Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

Sherlock Holmes is an iconic literary detective. Here, Bonnie MacBird gets her chance to put her spin on the character in a new story. I wasn't aware that this was the fourth book in a series but I can confirm this stands alone and you don't have to have read the previous books for this. It fits well within the Conan Doyle canon even if I did think a few characteristics were akin to more modern adaptations. Holmes and Watson had three mysteries to solve within these pages and while each were good, maybe it would have been better to focus on them separately?

There are three stories interwoven within The Three Locks. A young runaway daughter, an escape artist who spectacularly dies on stage - immolated in a copper cauldron, and a small silver box containing a secret.
This is the 4th Sherlock Holmes adventure by Bonnie MacBird and like the others is fabulous. I thought I'd worked out who the killer was, then was thrown off the scent for a chapter or two, but in the end I was absolutely correct.
Written in the ACD style, I highly recommend these books. 🔍🎻

Heatwave in London. Watson gets a silver ornated box, apparently from his deceased mother, but without the key and Holmes tries to solve the death of escape artist. Finally they find themselves in Cambridge, where the murder of young woman happened.

Sherlockian feeling and atmosphere are perfect, the narrative fluent and Holmes and Watson remain tireless warriors for the wronged.

Intelligent read.

Highly recommend it.

Holmes and Watson are back doing what they do best. This time they will have to solve two deaths one London and one in Cambridge, and pay an unusual price to have a silver box opened.
This is a story that had me gripped from the start. With mystery, intrigue, murder, and an ending that will knock your socks off. The best book in the series so far and one I highly recommend.

Such a great read!

I love Sherlock Holmes, he’s definitely one of my favorite book characters of all times, and Bonnie brings him to life quite well!

Magic, disappearances and mystery, all the ingredients of a great Sherlock adventure!

Highly recommend!

It’s a mystery that could come straight out of Sherlock Holmes – which is handy as the main characters are the detective and his friend, Dr Watson. The duo must navigate a series of mysterious deaths – death by drowning of the young daughter of a Cambridge don, death by burning of an escape artist mid-illusion. Holmes and Watson leap between London and Cambridge, interviewing all they can to piece the puzzles together – are the cases linked? And if so, what devilish plot will be uncovered? To add to their puzzlement, Watson needs to open a small, and very special, silver box and needs to find the correct locksmith to help. It’s quite a pacy read, and you feel as though you’re accompanying the two friends on their investigations. Really, really enjoyable.

This was an excellent mystery novel. I quite often avoid books written in the style of famous literary greats, but this author managed to invoke a real sense of 1890’s London and the story really pulled you in. The characters were expertly written and the 3 interwoven lock themed mysteries were all intriguing and kept me guessing. I will definitely be reading more by this author and although this was not the first book she has written about Holmes & Watson it didn’t impact on my enjoyment of the story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a preview copy of this book.

It’s September 1887 and Dr Watson is sweltering in the heat of an Indian Summer. He receives a strange small box his mother entrusted many years ago to a lady who claims she is his aunt. The box is impossible to open. Meanwhile, Holmes is as ever learning new (if not bizarre!) skills which link to the Barelli stage act and later to a consultation concerning, yes, locks! The final lock is Jesus Lock in Cambridge where a doll is found floating in the water belonging to Odelia Wyndham which seems to be a warning of some kind .....

This is the fourth in this really good series which is written so cleverly in the style and spirit of the original Conan Doyle books. The author captures the lead characters perfectly with the long suffering Mrs Hudson putting up with a great deal! There’s a lot going on in this one with parallel investigations which works really well. I really like the magic show element especially as this was a very popular form of entertainment in Victorian times. Of course, Holmes brings his own marvellously individual and observant eye to the proceedings. The storytelling is lively, colourful and atmospheric, it’s amusing in places especially the repartee between Holmes and Watson. The late Victorian era is depicted extremely well and I like how it includes a couple of female characters who, though very unpleasant, show the beginning of the trend of ‘bold women’ who want freedom and independence from the restraints of society’s expectations. There is quite a plethora of unpleasant, rude, imperious and arrogant characters but they do provide for interesting storytelling.

So, we have locks, magic acts, trickery, illusion, science and one independent woman who has an abundance of ardent suitors, murder and mayhem, a large suspect pool, mistaken identity, set ups and self preservation. The busy and intriguing plot takes us from London to Cambridge where the intrepid and suspicious pair try to sift through the professional and personal jealousies, volatile temperaments and arrogance, cast their beady eyes over macabre warnings to try to solve intriguing puzzles. It leads to some dramatic and colourful scenes and inevitably given his incisiveness , Holmes succeeds in unlocking all in a surprising conclusion.

