| Home | Manuscripts | Top-10 Lists | e-World | Site Index |
|
The Best of Sherlock Holmes |
www.bestofsherlock.com/books-dvds-movies-2019.htm
Best 2019 Sherlock Holmes Books, Movies, DVDs, & More
By Randall Stock, November 1, 2019 (History)
Sherlock Holmes is more popular than ever, which means there are lots of new books, movies, and Sherlockiana. The reviews and recommendations below can help you focus on the best ones from 2019. If you're just getting started with Holmes, see the Top 10 Choices for New Fans. This site also reviews newer Sherlockian items to consider.
New in 2019: Top Holmes Items
| Category | # of Items |
|---|---|
| 2019 Holmes Fiction | 6 |
| 2019 Holmes DVDs, Movies, and Related | 4 |
| 2019 Books About Holmes & Conan Doyle | 5 |
Newer Recommended Sherlockiana and the Best Holmes books, DVDs, & Blu-Ray from other years
Best 2019 Sherlock Holmes Books – Fiction
The year's best fictional Holmes books published in 2019. Listed in order by author, see also About the Choices and E-books.
Prices as of November 2019; subject to change.
A Scandal in Scarlet by Vicki Delany
Gemma Doyle runs the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop in Cape Cod, but her real passion is solving mysteries. A fire leads to a murder at Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room, and then to a case with many potential suspects. The fourth in a series of "cozy" mysteries with a clearly feminine perspective, it includes some nice deductions and elicits the occasional chuckle. While the solution is a bit thin, it remains a relaxing and pleasurable read with interesting characters. The series began with Elementary, She Read, but you can enjoy the latest book without reading the others, and A Scandal in Scarlet is the best so far. ($26.99 SRP; Amazon US listing $18.48)
The Vanishing Man by Charles Finch
A stolen painting, a priceless treasure, and a death in a Duke's study provide amateur detective Charles Lenox with a challenging case in Victorian London. You can read this prequel to a long-running series on its own, though I suggest starting with The Woman in the Water. While these are not Holmes stories, they are first-rate Victorian era mysteries with a strong sense of the period and well-drawn characters. Having never read any of the Lenox books previously, I now look forward to getting the rest of the series. ($26.99 SRP; Amazon US listing $14.69)
The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall
Consulting sorceress Shaharazad Haas and her loyal housemate
John Wyndham take on a case of blackmail that crosses alternate realities.
This mix of fantasy, parody, pastiche, and "meta" offers plenty of
adventure and humor, while riffing on Holmes, Lovecraft, Dracula, Treasure
Island, and more. At times the parody and some random LGBTQ elements seem
a bit forced. For a more direct Sherlockian parody, try Warlock Holmes. But if you want
wide-ranging fantasy and humor with a touch of the Holmes stories, Hall's book
offers lots of fun.
($16.00 SRP; Amazon US listing $10.59)
The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz
A celebrity divorce lawyer is killed with a £2,000 bottle of
wine, and private investigator Daniel Hawthorne investigates with the help of
his sidekick Tony Horowitz. By making himself a character in this murder
mystery, Horowitz includes semi-biographical observations on writing, his BBC
series Foyle's War, his
Holmes pastiche The House of
Silk, and his Sherlockian spinoff Moriarty. He also has the
Holmes stories play a role in the case. Horowitz delivers another winner with
this inventive and entertaining mystery puzzle.
($27.99 SRP; Amazon US listing $19.69)
The Red Ribbon by H.B. Lyle
This sequel to the excellent The Irregular features Wiggins, the former head of Holmes's band of street-urchin assistants, as a reluctant agent for the British Secret Service in 1910. Lyle blends together real people and events with gritty details and street slang that bring the era and characters to life. Sherlockians will enjoy Wiggins's deductions and tradecraft, although Holmes appears only briefly. Read The Irregular first, as it's a bit stronger and establishes the characters. ($15.99 SRP; Amazon US listing $15.99)
The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols by Nicholas Meyer
Mycroft Holmes asks his brother to investigate a provocative manuscript that could incite ethnic cleansing. Set in 1905, the story involves the tragic real-world history of "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion." It has more history than mystery, but Sherlock makes some good deductions and the Holmes-Watson relationship is nicely done. Although Meyer's four Holmes novels share a certain style, they each take a very different approach to Holmes. Newcomers to his work should start with The Seven-Per-Cent Solution. You can read the Peculiar Protocols as a Holmes adventure, but its underlying message serves as a warning about the threats from today's social media and fake news. ($25.99 SRP; Amazon US listing $23.39)
See also the current Year's Best Holmes fiction and the Best Holmes fiction from other years for more excellent choices.
