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Linda Stratmann
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Sherlock Holmes and the Rosetta Stone Mystery (The Early Casebook of Sherlock Holmes 1) Kindle Edition

by Linda Stratmann (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 656 ratings
Sherlock Holmes’ earliest case has been uncovered! Perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle, Anthony Horowitz and classic crime fiction.

Before Dr Watson, there was Mr Stamford…

London, 1876

Mr Stamford meets Sherlock Holmes while studying at St Bartholomew’s Medical College in London. With his intense stare and unorthodox methods of doing things, Holmes has already gained a reputation as an eccentric but brilliant man.

When suspected intruders are sighted at the British Museum, Holmes is called upon to give his opinion of what happened.

But before he can come to any conclusions, something horrifying happens – one of the great treasures of the world, the priceless Rosetta Stone, is stolen from the museum.

The thieves have left a note demanding a ransom. And if it is not fulfilled they threaten to cast the Stone into the ocean so it can never be found again.

With the police on the wrong track, it is down to Holmes to solve the complex case. And when the burglary case turns into a murder investigation, it becomes a race against time before more victims are killed.

SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE ROSETTA STONE MYSTERY is the first Victorian crime thriller in the Early Casebook of Sherlock Holmes series.

'The welcome return of London’s most famous detective! Linda Stratmann expertly channels the literary style of Conan Dole in bringing Sherlock Holmes back to life, his exploits seen through the eyes of a young medical student who becomes Holmes’s companion in his early days, before Dr Watson assumed journal duties. This time it’s the eerie disappearance of the fabled Rosetta Stone from the British Museum, and Holmes fans won’t be disappointed with this page-turning and faithful reawakening of their favourite sleuth.' – David Field, author of the Jack and Esther Enright Victorian Mystery series

‘Linda Stratmann is renowned for her knowledge of the Victorian period and this skill is apparent in the authenticity of the historical detail in this book. The plot is convincing as a Holmes’ mystery and the characterisation is excellent. The introduction of Stamford as an engaging new narrator is a brilliant innovation, which works better than contemporary attempts to replicate the narrative style of Doctor Watson. This mystery is the most authentic recreation of a Sherlock Holmes story that I have read. A fascinating read, which I recommend’ – Carol Westron for Mystery People

'Hats off, then, to Linda Stratmann for her rather wonderful Sherlock Holmes and the Rosetta Stone Mystery. The Sherlock Holmes she presents us with is a convincing representation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s and the style is remarkably similar.' - Tom Williams for Historia

THE EARLY CASEBOOK OF SHERLOCK HOLMES SERIES:
BOOK 1: Sherlock Holmes and the Rosetta Stone Mystery
BOOK 2:Sherlock Holmes and the Explorers' Club
BOOK 3:Sherlock Holmes and the Ebony Idol
BOOK 4: Sherlock Holmes and the Persian Slipper
BOOK 5: Sherlock Holmes and the Legend of the Great Auk
BOOK 6: Sherlock Holmes and the Duelling Dukes
BOOK 7: Sherlock Holmes and the Mycroft Incident
BOOK 8: Sherlock Holmes and the Cabinet of Wonders
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  1. Book 1 of 9
    The Early Casebook of Sherlock Holmes
  2. Print length
    237 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    October 26, 2021
  6. File size
    2.3 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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There are 9 books in this series.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

British audiobook narrator and AudioFile Earphones Award winner Nigel Patterson has many credits as a stage, screen, and voice-over actor that influence his powerful characterization across a broad range of genres. AudioFile commented "his keen ear and impeccable diction give insights into the prevailing attitudes of the period . . . his wholly credible characters stay with you long after you unplug." A graduate linguist of the University of Oxford, he is fluent in French and Spanish, has lived and worked in the U.S. for fifteen years, and knows many different accents and dialects from around the world.

Linda Stratmann is a British historical mystery writer with a decent list of fiction and non-fiction writings to her name. Even though Stratmann started writing after a long career in the civil service, her love for writing started from an early age. When not writing, you'll find Stratmann spending time in the library and archives or giving talks about her next books.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09B79Z2MP
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sapere Books
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 26, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.3 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 237 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1800553880
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 9 ‏ : ‎ The Early Casebook of Sherlock Holmes
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 656 ratings

About the author

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Linda Stratmann

Linda Stratmann

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Linda was born in Leicester in 1948 and first started scribbling stories and poems at the age of six. She became interested in true crime when watching Edgar Lustgarten on TV in the 1950s. Linda attended Wyggeston Girls Grammar School, trained to be a chemists dispenser, and later studied at Newcastle University where she obtained a first in Psychology. She then spent 27 years in the civil service before leaving to devote her time to writing. Linda loves spending time in libraries and archives and really enjoys giving talks on her subject. Visit linda at her website www.lindastratmann.com

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
656 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's plot engaging, with one mentioning it kept them interested until the end. The writing quality receives positive feedback, with customers describing it as very well written.

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Plot developmentWriting quality
5 customers mention "Plot development"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the plot development of the book, with one mentioning it draws readers in and another noting it keeps them interested until the end.

"...Great beginning of the series. I’m looking forward to reading more." Read more

"...This is a very well written piece. It kept me interested until the end. Highly recommended!" Read more

"The plot carried me along. I kind of saw through the villain, but who cares?..." Read more

"An intricate plot, be sure to keep the players straight in your mind as you read. Hmm, three more words required. There they are." Read more

4 customers mention "Writing quality"4 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book.

