Sherlock Holmes pastiche story, the core of which revolves around a stolen gold shipment. There are a few side-stories which turn out to be tied to the main story. In general, I thought the main story was fairly well done, with a logical progression and few sleight-of-hand-tricks. One thing I did find a bit annoying was the interpolation of a number of fictional and historical figures into the story, one of which is critical -- but somewhat far-fetched. "Get Rich Quick Wallingford" turns up as a supporting character, which I have mixed feelings about, especially since the character was created in the Edwardian era, not the Victorian era. If you can look beyond these slightly annoying frills, it's a bit above-average for a Holmes pastiche. ( )

Holmes is called in to investigate the robbery of an armoured train. Watson is glad, for the case will bring in a tidy sum; Holmes has been taking on relatively unprofitable cases as of late. After an initial setback where Holmes refuses to take the case, they are on the trail of the robbers. The plot is rather convoluted, although I'm not sure whether that is due to the author's plotting skills or the fact that it revolves around high finance, which I personally find complicated to begin with. Also, I was irritated by Watson referring to Holmes as "the sleuth"; would he not refer to Holmes as "my friend", "my learned colleague" or other variations of that ilk? That bothered me, as did the occasional footnotes added to make it look like the author was merely editing Watson's memoirs for publication. The best part of the book was the ending, which was amusing in a mildly nonsensical kind of way. Overall this is the sort of book you borrow from the lending library at a resort: quick and rather forgettable. ( )