The art of deception A daughter of Sherlock Holmes mystery

At the start of Goldberg's pleasing if flawed fourth Daughter of Sherlock Holmes mystery (after 2019's The Disappearance of Alistair Ainsworth), Inspector Lestrade calls on Dr. John Watson, Joanna Blalock, and Joanna's husband, Dr. John Watson Jr., at 221b Baker Street shortly before Christmas 1916. Lestrade needs their help catching the vandal slashing costly paintings in London's West End. Joanna deduces that the culprit is seeking something--perhaps another artwork--hidden behind one of them. All the canvases have been repaired at the elite but financially troubled Hawke and Evans art gallery by Harry Edmunds and James Blackstone, making them prime suspects. But since Edmunds has apparently died in an explosion, while Blackstone has fled to Australia, neither man can be questioned. When Joanna's son, Johnny, comes home from Eton, he adds his own astute analysis to the case. The overly talky investigation and lack of dramatic action may disappoint some readers. Holmes lovers will enjoy the intricate Sherlockian reasoning Joanna and Johnny bring to the puzzle. Agent: Scott Mendel, Mendel Media Group. (June)

Scotland Yard once again asks Joanna, the infamous daughter of Sherlock Holmes, to assist them in a most serious case of vandalism. Paintings are being slashed--in a prominent gallery, in the homes of noble families, and even in the royal collection. The destroyed paintings have only a few commonalities: they are portraits of women from the Renaissance, and the vandals took care not to harm any other areas of the paintings, including the backing. Joanna, with the assistance of her husband, John Watson Jr., and father-in-law Watson Sr., soon concludes that the vandal is searching for something within the canvases and in desperation resorts to violence. With one suspect missing and the other dead, Joanna and the Watsons must hurry to catch up with the perpetrator. VERDICT In the fourth in the "Daughter of Sherlock Holmes" series (after The Disappearance of Alistair Ainsworth), Goldberg delivers the same level of cozy mystery that readers have come to expect. Recommended for fans of the series, Goldberg's other novels, and Victorian cozy mysteries in general. [See Prepub Alert, 11/18/19.]--Jennifer Funk, McKendree Univ. Lib., Lebanon, IL

The daughter of Sherlock Holmes (who's married to Dr. Watson's son) investigates a case of vandalism and murder tied to the world of art treasures. Inspector Lestrade once again calls upon Joanna Watson, who's inherited her father's remarkable crime-solving talents, to help with an odd case of vandalism. Someone has been breaking into private homes and art galleries and slashing valuable paintings but not stealing anything. From the only clue, a tattered scarf left behind, Joanna deduces that the wearer is a tall, middle-aged man fallen on hard times who suffers from a skin condition he's treating with coal tar. All the paintings were either displayed at the Hawke and Evans Gallery or had been restored there by James Blackstone or Harry Edmunds, two former restorers who used their talents to create and sell forgeries. Edmunds is in jail; Blackstone is presumed to have fled to Australia. Because all the paintings were slashed and torn open but their backings left in perfect condition, Joanna concludes that something valuable is hidden in one of the paintings, though the searcher does not know which one. She's sidetracked when an attack of cholera at her son's school forces her to remove him to 221B Baker St., where she has the support of both her husband, John, and his father, the ever reliable Dr. Watson. Johnny's remarkably like his grandfather, and even in his illness he provides valuable ideas about the case. Joanna relies on a number of informative experts as she unravels a complex mystery involving several people, at least one of whom is willing to kill to gain his ends. A primer on art history combined with a mystery that crawls toward the denouement. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.