Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Brash Blonde by Gemma Halliday, Kelly Rey Series: Marty Hudson Mystery #1
Published by Gemma Halliday Publishing on September 6, 2016
Genres: Mystery
Format: eBook
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Martha "Marty" Hudson has it all...almost. While her best friend, Irene Adler, is a dot-com millionaire many times over, Marty's days are filled with working as a barista at a Stanford University coffee bar, crashing various courses and lectures, and dodging the rent collector at her crummy apartment. But when Marty suddenly finds out that a long-lost aunt has left her a Victorian home at 221 Baker Street in the heart of San Francisco, she's hopeful her luck is about to turn around! Okay, so the Victorian is run down and probably in need of more repairs than Marty could ever afford, but at least it's a link to family. However when Marty starts sifting through the contents of the dilapidated home, she realizes her aunt's death may not have been natural...and might have been a case of murder! Taking her suspicions to the grumpy Detective Lastrade and the uber-hot medical examiner, Dr. John Watson, only gets her a pair of doors slammed in her face. But Marty and Irene don't give up that easily. Instead, they invent fictitious private investigator, Sherlock Holmes, to open those doors for them! Between Marty's eclectic class-crashing knowledge and Irene's tech know-how, "Sherlock Holmes" investigates an over-the-hill yoga teacher, mob shops in Chinatown, pot dispensaries in the East Bay, and a slew of suspicious characters. But when the killer returns—this time with Marty in sight!—even the great Holmes may not be able to save her...at least not without a little help from the girls.
I do love a Holmes remake. Sherlock Holmes doesn’t exist here, either as a fictional character or a real person, as he does in so many other stories. Marty and Irene make him up to explain their investigating to the cops (Lastrade) and coroner (Watson). The names are familiar, but only bear a passing resemblance to the originals.
This is a fun mystery. The aunt who was murdered was not a nice old lady. There were plenty of people who may have been happy to see her dead. As a mystery it was okay, plenty of clues and suspects. I did guess who the killer was, but that didn’t make the mystery any less enjoyable.
Marty is our detective and Irene is her sidekick – her rich, smart sidekick. I like that this re-imaging puts the women in charge. Marty is observant and interested in a variety of topics. Irene is a bit over-enthusiastic, she’s the one who kind of instigates the whole Holmes deception. They make a great team, they’re clever, but in over their head – typical amateur detectives I guess.
Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Brash Blonde is a funny, quick, lighthearted read. I’m looking forward to the next in the series.
About Gemma Halliday
Gemma had a hard time figuring out what she wanted to be when she grew up. She worked as a film and television actress, a teddy bear importer, a department store administrator, a preschool teacher, a temporary tattoo artist, and a 900 number psychic, before finally selling her first book, Spying in High Heels, in 2005 and deciding to be a writer. Since then, Gemma has written several mystery novels and been the recipient of numerous awards, including a National Reader’s Choice award and three RITA nominations. Her books have hit both the USA Today and the New York Times Bestseller lists. Gemma now makes her home in the San Francisco Bay area where she is hard at work on her next book.
About Kelly Rey
From her first discovery of Nancy Drew, Kelly has had a lifelong love for mystery and tales of things that go bump in the night, especially those with a twist of humor. Through many years of working in the court reporting and closed captioning fields, writing has remained a constant. If she’s not in front of a keyboard, she can be found reading, working out or avoiding housework. She’s a member of Sisters in Crime and lives in the Northeast with her husband and a menagerie of very spoiled pets.
Nice premise 🙂