Anthony Read (1935–2015)

A gripping account of the rise and fall of a group of ambitious men who hitched themselves heart and soul to Hitler's star, rose to unimaginable heights, and then paid a terrible price. It shows that these grandiose figures who exercised life and death over millions almost all came from very humble backgrounds, and had Hitler never been born, probably would have lived out their lives in petty ignominy. The exception being Goering, who was of aristocratic stock, was a brave and decorated show more airman during WWI, and it seems to be implied, had the wherewithal and gifts to have made something of himself. That he didnt, that he surrendered to Hitler's siren song, and ended up in the court in Nuremberg as an overweight, drug-addicted, serial self-justifier accused of unspeakable crimes comes across as one of the great tragedies of the book. The others are shown for what they are, petty, scheming, untrustworthy, continually trying to pull each other down, and no sympathy is extended to them. A great read, recommended for anyone who really wants to know how the Nazi inner sanctum operated. show less

I read all of the Baker Street Boys books a couple of years ago but I was excited to find them in ebook at my local library. Although I am a little disappointed I can't find them on Amazon but anyway. So I'm rereading and they're just as great as I remember.

They're lighthearted sweet little mysteries filled with great characters and interesting plots. Wiggins and the gang are hilarious - from Wiggins imitation of Holmes, Gertie's insistence of being one of the boys, Queenie's obsession with show more the Queen, Shiner's love of trains, Sparrow's love of theatre, Rosie's super nose and Beaver's desire to be the Watson to Wiggin's Holmes. All of the gang actively contribute to the investigations and help to solve the mysteries and it's nice to see each member play a role and demonstrate their own expertise. Not everyone is good at everything - but they're all good at something.

The last book of the series starts off with this quote;
"I wish all Holmesian pastiche could be as honest, as knowledgeable, as enthusiastic and as well written - in short, as good - as these children's books."
The Sherlock Holmes Society of London

And I think that really sums up the series perfectly. I'm sad that this is the last book of the series - hopefully one day, Anthony Read may write more. I will certainly read them if he does. As the last book I would've liked to see more of all of the boys rather than just Wiggins, Sparrow and Gertie. But it was an interesting mystery and I'm sad to be finished my reread. show less

The Baker Street Boys books are lighthearted mysteries filled with great characters and interesting plots. Wiggins and the gang are hilarious - from Wiggins imitation of Holmes, Gertie's insistence of being one of the boys, Queenie's obsession with the Queen, Shiner's love of trains, Sparrow's love of theatre, Rosie's super nose and Beaver's desire to be the Watson to Wiggin's Holmes. All of the gang actively contribute to the investigations and help to solve the mysteries and it's nice to show more see each member play a role and demonstrate their own expertise. Not everyone is good at everything - but they're all good at something.

Although the Baker Street Boys is based on Sherlock Holmes canon - Sherlock himself is not a main character. In fact, although he is talked about and referred to a lot, he only really makes appearances at the beginning and ending of the books - instead imparting wisdom off screen (or page in this case) and handing off missions and instructions to be carried out. Instead, Wiggins takes on the role of Sherlock with Beaver as his Watson and the rest of the gang as backup.

#1: THE CASE OF THE DISAPPEARING DETECTIVE

In the Case of the Disappearing Detective, the Baker Street Boys (even though three of the seven boys are girls) are on surveillance. But the case goes awry when they find Sherlock has gone missing while checking out the information they found. The only clues they have is a trail of matchsticks, a padlocked door in an alley and the appearance of the 'Napoleon of Crime' - Professor James Moriarty. They continue to investigate and find not only has Sherlock been kidnapped but it looks like his kidnappers are planning to blow up the Queen at the opening of a new railway station. It takes all their combined smarts and cunning to foil the plot and save the day.

I really enjoyed the first book of the series. The mystery was well plotted and even managed a twist I didn't see coming. It was well written and was quite amusing and it had lots of action to keep it fast paced. 4 stars. show less

I read all of the Baker Street Boys books a couple of years ago but I was excited to find them in ebook at my local library. Although I am a little disappointed I can't find them on Amazon but anyway. So I'm rereading and they're just as great as I remember.

They're lighthearted sweet little mysteries filled with great characters and interesting plots. Wiggins and the gang are hilarious - from Wiggins imitation of Holmes, Gertie's insistence of being one of the boys, Queenie's obsession with show more the Queen, Shiner's love of trains, Sparrow's love of theatre, Rosie's super nose and Beaver's desire to be the Watson to Wiggin's Holmes. All of the gang actively contribute to the investigations and help to solve the mysteries and it's nice to see each member play a role and demonstrate their own expertise. Not everyone is good at everything - but they're all good at something.

I can't wait to get started on the next one. show less