The Return of the Pharaoh

Nicholas Meyer spent his Covit-19 lockdown writing a new mystery featuring Sherlock Holmes and John H. Watson, M.D. The Return of the Pharaoh takes us to Egypt and the search for unfound tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Holmes is contacted by the wife of one of the many neophytes with Egyptian mania who hoped to discover an unopened tomb and its gold, but who has gone missing.

Watson’s second wife is battling tuberculosis and her physician has suggested he take her to a sanitarium in a dry climate– like Egypt. They see each other at meal times, but otherwise Watson must entertain himself. So, when Holmes shows up undercover on a case, it doesn’t take much to convince him to join in. The problem is that Watson has promised his wife show more Julia that he would not succumb again to his addiction to Holmes and his cases!

It is 1910 and Holmes’s hair is now silver and Watson’s bad leg plagues him, but the intrepid duo are game. They find themselves in dire straights, caught in a sand storm, and later buried alive. We meet an exotic dancer and spy, travel to the Pyramids of Giza by camel, and board a posh train.

I was excited to meet Howard Carter in the book. Egyptology, Tut’s tomb, the Valley of the Kings, Akhenaton, Queen Nefertiti–they have fascinated me since I was a teen. For those who are have not suffered from Egyptian mania, the history of the Tuthmose dynasty and Egyptology is worked into the story.

It’s a fun romp, a nostalgic revisiting of beloved literary characters, and a great read for those of us suffering from pandemic fatigue and needing a few hours to escape.

Meyer has been entertaining us with new Holmes/Watson stories since 1974 and The Seven-Per-Cent Solution.

I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased show less

Did something today I've always sworn I'd never do, which is to say I read a piece of fiction longer than just a couple pages on my computer screen. However, I have no regrets (my lower back may develop other ideas), as it meant I got to spend the day in the company of Nicholas Meyer's always entertaining iterations of Holmes and Watson on a straight-up adventure tale - THE RETURN OF THE PHARAOH - set in 1911 Egypt.

When Watson takes his ailing wife to Cairo in an effort to combat her consumption, and heads to the legendary Shepheard's Hotel for a drink, he encounters, of all people, a disguised Sherlock Holmes on the trail of a missing duke who may, or may not, have a lead on the location of an undisturbed tomb in the Valley of the show more Kings. So he falls-in alongside his old companion on a quest that will involve Howard Carter, a belly dancer of dubious distinction, the Duke's Brazilian wife and curious brother, and, of course, the mummy of a pharaoh.

While probably the least complicated of Nick's Holmes tales to date, it's one hell of a fun romp and a fast-paced page turner, and with his distinctive take on Holmes (he reminds me of Wilmer's Holmes more than any other) and Watson coupled with his uncluttered cinematic writing style, it's a joy from start to finish. Easily one of the top Sherlock Holmes books to be released this year. show less

Nicholas Meyer's "The Return of the Pharaoh" takes place in 1910-1911. Dr. John Watson, who did well financially from his published accounts of Sherlock Holmes's exploits, sails from London to Egypt with his wife, Juliet. Upon arrival, she checks into the Al-Wadi sanitarium, where she will be treated for tuberculosis. Over a month later, Watson is touring Cairo when he unexpectedly runs into Holmes, who is in disguise and traveling under an assumed name. Soon, the two team up to locate Michael, Duke of Uxbridge, who had shown an interest in excavating Egyptian tombs for the gold that might be hidden within. The duke's wife, Lizabetta, hired Holmes to find her husband, who vanished approximately three months earlier. She had previously show more appealed in vain to Scotland Yard and London's Foreign Office for assistance in finding Michael.

Holmes and Watson consult Egyptologist Howard Carter (who would later achieve worldwide fame for discovering King Tut's tomb). Along the way, an informant is murdered, Holmes and Watson take a harrowing train ride to Luxor, and both nearly lose their lives in a grisly manner. Meyer vividly describes the sights and sounds of Egypt, and he deftly incorporates the theme of stolen treasures into his narrative. Over many years, unscrupulous fortune-hunters have looted ancient Egyptian tombs of their precious artifacts.

"The Return of the Pharaoh" is not as exciting or intellectually stimulating as Meyer's earlier novels. The first half is particularly talky and slow-moving. Fortunately, when Holmes and Watson are close to reaching their goal, the plot picks up somewhat. One of the liveliest scenes takes place during a khamsin, a violent sandstorm, and the concluding confrontation pits Holmes and his associates against a band of merciless killers. Overall, however, this mundane mystery adds little of interest to the Holmes canon. show less

The Return of the Pharaoh - Meyer
Audio performance by David Robb
3 stars

I do still need to read The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, but I enjoyed Sherlock Holmes and the Telegram from Hell, another Holmes pastiche by this author. Unfortunately, I could never really connect with this story.

