Why a Booktrail?
1800s: Behind every good detective, there is a good woman or two…
The House at Baker Street
What you need to know before your trail
Mrs Hudson – the landlady of Baker Street – and Mary Watson – the wife of Dr Watson – have always stood in the background of their more famous men – Sherlock and Dr Watson are quite the team and are renowned for solving many tricky crimes. But now it’s the turn of the women to stand out of the shadows and to become involved in their own investigation. They’re not intending to but when a woman comes for help and Sherlock turns the case down, it falls right in their laps
From the kitchen of 221b, the two women begin their inquiries and enlist the assistance of the Baker Street Irregulars and the infamous Irene Adler.
But it’s not long before the trail of clues leads them to the darkest corners of Whitechapel, where the fearsome Ripper supposedly still stalks. They soon discover that this case is a whole lot bigger than either of them imagined and that they might be in a little too far in so that they can’t see a way out.
Travel Guide
London
This is Baker Street but not as you know it. This is the house where the famous Sherlock Holmes holds office with Dr Watson but inside the kitchen, Mrs Hudson’s domain where we get the chance to have a peek inside, see how she spies on Sherlock and Mr Hudson and tries to involve herself in investigations.
Mrs Hudson is the landlady and starts to rend rooms out as she prepares to slide into inevitable old age. But she doesn’t like being invisible in her own house, and living with these people as perfect strangers living under one roof. “Then He came” she says. He looked old but was younger when she saw his face in the light with his “Restless dark eyes”. He admits having odd habits and that other landladies have had problems with him. Mr Hudson is rather excited having this man in her otherwise pristine house lacking in excitement! Then Mr Hudson comes a calling and then the house is complete – Sherlock Holmes, John Watson and Marthan Hudson.
The kitchen is the best room in the house – with the air vent between floors which Mrs Hudson uses as an early kind of communication system or rather listening device! Hilarious. They venture to Whitechapel to see the women there in the fear that Jack the Ripper still stalks the dark dank streets. There is also a little trip out to Twickenham to visit Sir George Burnwell in his flashy, newly built, rather tasteless red brick construction by the brink of the river”
Booktrailer Review
Susan:
What a fun book! I love Sherlock Holmes and it was such a treat to go behind the scenes as it were and see it through the eyes of Mrs Watson and Mrs Hudson. That Mrs Hudson has a wicked sense of humour and the ways she acted all innocent whilst listening to conversations and peeking in to papers Sherlock has left behind are hilarious. That air vent how she listens to what comes from the office above is delightful! I’ve been to the museum in the rooms and can so imagine this. I love the charm of the book and the freshness it brings to the story as Sherlock is only ever in the background of these stories and only plays a minor part – this is very much the story of Mrs Hudson and she wouldn’t let you forget it anyway!
It’s always fun when the tables are turned on some of the most iconic characters in fiction. I enjoyed the story and found it a fresh way of putting a new spin on a story most of us has read. The same characters and the same nostalgic and misty feel of the original with some more modern with and a funny female perspective. I want to be in their gang and hire a room in that house! Guess I ‘ll just have to go back to 221B Street and see if I can visit Mrs Hudson instead of Sherlock this time.
Booktrail Boarding Pass: The House at Baker Street
Author/Guide: Michelle Birkby Destination: London Departure Time: 1889
Back to ResultsWhere Next?
