Chronicles of the Lost Years

Rating:
Summary: Not a Lot Here...
Review: Apparently there is a whole narrow genre of Sherlock Holmes pastiches known to its fans as "Sherlockian Romances," in which the Great Detective is (against all the Canon) matched with some supposedly appropriate female. ...Well, in the present book we have Holmes saddled with a young woman who is (we are told on just about every page) so incredibly beautiful and so impossibly unsocial that she is irresistable to Holmes, who against all reason takes her off with him when escaping from the Reichenbach Falls and Moriarty's two henchmen. After three years of wandering the world, during which absolutely nothing of interest happens, Holmes returns to Baker Street and installs Elizabeth Sigerson as "Mrs. Sigerson," his personal secretary! The plot jumps abruptly to 1903 and some totally preposterous antics involving Col. Sebastian Moran. We are told that Watson, Lestrade, etc., never mention Elizabeth during all the post-Reichenbach pre-retirement period lest someone should try to distract Holmes by kidnapping or threatening Elizabeth. Why they couldn't do the same by attacking or kidnapping Watson, Mrs. Hudson, Billy, Wiggins, etc.... well, don't ask!

In the whole novel there is not a single character (including Holmes) who comes to life even for an instant. There is no plot, and all the characters, including Holmes, behave in a way both inexplicable and imbecilic. [For example, although we are told on every page that Elizabeth is so impossibly beautiful, etc., see above, that no man or woman can take his eyes off her, Holmes and Elizabeth waddle mindlessly and undisguised through Europe, always amazed when Moriarty's men track them down or trap them.]

The author's imagination runs pretty much on empty as far as having Holmes be away from Baker Street for three years, so for two of them Holmes and Elizabeth do nothing but tend goats and have wild, crazy nightly sex in an isolated Tibetan village. Holmes hikes to Lhasa, looks in at Mecca, and fiddles with coal-tar derivatives in France only because these are markers from the Canon, not because this novel's character would be motivated to do such.

Despite all the problems, I must say that Ms. Cooper-Posey is a competent writer. I kept turning the pages despite the lack of intellectual stimulation, lack of character development, and lack of any plot whatsoever. However, at the end, I must say that the total sum of enjoyment I experienced was quite small, and that the total burden of mild outrage at the way my time and interest had been taken advantage of was noticable.

Rating:
Summary: Chronicles of the Lost Years -- a good read
Review: As a reader who cut her teeth on the canon of the Sherlock Holmes books by Conan Doyle, as well as being a fan of the Mary Russell books by Laurie R. King, I found "Chronicles of the Lost Years" to be an entertaining addition to the list of Sherlock Holmes pastiches. Cooper-Posey manages to create a tale that is faithful to Conan Doyle. She's also created a new character and a relationship that casts the cold, mysogenistic Holmes in a role that has not been seen since "A Scandal in Bohemia." Narrated by Watson, with an ear faithfully attuned to Victorian dialogue, the atmosphere of the book is true to that of the originals. There are familiar villains and new characters, twists of plot and feats of deductive logic -- as well as an intriguingly ambiguous ending that cries out for a sequel. Fans of the genre will enjoy this book.

Rating:
Summary: A Travesty!
Review: Fans have speculated for years about Sherlock Holmes' absence from Baker Street, a time refereed to as The Great Hiatus. Speculate no more! Tracy Cooper-Posey has soundly answered the call to fill in the missing gaps, and the result is a carefully crafted, gleefully created novel guaranteed to satisfy the most ardent mystery lover. Tracy offers a touch of romance in the character of Elizabeth Sigerson. Elizabeth is a daring heroine, able to shoot, wear men's clothing, and fight her way through life with her wits, intelligence, and grace. Because Elizabeth's presence must be kept secret, so evil characters like Moriarty have less ammunition with which to harm Holmes, she is the perfect excuse for the inconsistencies and mysteries found in Holmes stories. Holmes equal, Elizabeth holds heart for thirteen years, before Holmes' worst fear for her safety come true. In Chronicles Of The Lost Years, Watson records the events immediately following the death of Moriarty, when both Holmes and Elizabeth disappear for three years, and are presumed dead by the world. But Moran, Moriarty's head henchman, saw Holmes and Elizabeth escape cross country, and pursues them as they cross Europe on foot. They venture into Constantinople, Persia, and Tibet in search of answers and wisdom. They discovered the joys and simplicity of the nomadic life. But their return to London brings about a very turn of adventure. And while no one knows about Elizabeth, to keep her association with Holmes from making her a target, silence promotes its own kind of danger. This is not the typical steamy love story. Rather, it is a powerful adventure with a touch of heart. Tracy Cooper-Posey is a remarkable voice, whatever genre she chooses to indulge. Graceful, detailed, and original, her prose sings.

