And They Called Her Spider (A Bartleby and James Adventure) (edition 2011)

This is a nice, quick read and serves well as a (very short) introduction to the two protagonists, an engineer and a slightly flippant, well, whatever Bartleby is.

Of course, this is a short story at best and I would have wished it to be a bit longer but it's certainly entertaining even though it felt a bit like fast food - good but it leaves a tad bit to be desired and a slightly guilty pleasure.

I might buy a complete anthology of James and Bartleby but certainly not individual stories - there's just not enough substance to justify that if all stories are as short as this one. ( )

What a fun book. If you like detective stories, this is a great one. Set in Early 20th century. It's a great fast read. I really enjoyed the characters. ( )

Short detective story.
I really liked the story. It's a bit of a Sherlock Holmes meets steampunk kind of story, and I very much enjoyed reading it. I generally like detective stories and love Sherlock Holmes, so this really fit in with my tastes.
I also liked the steampunk element; it gives the story something special beyond just being a detective story. I personally like the way steampunk novels incorporate speculative science with a more historical setting and thought it was well done in this story.
I'd definitely be interested in reading more stories about Bartleby and James. ( )

I received this one free for review from Library Thing.

Fancy a bit of steampunk? I've got a recommendation for you! Bartleby and James, the narrator, investigate all kinds of mysteries in an alternate Victorian England. It's supposed to be for children, and they would enjoy it for sure, but I think that's mostly because it includes some great illustrations. I really loved this book. ( )

Okay, first of all, that's a bizarre cover. It's adorable – and has so little to do with the at times elegant and at times fey story that I keep being shocked every time I see it.

There's a killer on the loose in the Steampunk 19th century London of the story. She (yes, she!) "comes out of nowhere, a flash of red and black fabric, powdered white face, the tinkling of bells, drawing near in that sinuous way she has, mesmerizing and captivating even those with the presence of mind to recognize her as a threat." And then she kills. She's terrifying and fascinating, and … well, "Bartleby was smitten." As the Queen's Jubilee celebration approaches, the detective partners Bartleby and James are commissioned to go find the harlequin killer; if Bartleby's motives are a bit different from James's, well, he still wants to find her.

They use Holmesian logic and deduction and then a bit of slogging to locate the killer, and that's only the beginning – they have a twisted genius to deal with.

The steampunk elements were very nicely integrated into the world – everything worked well here. I like these chaps, and I will be reading more Bartleby and James. ( )