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Dust and Shadow

An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson

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Dust and Shadow

By: Lyndsay Faye
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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About this listen

Breathless and painstakingly researched, this is a stunning debut mystery in which Sherlock Holmes unmasks Jack the Ripper. Lyndsay Faye perfectly captures all the color and syntax of Conan Doyle’s distinctive 19th-century London.

In Dust and Shadow, Sherlock Holmes hunts down Jack the Ripper—the world’s first serial killer—with impeccably accurate historical detail and without the advantage of modern forensics or profiling. Sherlock’s desire to stop the killer who is terrifying the East End of London is unwavering from the start, and in an effort to do so he hires an “unfortunate” known as Mary Ann Monk, the friend of a fellow streetwalker who was one of the Ripper’s earliest victims. However, when Holmes himself is wounded in Whitechapel attempting to catch the villain and a series of articles in the popular press question his role in the crimes, he must use all his resources in a desperate race to find the man known as “The Knife” before it is too late.

Penned as a pastiche by the loyal and courageous Dr. Watson, this debut signals the arrival of a tremendous talent in the mystery and historical fiction genres.

©2009 Lyndsay Faye (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Detective Fiction Historical Mystery Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives Sherlock Holmes England Exciting Scary

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Critic reviews

“Impressive…Sherlockians will hope to see further pastiches of this quality from Faye.” ( Publishers Weekly)
“An exciting and grimly vivid tale that confronts the murderous Jack the Ripper with A. Conan Doyle’s immortal detective better than ever before.” (Conan Doyle Estate)
“At long last, an author of rare talent combines a thorough, enthusiastic knowledge of the Sherlock Holmes canon with truly rigorous research into, and respect for, the Jack the Ripper killings.” (Caleb Carr, New York Times best-selling author)
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Great interpretation of the factual events. with Holmes and Watson stretched to their limits. Surprising

A Twist on Jack the Ripper

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What did you like most about Dust and Shadow?

The story was absolutely fascinating, obviously well researched and based on many true facts from the Ripper case (post mortems, eye witnesses, police reports etc.) Above all, the ending was all too plausible. Loved it!

What other book might you compare Dust and Shadow to, and why?

There are other books (and films, games etc.) that pit Sherlock Holmes against Jack the Ripper, but without a doubt this is best story I've ever heard. I was gripped from beginning to end.

What does Simon Vance bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

The reading by Simon Vance was perfection. It didn't take me long to forget that there was just one reader, as he seemed to fully round out each character, both male and female.

Any additional comments?

I have already listened to this twice and fully intend to listen to it again! Can't recommend it high enough.

Can't express how much I enjoyed this...

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The highest praise I can give this story is that it could have been written by Sir Arthur himself. Maintains a great pace and never wanders far from the action. If you are a Holmes devotee or new to him it’s well worth a listen

A rip roaring Holmes Story

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One of the best Sherlock Holmes pastiches ever written .
Lindsay Faye captures Conan Doyle's characters perfectly in this enthralling tale .
Superb performance by Simon Vance ! Highly recommended !

Superb !

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If Arthur Conan-Doyle had written a further Holmes novel this would be it! Atmospheric, tense and glorying in every detail beloved of followers of Holmes and Watson. Like a London particular the nuances of all that makes Holmes the master detective swirl around the reader and draw you in to the London of the 1880's. The plot is deep and although covering ground well known to students of 19th Century criminology Lyndsay Faye triumphantly holds the attention from beginning to end. My most enjoyable historical novel for a long time I only hope that further tales are forthcoming.

Conan-Doyle has been re-incarnated!

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A Very good fictionalised of account of the Jack the Ripper story. Extremely well written and an entertaining read.

Provides a nice twist and a convincing explanation of the murders.

Brilliant. Account of the Ripper murders.

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Well written story,well narrated. Period detail aplenty. A very good example of this genre.

Atmospheric Victorian Chiller

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All I can say is that this book is fantastic, I have listened to and read and also watched most of the Sherlock Holmes media, this is very much part of the collection and a must listen for you.

The story and the narration are superb.

A Must Listen

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Loved this audio book which is a familiar story told from Dr Watson's point of view. It doesn't make him out to be a bumbling idiot either which is good. The narration is excellent and the story, although familiar, takes a different path. I recommend it.

Great Listen

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This is very enjoyable. It's well researched about London. I HATE it when supposed historical fiction doesn't get London right. Don't want to be spoilery but I appreciate that this doesn't go for too sensationalist an identity for the Ripper. The author has neatly fitted the fictional detective around the historical facts without too much of an obvious join.

I'm listening to The Complete Sherlock Holmes also narrated by Simon Vance at the moment so maybe that's why it seems to fit so perfectly with Conan Doyle's work and be convincingly Holmesian.

Excellent addition to the fictional Ripper canon

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