Cindy Penn Reviewer

Rating:
Summary: Graceful, detailed, original -- the prose sings!
Review: Fans have speculated for years about Sherlock Holmes' absence from Baker Street, a time refereed to as The Great Hiatus. Speculate no more! Tracy Cooper-Posey has soundly answered the call to fill in the missing gaps, and the result is a carefully crafted, gleefully created novel guaranteed to satisfy the most ardent mystery lover. Tracy offers a touch of romance in the character of Elizabeth Sigerson. Elizabeth is a daring heroine, able to shoot, wear men's clothing, and fight her way through life with her wits, intelligence, and grace. Because Elizabeth's presence must be kept secret, so evil characters like Moriarty have less ammunition with which to harm Holmes, she is the perfect excuse for the inconsistencies and mysteries found in Holmes stories. Holmes equal, Elizabeth holds heart for thirteen years, before Holmes' worst fear for her safety come true. In Chronicles Of The Lost Years, Watson records the events immediately following the death of Moriarty, when both Holmes and Elizabeth disappear for three years, and are presumed dead by the world. But Moran, Moriarty's head henchman, saw Holmes and Elizabeth escape cross country, and pursues them as they cross Europe on foot. They venture into Constantinople, Persia, and Tibet in search of answers and wisdom. They discovered the joys and simplicity of the nomadic life. But their return to London brings about a very turn of adventure. And while no one knows about Elizabeth, to keep her association with Holmes from making her a target, silence promotes its own kind of danger. This is not the typical steamy love story. Rather, it is a powerful adventure with a touch of heart. Tracy Cooper-Posey is a remarkable voice, whatever genre she chooses to indulge. Graceful, detailed, and original, her prose sings.

Cindy Penn Reviewer

Rating:
Summary: A Disappointing Read
Review: Here I was, browsing for a new Sherlock Holmes pastiche, when I came across The Chronicles of the Lost Years. I thought to myself, "Here it is! The definitive romantic Sherlock Holmes novel!" By its promise of introducing an intriguing woman into Holmes's life (and the reader's) who was his equal in intellect (and NOT less than half his age at that!), I eagerly loked forward to reading this book. Unfortunately, I was highly disappointed. The plot seemed to owe far too much to other "woman in distress" pastiches we've all read, and the characters just doesn't seem to ring true. I felt that this novel had a captivating premise, but the end result just didn't seem to come together. With such a engaging topic as Sherlock Holmes and romance, there could have at least been something memorable readers could remember from this book. But there isn't.

Rating:
Summary: A Disappointing Read
Review: Here I was, browsing for a new Sherlock Holmes pastiche, when I came across The Chronicles of the Lost Years. I thought to myself, "Here it is! The definitive romantic Sherlock Holmes novel!" By its promise of introducing an intriguing woman into Holmes's life (and the reader's) who was his equal in intellect (and NOT less than half his age at that!), I eagerly loked forward to reading this book. Unfortunately, I was highly disappointed. The plot seemed to owe far too much to other "woman in distress" pastiches we've all read, and the characters just doesn't seem to ring true. I felt that this novel had a captivating premise, but the end result just didn't seem to come together. With such a engaging topic as Sherlock Holmes and romance, there could have at least been something memorable readers could remember from this book. But there isn't.

Rating:
Summary: Pure fun!
Review: I loved this book. Tracey Cooper-Posey is a wonderful writer (I also loved her Eyes of a Stranger!), a wonderful storyteller and the perfect person to introduce a little romance into Holmes life. I'll be eagerly watching for anything she writes.

Rating:
Summary: Holmes Lives Again!
Review: In Chronicles of the Lost Years, Sherlock lives again. What true fan can deny it after reading this well written, action-packed book? Tracy Cooper-Posey has given Holmes back to those who have missed his adventures and then some. The lost years answers questions about Holmes and the years he spent wandering Europe and the east in such a bold, innovative way that you find yourself consuming the information whole and believing this must have really happened. Posey's tale of Holmes' travels and subseqent retirement put to rest any lingering questions about the great detective and offer the reader a truly great adventure story at the same time. To top it off, and lend a very satisfying personal touch to the story, Cooper-Posey introduces Elizabeth Sigerson, a woman to be admired and envied for her relationship with Holmes and Watson. I've been a Holmes fan since childhood and have read every book written about him. All in all, I can't remember a better story about the great man than what Cooper-Posey has written. Thank you, Tracy Cooper-Posey, for one of the best books I've read in decades. I eagerly look forward to reading your next books.