Overall, another intriguing and worthy addition to the Bonnie MacBird Holmes and Watson series.

With thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins, Harper Fiction for the arc in return for an honest review.

Bonnie MacBird gives us another delightful entry in her Victorian historical series featuring Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson, set in the sweltering London and Cambridge of 1887. There are many who have resurrected the genius detective, but MacBird's remarkable attention to detail, and skilful characterisations of the famous duo and their relationship, makes this series a real favourite. The theme of locks, three locks to be precise, drive this addition. The first lock is a personal affair for the 35 year old Watson, an ex-military doctor, burdened with a traumatic family history that still haunts him, his mother and sister, Rose, both died by drowning when he was young. He receives a mysterious package from an apologetic Aunt Elspeth Carnachan that he has never been aware of, his mother had instructed her to give it to him when he reached 21 years of age.

Watson is furious that Elspeth had forgotten all about it until now, what is even more intriguing is that it has a complex lock that defeats almost all locksmiths. This poses the question as to what could be so important that his mother had taken such unusual levels of protection to ensure the safety and secrecy of the contents? It is going to take the input of Holmes and his extensive knowledge of locksmiths in London for Watson to become acquainted with deeply buried family truths. The strikingly unforgettable Mrs Ilaria Bolleri, comes to Sherlock to get him to uncover the truth of the conflict between her husband, the Italian escape artist, The Great Borelli, and her old beau, a magician and mindreader. A lovelorn Catholic Deacon from Cambridge, Peregrine Buttons, who wants Holmes to find the beautiful missing Odelia Wyndham, a clever if casually cruel woman, with a number of suitors.

The Great Borelli is horrifically burned in front of an audience in a multiple locked bathysphere named The Cauldron of Death, and Odelia is discovered murdered at the Jesus Lock on the River Cam. Could there possibly be a connection between the two events? In these most twisted and complicated of cases involving strong passions, Holmes is determined to see truth and justice served despite the numerous obstacles that stand in his path, ably assisted by the faithful Watson. This is a terrific read, wonderfully entertaining and engaging, that will appeal to the many fans of Conan Doyle's famous detective and all those who love Victorian historical crime fiction. Many thanks to HarperCollins UK for an ARC.

I was given a free copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.
I have never read an original Sherlock Holmes book, so I can't honestly compare the two - however I have to say this book was excellent.
The story, was compelling and complex, without being over done, or too contrived. The story was intresting, with lots of intresting characters, plots and sub plots. Ms MacBird paints a beautiful vivid picture, with all the style and imagery you would hope to find in a clever Victorian detective story.
A proper "Who Done it". Highly recommend

I am a huge lover of the Sherlock Holmes stories and adore the Arthur Conan Doyle’s originals, and I do love when new Holmes and Watson’s stories are written (when done well). They can either be fantastic or a bit of a flop I find, depending on how well the author portrays the characters and story, and this one was most definitely fantastic. I loved it! This was the perfect example of a new Holmes story done well!

I got into the story straight away, with a mystery from the get go to get your teeth into. It had all the feels of the original stories and I loved how both Sherlock and John were written. I’ll never tire of Sherlocks shenanigans and there were many here! Some so so funny and so true to character. I loved the humour and all the Sherlock-isms in this book.

It was definitely an addicting story and I couldn’t put it down. The interactions between Holmes and Watson were great to read and the development of the story as it unravelled had me intrigued.

There were several cases running alongside each other in this story however I didn’t find them hard to follow or get mixed up or confused at any point, which can easily happen with more than one case on the go! I love how each one concluded and the outcome and deductions Sherlock deduced was as amazing and clever as ever.

I could read a million of these stories. It was a very entertaining book and one that any a Sherlock Holmes fan will enjoy. I definitely did!

#TheThreeLocks #NetGalley
An intelligent mystery.
West End, a renowned Italian escape artist dies spectacularly on stage during a performance – immolated in a gleaming copper cauldron of his wife’s design. In Cambridge, the runaway daughter of a famous don is found drowned, her long blonde hair tangled in the Jesus Lock on the River Cam. And in Baker Street, a mysterious locksmith exacts an unusual price to open a small silver box sent to Watson.From the glow of London’s theatre district to the buzzing Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge where physicists explore the edges of the new science of electricity, Holmes and Watson race between the two cities to solve the murders,
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction for giving me an advanced copy.