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1800s: What if Baker Street’s most gifted resident wasn’t called Sherlock Holmes?
Mrs Hudson and the Spirits’ Curse
What you need to know before your trail
An evil stalks London, blown in from the tropics. Stories of cursed giant rats and malign spirits haunt the garrets of Limehouse. A group of merchants are, one by one, dying. The elementary choice to investigate these mysterious deaths is, of course, Holmes and Dr Watson.
Yet the unique gifts of their housekeeper, Mrs Hudson, and her orphaned assistant Flotsam, will be needed to solve the case. Can she do it all under the nose of Sherlock himself?
From the coal fire at Baker Street to the smog of Whitechapel and the jungles of Sumatra, from snake bites in grand hotels to midnight carriage chases at the docks, it’s time for Mrs Hudson to step out of the shadows.
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BookTrail Travel to Sherlock Holmes’s London
A cosy mystery set in the iconic Baker Street but with Mrs Hudson at its heart. Sherlock Holmes is setting up home in Bakers Street and needs someone to take care of the day to day running of his household so he employs Mrs Hudson. And so, the adventures begin..
A young girl called Florrie and a street urchin called Scraggs are Mrs Hudson’s helpers when it comes to her solving the crimes Holmes and Watson either don’t have time for or are busy with other cases. Often they become involved later on in the novel.
There is a strong sense of Holmes’ London and the cobbled streets, hansom cabs and the city as Holmes’ criminally populated playground.
‘Had she not realised the importance of the half-eaten omlette and the train ticket for Bodmin, we would never have discovered the bungalow near Scarborough, and Bertie would most certainly have committed bigamy with the undercook.’
Booktrailer Review
Susan: @thebooktrailer
Sherlock Holmes London through the eyes of Mrs Hudson the faithful housekeeper. Would this be any good I asked myself. I thought it an interesting twist and wanted to read something a little different set in cosy, dark and historical London crime fiction.
I was not disappointed in the slightest! Turns out Mrs Hudson is not only wonderfully clever but a very witty and steadfast character. Guess she’s got to have something about her to deal with Sherlock and Holmes and all their carry on. She’s there, seen it all and actually done most of it as well! Oh I wanted to hug her, cheer her and dance around that lovely warm kitchen of hers all at once.
She’s rescued a girl called Flotsam from the streets and together they are quite the formidable team. They bounce off each other well, and the banter between them as the relationship grows is a joy to read. When Sherlock and Holmes do appear, they are often just off out on a adventure and I found myself feeling lucky I got to stay with Hudson and Flotsam …but then whoosh, I was soon in a hansom cab with them off on another adventure..
It’s actually really clever and not all that implausible – Mrs Hudson would have had a good network of contacts as chief housemaid and knows a whole host of people from those on the streets to the lords and ladies of homes she has worked in. Servants know everything about you so imagine what she knows and then uses to her advantage. There’s lots of little snippets of how Mrs H has been of use in solving or resolving mysteries which have stumped Sherlock which was genius.
It was a joy to meet Mrs Hudson and have her come out of the shadows. The warmth of her kitchen and the glow of that fire! The food! The asides at Sherlock! The kindness she shows to Flotsam! All a joy to read. She’s not one for show or pomp however and is always keen to tell Holmes not to include her when he writes up a case. You can hear her grinning with satisfaction from behind the door as he writes however.
Whether you are familiar with/love Sherlock or not, this is a unique spin on the life behind the closed doors of that famous Baker Street address . There are some great in-jokes for Holmes fans which are also in turn, a little salute to Conan Doyle. You can be assured that it was probably Mrs Hudson standing beside the author Martin Davies who arranged all that 😉
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Mrs. Hudson and the Spirits’ Curse
Destination: London Author/guide: Martin Davies Departure Time: 1800s
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