true to period and exquisitely detailed. I was very curious to see how Faye would resolve an historically unsolved crime, and she did it beautifully. Hope she is writing more SH adventures. "
— Beryl, 2/15/2014 -
" Holmes pursues Jack the Ripper in this excellent pastiche by Lyndsay Faye. I listed to the audiobook, read by Simon Vance, whose reading and voice characterizations greatly enhanced the experience. Highly recommended! "
— Jim, 2/9/2014 -
" I really, really enjoyed this book. I have never read anything about Sherlock Holmes & I was totally engrossed. I also was very intrigued by the storyline of Jack the Ripper & the way this author used her imagination to solve the murders. Very good from beginning to end. "
— Maria, 1/26/2014 -
" Better than a sleepint pill. "
— Miki, 1/16/2014 -
" Really good, interesting mix of truth and fiction, as Holmes and Watson pursue Jack the Ripper and become caught up in Ripper hysteria. "
— Jean, 1/15/2014 -
" This book is worth reading, especially if you like history. I enjoyed it very much. "
— Becky, 1/12/2014 -
" Entertaining and suspenseful.A great take on a classic character. "
— Sherry, 1/9/2014 -
" Nicely done Holmes pastiche, in which the famous detective turns his attention to solving the Ripper crimes. His efforts to stop the killer before he murders additional victims are thwarted time and again, testing his determination and the deductive skills for which he is famed. "
— Jill, 12/1/2013 -
" Very easy read finished it on a two day business trip. I hope she wrote more novels. Highly recommended. "
— Pat, 11/20/2013 -
" I didn't finish this one. Didn't realize that this was a story featuring Sherlock Holmes until I started reading, otherwise I wouldn't have picked it up. I'm not much into the reboots that are in vogue these days in the literary community. "
— Jenna, 11/19/2013 -
" This was a great book - really fun to read, and my enjoyment was not at all impaired by imagining Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Holmes and Watson. It made me want to go back and re-discover the original Sherlock Holmes stories, of which I've only read a few. "
— Ellen, 11/1/2013 -
" Disappointing compared to Gods of Gotham. Read that one instead. "
— Christi, 8/4/2013 -
" This book is amazing. The author did a great job keeping with the true Sherlock Holmes. A recommended read for sure. "
— Sheena, 6/4/2013 -
" A delightful, imaginative perspective of Sherlock Holmes researching Jack the Ripper murders. "
— Debbie, 5/13/2013 -
" A solidly done reimagining of the Jack the Ripper case as solved by Sherlock Holmes. Not of course up to the standards of the Conan Doyle originals but a pretty darn good simulation. "
— Matthew, 3/4/2013 -
" I found this to be slow in the beginning, but very much enjoyed it overall. I look forward to reading more from Ms Faye. "
— Melanie, 12/2/2012 -
" I highly recommend the audio version. Simon Vance is the reader - truly one of the best out there. I think his voice really added to the enjoyment of the book. "
— Mark, 7/4/2012 -
" Very good take on Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper. Faye knows both subjects well however, the end was a little weak. "
— Art, 4/17/2012 -
" I liked this book, but wish it had gone into a bit more detail about the Jack the Ripper killings. I found the perpetrator unexciting once revealed, as well. Sherlock and Watson were fairly true to the original books. "
— Meredith, 11/18/2011 -
" SO GOOD! I had no idea who Jack was until the end, of course as is usual with any Holmes case. I would def recommend. Faye's tones, vocab, and characterization for Holmes and Watson is spot-on! "
— Leighkaren, 8/6/2011 -
" Very good book. I enjoyed it. Occasionally I would feel that Watson was a little to formal when talking about Holmes. But would definitely reccommend it. "
— Elaine, 5/4/2011 -
" If you are a dyed-in-the-wool Sherlock Holmes fan, this one is terrific! It is extremely authentic, true to period and exquisitely detailed. I was very curious to see how Faye would resolve an historically unsolved crime, and she did it beautifully. Hope she is writing more SH adventures. "
— Beryl, 4/2/2011 -
" I enjoyed the story. I thought it was fairly true to the original Holmes' tales. It did get a little weak toward the end, but not so much as to really disappoint me. If you enjoy Sherlock Holmes or tales about Jack the Ripper, then I would recommed this book to you/ "
— Erin, 2/28/2011 -
" Sherlock Holmes up against Jack the Ripper? Brilliant! I can't believe it took so long! And this book certainly does a good job with the heavy task. "
— M, 2/20/2011 -
" Sherlock Holmes meets Jack the Ripper. What more do I need to say? And she gets Watson's voice right, too. "
— Melissa, 2/1/2011 -
" I enjoyed this one so much it may end up as a re-read. "
— Barb, 1/13/2011 -
" This book was okay. It was well plotted and the characters were believable. The research seemed sound. "
— Luci, 1/11/2011 -
" A good post-finals easy read. Totally up my alley b/c I'm into mysteries right now... looking forward to reading even more over break thanks to all the books I received this Christmas! "
— Meg, 12/28/2010 -
" Really good, interesting mix of truth and fiction, as Holmes and Watson pursue Jack the Ripper and become caught up in Ripper hysteria. "
— Jean, 12/20/2010 -
" wow, could it be an actual decent Holmes pastiche?? Enjoyed it though nothing can beat Doyle. It wasn't terrible and its hard to write Holmes so its getting 4 stars "
— Bre, 11/16/2010
About Lyndsay Faye
Lyndsay Faye is the author of critically acclaimed Dust and Shadow and The Gods of Gotham and is featured in The Best American Mystery Stories 2010. A true New Yorker in the sense that she was born elsewhere, she lives in Manhattan with her husband, Gabriel.
About Simon Vance
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.