Midwest Book Review: the Dutch Painter

 From MBR:

A welcome addition to the growing library of Sherlock Holmes stories, "The Strange Case of the Dutch Painter" by Timothy Miller does full justice to the exploits of that master detective which was originally created by Sir Conan Doyle. A 'must read' selection for all dedicated mystery buffs, as well as the legions of Sherlock Holmes fans, and also readily available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99), this paperback edition of "The Strange Case of the Dutch Painter" from Seventh Street Books is an especially and unreservedly recommended for all community library Mystery/Suspense collections.

Interview: Historical Novel Society

A review/ interview with the Historical Novel Society:

"Timothy Miller’s second ‘Strange Case’ novel features a witty amalgamation of Sherlockian investigation with historical oddities. The Strange Case of the Dutch Painter (Seventh Street Books, February 2022) revolves around the suicide of Vincent Van Gogh, and throws up some intriguing perspectives on the era, the painter, and the power of art."

For the entire piece, visit the Historical Novel Society

Sherlockians and Doyleans: Review

 From Peter Blau of Sherlockians and Doyleans:

"Timothy Miller’s The Strange Case of the Dutch Painter (Jersey City: Seventh Street, 2022; 264 pp., $17.95) has Sherlock Holmes (using the alias Vernet in Paris in 1890, investigating forgery of great art and eventually the death of Vincent Van Gogh; Vernet is accompanied and assisted by a Dr. Lermolieff (who is not Dr. Watson using an alias), and the tale is imaginative, nicely told, and full of twists and turns.

I hope Miller continues . . . he had great fun with Eliza Doolittle . . . and it will be interesting to see what his next book's about. . ."

Foreword review of The Dutch Painter

 "With a compelling central mystery, the novel makes excellent use of familiar historical figures to evoke a complex social world. In addition to its overarching case, the book makes moves to address the “locked-room mystery” of Holmes as a person. "

For more:

Foreword Review

First Review of The Dutch Painter

 So...it's still available to subscribers only on Booklist, but I have the okay to share with you the first review of

The Strange Case of the Dutch Painter:

The Holmes pastiche industry rolls on. This time we don't have a newly unearthed Watson

manuscript with a waspish Holmes and boneheaded Watson. Rather, the great man is

concealing his identity under a borrowed name, Vernet. Appropriate, since he's distantly related

to the artistic Vernet family and the case he's working is art theft. The ersatz Watson, there to aid

the investigation, is art maven Lermolieff, who understands his job is to observe Holmes-Vernet

as well as record the investigation. He has much to offer, from first finding the bloodhound "a

carnival attraction that took in clues and spat out solutions," to understanding that deduction

"was a mask for his real passion: justice." Their inquiry takes them through the Parisian art world in the waning nineteenth century and features encounters outlandish and entertaining. Holmes investigates van Gogh's suicide and crosses swords—literally—with Gauguin, while Lermolieff gets the world's first electroshock treatment. It's a fine tale, stylishly written.

— Don Crinklaw

You don't have this one yet?

 

In the bowels of the night...

 I don't know about other first-time novelists, but I will confess here that in the lonely hours of the night--every night--I scour google for mention of my book, and sometimes I come up with some truly odd ducks. I decided to share one of those I came across last night. It's by one of those many sites that offers your book as a free download. (My publisher assures me that such sites afford you nothing for free except the opportunity to have your information stolen, possibly your credit card, in exchange for a nasty virus. I'm not sure that's true of ALL such sites, but it's a comforting thought.)

The flowery encomiums of my book are lifted from one such site. It is possibly the most fawning review ever written. And I was half-way through the second paragraph, soaking it all in, before I realized the review was not about my book at all, in fact had nothing to do with my book. I was able to elide over "useful information and life tips", but ran up on the reef at "This memoir..."

In case you haven't read my book, it could in no light be mistaken for a memoir...unless you assumed that I was Dr. John Watson.

I assume that this was a real review which has come unmoored from its original book, and been drafted into service for any book you might have been searching for. It's a wonderful review for anyone, as long as you ignore things like nouns and possibly adjectives. As a matter of fact, with a little judicious trimming, this could make boffo advertising copy.