Or search just this website using Google for other reviews of authors or book titles:
Best 2019 Sherlock Holmes DVDs, Blu-ray Movies, and Related
The year's best DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, videos, movie-related and audio items released in 2019. See also About the Choices.
Prices as of November 2019; subject to change.
Elementary: The Final Season Starring Jonny Lee Miller (DVD)
The final season of Elementary provides a strong
conclusion to an excellent series. It features the usual twisty plots and fine
acting of prior seasons, and brings back some old favorites. Ophelia Lovibond makes
a cameo as Kitty Winter,
Ally Ioannides returns as Cassie from season 4, and John Noble once
again shines as Sherlock's
father. The main story arc involves Odin Reichenbach, a seemingly
unstoppable tech mogul trying to prevent crime regardless of the collateral
damage. Sherlockians will find numerous allusions to the Canonical tales, with
the best and most substantial reference involving "The Devil's
Foot." The season feels a bit rushed at 13 episodes versus the usual 20+,
but the writers and actors maintain the quality of prior years. With optional
subtitles and about 35 minutes of extras, including two good featurettes. See
the Complete Series if you don't already
have all the prior seasons.
($37.99 SRP; Amazon US listing $36.27)
Elementary: The Complete Series Starring Jonny Lee Miller (DVD)
With its consistently excellent writing and first-rate
performances, Elementary stands far above the typical TV show. Its mix of
strong character development with superior puzzles and twisty plots makes it a
pleasure to watch. I have all the individual seasons and so have not examined the
actual Complete Series box set myself, but PR for CBS confirmed some key
points. The Complete Series includes all 154 episodes on 39 DVDs, plus one
more disc of extras that was previously available only at Target as a bonus
disc with Season 1. The set has no new content, but it comes with all the
special features released with the individual seasons. Its overall box holds a
case with Seasons 1-3 and another with Seasons 4-7. Elementary gets
even better on a second or third viewing, and is highly recommended.
($74.99
SRP; Amazon US listing $70.65)
A Study in Terror Starring John Neville (Blu-ray)
Holmes takes on Jack the Ripper in a 1965 British film that is rarely seen today. A great concept, a mostly-good cast, and a few excellent deductions get offset by some unnecessary scenes and a contrived ending. Overall it's an uneven film, but worth watching once. For the best movie version of Holmes versus the Ripper, see Murder by Decree. And booklovers should not miss Dust and Shadow. I learned of the Blu-ray for A Study in Terror after finishing my 2018 recommendations, so I'm listing it now. The Blu-ray provides a crisp and colorful picture and clear (mono) sound. It includes optional subtitles but no other extras. ($14.98 SRP; Amazon US listing $8.99)
Der Hund von Baskerville Starring Carlyle Blackwell (DVD / Blu-ray)
American audiences never saw the last silent film featuring Holmes, a lavish 1929 German production long thought to be lost. Like Gillette's Sherlock Holmes, a copy was discovered in Europe, restored, and finally shown in 2018 with a 2019 DVD/Blu-ray release. While not as strong as Rathbone's Hound, the camera angles and framing add to a very atmospheric style that arguably makes this the best silent-movie Hound adaptation. The restored film looks good, and two bonus featurettes about the film are excellent. The Blu-ray also includes an additional silent Hound from 1914. Unless you're a film purist, Americans will best enjoy the movie by choosing the viewing option of "English Intertitles without subtitles." ($39.95 SRP; Amazon US listing $32.49 Blu-ray Combo)
Fair Warning / Better Options
Holmes & Watson Starring Will Ferrell (DVD / Blu-ray)
This movie is listed here as a warning rather than a
recommendation. Critics and the public both panned Holmes & Watson,
with some calling it the worst film of the year. With expectations set to
rock-bottom, I finally watched the DVD and found the movie to be lazy and lame,
although not completely terrible. A few spoofs of the Robert Downey movies are
mildly amusing, and with the right script, Ralph Fiennes would be an excellent
Professor Moriarty. For a decent Holmes farce, watch Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother.
But for a great Holmes comedy that is also wonderfully entertaining, you must
see Without a Clue (also on this triple-play
value disc).
($19.99 SRP; Amazon US listing
$12.77 DVD, Blu-ray $14.99)
See also the current Year's Best Holmes DVDs & movies and the Best Holmes movies from other years for more excellent choices.
Or search just this website using Google for other reviews of movie/TV material:
Best 2019 Books About Holmes & Conan Doyle
The year's best books about Holmes or Conan Doyle published in 2019. Listed in order by author, see also About the Choices and E-books.
Prices as of November 2019; subject to change.