In 1910, Dr Watson and his second wife, Julia, decide to winter in Egypt on the advice of her doctor. She will receive treatment for her tuberculosis at a famous clinic while Watson plays the tourist. Inevitably, Watson encounters an undercover Holmes who is in Egypt searching for a missing nobleman.

There was so much of this story that felt awkwardly contrived. Watson’s attitude toward his wife and her condition was probably an attempt to display show more contemporary attitudes of the changing times, but it occupied too much of the narrative and slowed the action of the investigation. The story is set well before the discovery of Tut’s tomb although there was even at that time a growing interest in Egyptology. I found the apparent Holmesian disinterest in the subject annoying and not at all likely.

I enjoyed the introduction of Howard Carter as a character, but I could still feel the author’s pen too much to find his presence believable. The catastrophic sand storm/train wreck was exciting; the only part of the book that captured my complete attention. Truthfully, I never cared at all about the missing English nobleman and his quest for Egyptian gold.

The real problem I had with this book was that I was missing Amelia Peabody. I cued up my audiobook edition of The Crocodile on the Sandbank for a repeated listen as soon as Holmes had solved his case. show less

Dr. John Watson travels with his wife Juliet to a sanitarium in Egypt to treat her tuberculosis. While there, he bumps into a disguised Sherlock Holmes and thus is set on the path of a new mystery in The Return of the Pharaoh by Nicholas Meyer.

Holmes has been engaged by the wife of the Duke of Uxbridge to find her husband. The Duke is an avid Egyptologist and makes regular trips to Egypt in search of treasure. This trip, however, he’d come with a map that he believed would lead him to an undiscovered tomb and great wealth. Not only has the Duke gone missing, but it appears as if the very hotel room in which he had been staying has also disappeared! It is up to Holmes and Watson to follow the scant breadcrumbs and discover the show more whereabouts of the missing Duke.

Meyer packs the book with authentic details that make Egypt in 1910 come alive. From the political climate to behaviors, dress, and social mores. Watson is particularly torn between being there for his wife and following his own desire to trail and assist Holmes in a case that becomes more fascinating and perplexing by the day. As they learn of the deaths of other Egyptologists and are themselves attacked, Watson is further conflicted about how much to share with his wife.

The action really takes off in the latter part of the book, which includes a race against a sandstorm and an adventure in an underground tomb. Sherlock Holmes is such a distinctive character in his mannerisms, his habits, and most of all his observations and deductive reasoning. If the characters were not named in this story, I’m not sure it would be obvious that it was Holmes at work. The mystery is a little low-key and there are no great “ah-ha” moments that let you marvel at the intellect of the great detective.

The Return of the Pharoah is a fun adventure with a setting that feels authentic and some rousing action sequences.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher. show less

Nicholas Meyer is one of the most reliable writers of contemporary Sherlock Holmes novels. There are a great many such novels out there, and their quality is quite uneven. The Return of the Pharaoh takes Watson to Egypt, along with his wife who is suffering from TB and needs the warm, dry air. Of course, Watson runs into Holmes and the game's afoot. Holmes is looking for a nobleman, who is also an amateur Egyptologist, and who has disappeared after arriving in Egypt for his usual season's digging.

The Holmes-Watson relationship in Meyer's novels balances the affection and independence of the two men. Holmes is a bit warmer than he is in some of the other Holmes variations, but not too much so. The plot is reasonably puzzling, though not show more as complicated as Conan Doyle's best. The relationship between Watson and his wife is more articulated than in any of the Conan Doyle stories—and it's quite fun to see some of Watson's more outdated views of gender being questioned by his wife.

If you need a Holmes fix, this is a solid title to turn to. I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own. show less

Dr. John Watson hasn't seen his friend Sherlock Holmes for a while. He is surprised when he encounters him in Egypt. Watson is there with his wife who has tuberculosis and is staying at a local sanitarium. Holmes has a case involving a missing Duke who might have discovered a buried Egyptian treasure.

Holmes and Watson team up to search out clues and follow leads which take them from Cairo to the Valley of the Kings. Along the way they encounter Howard Carter who hasn't yet gone back to work with Lord Carnarvon or made his most famous discovery.

There is a lot of information about Egyptology and pharaohs which comes as new information to Watson who hadn't been interested in the topic previously. There is also a lot of politics in Egypt show more which is of interest to Mycroft Holmes who has given Sherlock some contacts. One of the characters might be a Turkish agent, or British, or French, or German, depending on which of her many passports is accurate - if any of them are.

I enjoyed the story which is narrated by Watson by prepared for publication by Nicholas Meyer. I even enjoyed the footnotes!

Fans of Sherlock Holmes will enjoy this new adventure which contains many of the hallmarks of Doyle's earlier Sherlock Holmes tales. show less