The author beautifully combines beauty and truth in an elegant and effective way..."

Why, it's positively Keatsian!

Reader's Club

Some kind words from:

The Cozy Tea Cottage

A place to enjoy a cuppa, a little nibble, read a good book, or solve a puzzle.                                                                        

             

                                                                                           cozy_tea_cottage 

What are you reading? I've just finished this thoroughly enjoyable mystery from Timothy Miller and Seventh Street Books. It's a wonderful collaboration of characters from two classics. 

 What if Eliza Doolittle was never actually transformed into a proper lady? What if, instead, she was replaced? And if so, what happened to the real Eliza Doolittle? 

 Well, that's what Colonel Pickering has asked Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to find out. And along the way, the story is joined by some of my other favorite historical characters (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, what have you been up to?) 

 If you enjoy historical fiction, a good mystery, and spending time with some interesting characters, you'll love The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle!

Kings River Life: Review/Giveaway/Interview

It's an interview.

It's a review.

It's a giveaway of my book.

It's a threefer--

It must be seen to be believed!

The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle By Timothy Miller: Review/Giveaway/Interview: 

 by Lorie Lewis Ham of  Kings River Life Magazine.

From the review:

"This story is filled with many twists and turns, most of which I never saw coming. It was so much fun having all of these familiar characters thrown together in this new story. I felt like Miller’s portrayal of Holmes and Watson was accurate, which is always a key for me in enjoying a new Holmes adventure."

From the interview:

"For me, writing is like blowing up a balloon. I start with a few puffs: beginning, middle, and end, and then expand, and let the breaths mingle and heat up. I just have to keep from spitting too much."

Booklist starred review

 Somehow I've managed to forget to post a link to Booklist's starred review.

"Suspense, resonant period ambience, vivid and memorable characters, masterful writing based loosely on Conan Doyle’s style, a multilayered plot with references to the works of George Bernard Shaw and Robert Louis Stevenson, and, most of all, Holmes and Watson in a story perfectly suited for them make for a gripping, hugely entertaining, and very satisfying read."

Sherlockians

 By the way, what do Sherlockians say?

Seventh Street Books

JtSigapoononuasourrieey nd30Sfnd  · 

The "Sherlockians and Doyleans" say THE STRANGE CASE OF ELIZA DOOLITTLE by Timothy Miller, "is an imaginative mix of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, George Bernard Shaw, and Robert Louis Stevenson in a nicely-written story that offers some dramatic surprises."

BiblioSanctum review

From The BiblioSanctum review:

 

"If you’re curious to see the world of Sherlock Holmes transformed in a way you’ve never seen before, you’ve got to check out The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle. Well-written and well-conceived, this book has definitely earned the distinction of being one of the most intriguing and quirky literary mashups I’ve ever read! Not to be missed by fans of fun, creative reimaginings of classic characters and stories."

Booklist

Seventh Street Books

dsnMtaccmrfiSlch gp7fo atnmfSa 1s0uo:4t8rlme PdhM  · 

"A gripping, hugely entertaining and very satisfying read." — Booklist, Starred Review on Timothy Miller's THE STRANGE CASE OF ELIZA DOOLITTLE. Have you read this one?

Historical Novel Socirey Review

New review, this from the Historical Novel Society: "...the plot is full of surprises sure to satisfy any Holmes aficionado, and the ending is quite affecting."

"Aside from the philosophical underpinnings of the book, the plot is full of surprises sure to satisfy any Holmes aficionado, and the ending is quite affecting. But to my mind the irresistible charm of the book lies in sentences such as this: “In lieu of shaking his hand, I knocked on Dr. Strachey’s mahogany desktop like an aboriginal drummer sending signals from one village to the next.”

Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton of Bookpleasures.com

Here's a link to a review of the novel by Dr. Wesley Britton at Bookpleasures"

"You don't have to be a Sherlock Holmes aficionado to enjoy The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle although Doyle fans will get to see many references to events and characters from the Holmes canon updated into a sort of sequel to the original stories.  So, on many levels, the novel is a lot of fun. I enjoyed this book more than many  a title I've read of late. A perfect diversion from the weird world" of 2020.