Arthur Conan Doyle's Art of Fiction by Nils Clausson
Clausson analyzes a range of Conan Doyle's work using classic literary criticism. Rather than twist the stories to make a cultural or political point, Clausson treats them without prejudice. He finds many examples, including Holmes tales, that should be considered "Literature" and not merely popular or genre fiction. While it avoids most jargon, this is an academic view of Doyle's writing and may appeal more to scholars than to casual Sherlockians. It is an expensive book even in the 2019 paperback edition, and as of 11/1/19, Amazon US is selling it at some screwy markup. (£52.99 SRP; Amazon US listing $109.95)
John Dickson Carr by Douglas G. Greene
Often called the master of the locked-room mystery, John Dickson Carr also wrote an absorbing biography of Conan Doyle as well as number of Holmes pastiches. Greene's excellent biography of Carr is both highly readable and superbly sourced. Sherlockians will particularly enjoy the chapters involving Conan Doyle and his son Adrian. Long out of print, Greene's bio is newly available as an e-book. That should be fine for casual reading, though scholars may prefer to get a used hardcover, as the e-book reportedly has some text recognition errors in the endnotes and appendices. ($8.99 e-book SRP; Amazon US listing $8.99)
Deadly Harpoon by Glen Miranker (ed.)
Conan Doyle served as the doctor on an Arctic whaling ship, and that experience informed his writing of "The Adventure of Black Peter." This volume reproduces his original manuscript with a transcription and detailed annotations, along with the history of its writing and ownership. Accompanying essays expand on topics related to the story, including the whaling industry, sailors and rum, and the Canadian Pacific Railway. ($39.95 SRP; not on Amazon; see BSI website)
The Ardlamont Mystery by Daniel Smith
Conan Doyle based Sherlock Holmes primarily on Dr. Joe Bell, a surgeon with a flair for deduction. Bell consulted on the 1893 death of Cecil Hambrough at the Ardlamont Estate. Daniel Smith delves into the shady characters and multiple schemes that made this a famous case in Scotland. While an interesting bit of history, very little of the book deals with Conan Doyle or Holmes, and Smith errs in some Sherlockian references. Last year's book about the Oscar Slater case is stronger, but fans of true-crime or the Victorian era should enjoy this popular history of the Ardlamont case. ($24.95 SRP; Amazon US listing $7.99)
Beeton's Christmas Annual 1887 (facsimile)
You can get many different editions of A Study in Scarlet, but the very first version appeared in Beeton's Christmas Annual for 1887. An original Beeton's 1887 sold for more than $150,000, and even Beeton's 1887 facsimiles have become expensive and hard to find. Fortunately a new facsimile published in November 2018 is affordable and available. See my full Beeton's 1887 facsimile review of this new edition.
See also the current Year's Best Books About Holmes & Doyle and the Best Books About Holmes & Doyle from other years for more fine choices.
Or search just this website using Google for other reviews of authors or book titles:
This site first published its "Best of Year" reviews and recommendations in 2009. See the current Year's Best Sherlock Holmes books and movies and the Other Years' Best Sherlock Holmes books and DVDs. People just getting started with Holmes should see the best choices for new Sherlockians.
This page's 2019 list was first posted on November 1, 2019. New information on three items was added on December 23, 2019
About Kindle and Other E-books
A Kindle version of most of these books is available, but I don't list the e-book or its price unless it's hard to find on Amazon. Typically the Kindle Edition will be listed in the Formats box to the right of a book's cover photo.
When a book is available in both print and e-text, I review the print edition.
Return to Holmes Fiction or to Books About Holmes & Doyle.
My choices are based on 30+ years of reading and collecting Sherlockiana. I'm a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, have written numerous Sherlockian articles, and have spoken about Conan Doyle rarities for conferences at Harvard and the University of Minnesota.
I limited the number of items in order to make this list easier and faster for people to use. Items released near the end of 2019 may not be on this list, so be sure to check my 2020 recommendations as well. And see these details on my selection process and criteria.
In most cases I've given both the U.S. suggested retail price (SRP) and the price at Amazon as of November 2019; those prices are of course subject to change.
The 10 Best Gifts for New Sherlock Holmes Fans
The Current Year's Best Sherlock Holmes books and DVDs / Blu-ray
Best Sherlock Holmes books and DVDs / Blu-ray from prior years
The 10 Best Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes Movies and DVDs
The Best Sherlock Holmes Stories
The Top 10 Quotes from the Sherlock Holmes stories
Other Top 10 Lists for Sherlock Holmes and Conan Doyle
Vers. 2.1bx-RN Original work
Copyright ©2019
Randall Stock. All Rights Reserved.