The Serpent Under by Bonnie MacBird

The Servant Under

by Bonnie MacBird

The Serpent Under by Bonnie MacBird

 was published on 2nd January 2025 by Harper Collins

 

My thanks to the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review and to Random Things Resources for inviting me to take part on the tour.

The Serpent Under: Treachery, Twists and Terror in Baker Street is the sixth full-length Sherlock Holmes thriller in the series by award-winning Hollywood scriptwriter Bonnie MacBird. It will be released in hardback by Collins Crime Club, an imprint of HarperCollins, on 2 January 2025.

Echoing Lady Macbeth’s advice, “Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t,” the villains in this tale enact treachery, murder and deceit as they cut a bloody swath through London and Windsor. But are they a match for Sherlock Holmes and John Watson?

The two friends are called upon to solve the murder of a beautiful courtier at Windsor Castle, the drowning of a boy in the Serpentine in Hyde Park, and, with the help of young Heffie O’Malley, to assist a crusading women’s rights activist who suspects that there is a traitor in her organisation.

Holmes and Watson race from the Royal Palace to the London Zoo, barely escape a riot at a Dockland cannery, and travel from an arts and crafts atelier to a Japanese festival, a gypsy encampment and more — yet perhaps the gravest danger they face is in the place they most feel safe, 221B Baker Street.
The clock is ticking as the murders continue.

My Review

Well the stars certainly aligned to ensure that I had the time and space to read this latest Sherlock Holmes Adventure from Bonnie MacBird. My lovely, rain soaked , delivery guy turned up with this lovely book just as Storm Bert hit, scuppering my plans for the day ahead. Instead I lit the fire, made a large pan of homemade soup and a loaf of bread and hunkered down to spend the day - and most of the night into the early hours, reading this brilliant book.

I am an avid Sherlock Holmes fan, whether it be book, stage or screen though I have to admit this is the first book I have read by Bonnie MacBird. To say I was hooked from the very first page is an understatement . Written from Dr Watson’s perspective the narrative draws you into the unfolding plot as you turn page after intriguing page, the characters and their personalities building up in your mind as you start to work out whodunnit and wondering what twist you are going to encounter next.

The story line is intriguing as Holmes is employed by the Palace to investigate the death of a courtier who has been bizarrely disfigured. As with all good Sherlock stories there is a lot more going on , in the past as well as in the present , that  is at first seen and it is these links that will keep you wanting to find out more about how each piece fits together.

Bonnie is an author who will appeal to the true Conan Doyle fans who want an intriguing mystery to solve in the style of the great man himself. For me there have been some authors who have tried to take over the mantle and not succeeded, Bonnie is not one of them, she has really got it right and I am  looking forward to reading the other Sherlock Holmes Adventures that she has written in the not too distant future.

About The Author

Bonnie MacBird is passionate about Victorian London and Sherlock Holmes. She lives in an 1890 building right off Baker Street, and fell in love with Holmes as a schoolgirl in her native California. After many years in the entertainment industry as a film executive, Emmy- winning producer and screenwriter – she wrote the original screenplay to TRON –she now writes the critically acclaimed Sherlock Holmes Adventure Series for HarperCollins, bringing the much-loved detective back, in traditional style, in full-length adventures. Meticulous research, a flair for deductions and a decided sense of humour have turned these into fan favourites. Art in the Blood was translated into seventeen languages, and was followed by Unquiet Spirits; The Devil’s Due, The Three Locks and What Child Is This? A Sherlock Holmes Christmas Adventure. Bonnie is active in the Sherlockian community in both the USA (where she is a BSI member) and the UK, where she is a council member of The Sherlock Holmes Society of London. She is also the co- convenor of the London CWA meetings, a member of the RSA, and lectures regularly on Sherlock Holmes, writing, and creativity. For further information about Bonnie MacBird visit: http://www.macbird.com Twitter:@macbird / Instagram: bmacbird / Facebook: SherlockHolmesAdventureSeries