"...This was my first read from this author. She did a wonderful job writing this story...." Read more

"Well written Holmes story that was nicely accentuated by the casting of a medical student , the one who originally introduced Watson and Holmes...." Read more

"...a tad lacking and the resolution somewhat predictable, but the writing was very good and, as a prequel to Conan Doyle’s character, Holmes was very..." Read more

"...I’ve read a lot of Holmes. This is a very well written piece. It kept me interested until the end. Highly recommended!" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Abbigail Holmes
    5.0 out of 5 stars Not An Ordinary Theft
    Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2025
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Two of my favorites in one story: my favorite character and my favorite historical period — Sherlock Holmes and Ancient Egypt, and a perfect combination to glue me to the couch with tea in one hand and book in the other.
    This is not my first book about young Sherlock, and after reading the previous one, I was a bit worried how this one would turn up. As it happens, I shouldn’t worry at all. The beginning is great, and the story simply draws you in. The moment I started reading, I could imagine poor Stamford trying to decipher his colleague student Sherlock Holmes, while being caught in a case of the missing Rosetta Stone.
    Just like older Holmes and Watson make a perfect team because of their different personalities, the same goes for young Holmes and Stamford.
    Great beginning of the series. I’m looking forward to reading more.
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  • Christa
    4.0 out of 5 stars I really enjoyed that
    Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2025
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I really enjoyed that! I think I'll read the rest of them. And it's kinda nice seeing Stamford in a different light.

    Christa
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  • Juli
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very good
    Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Very good, I enjoyed it.

    Fellow student Stamford as the narrator and involved in Holme's detective activities was well done. The personality of Holmes when younger was also appropriate (more realistically appropriate than other versions of young Holmes I have read). Altogether well done.
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  • Chrys
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
    Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I've always been a fan of Sherlock Holmes since I was a child. Everything that was ever written I've followed. This was my first read from this author. She did a wonderful job writing this story. I'm looking forward to reading the entire series of the early casebook.
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  • Jalex
    4.0 out of 5 stars worthy of canon
    Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Well written Holmes story that was nicely accentuated by the casting of a medical student , the one who originally introduced Watson and Holmes. This new character did his job well and bowed to the inestimable Dr Watson , so he is quite acceptable. He has his own strengths and weaknesses and was a worthy foil for Holmes
    One person found this helpful
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  • Erik Deckers
    5.0 out of 5 stars Stamford is so smart!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I am a big Holmes fan and was very pkeased to stumble on this series. I was also struck by how smart Stamford is and how he was able to keep up with Holmes (moreso than Watson). I realize that's artistic license on the author's part, but I still liked him for it.
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well researched and nicely paced
    Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    The character development was a tad lacking and the resolution somewhat predictable, but the writing was very good and, as a prequel to Conan Doyle’s character, Holmes was very well crafted. The spark of using as narrator the student who introduced Holmes to Watson is frankly inspired.
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  • Jerri
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sherlock Holmes and the Rosetta Stone
    Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I received this book as an Arc from the author and I’m writing a review because I want to. I’ve read a lot of Holmes. This is a very well written piece. It kept me interested until the end. Highly recommended!
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Lea Kemper
    4.0 out of 5 stars Got lured by the cover, stuck for the story!
    Reviewed in Germany on September 30, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I like the concept of younger Holmes who is still allowed to learn and make little mistakes but he is already very confident and has his typicacl mannerisms which is great to see. I think the character was done pretty well. I also enjoyed Stamfords narrative a lot and his comparing himself to Watson - that's kind of cute and I like how he thinks of Holmes :)
    I noticed a typo or two while reading, no big deal though. I only found it a little hard to follow at the first explanations of how the stone got stolen but that all cleared up, too.
    Overall I enjoyed the read, I like the museum setting and the connections to ancient Egypt and I'll be checking out the next books in this series, too :)
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  • Kelvin Gosnell
    5.0 out of 5 stars A singular success - intriguing, engaging and most entertaining.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 21, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    If, like me, you are a great admirer of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Baker Street consulting detective, you've probably read the entire canon of stories at least four or five times. Desperate for something new, you turn to “Doyle-alike” authors and find some are passable and some are just downright wrong. Vampires? Steam punk? Irretrievably wrong.
    Ms Stratmann's work goes well beyond simply “passable”. I think her Holmes is one of the best, possibly the best. She starts her tales in 1876 when the young Holmes is a student at Bart's Hospital. Watson's role as chronicler of events is given to Mr , later Dr, Stamford – a fellow student at Bart's.
    Stamford's different style and approach bring a keen edge to events, as does the more impulsive, youthful Holmes. We also meet the ambitious young Sgt Lestrade and I'm sure that later stories will present a young Mycroft and others. She handles the characters really well - intriguing, engaging and perfectly in their time.
    Stratmann also has a marvellous, vivid sense of place. Victorian London really come alive. Moreover, it is all startlingly accurate. You can really imagine yourself in the sometime elegant, sometime decaying streets of the Victorian capital.
    So, if you do want some more Holmes which is faithful to, and as engaging as, Sir Arthur's creation, read this book. It is simply excellent. I've already read the second in the series (."..the Explorer's Club)" and it is just as good. Now eagerly awaiting the third ("...Ebony Idol").
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  • Janniemci
    4.0 out of 5 stars Another look at Sherlock Holmes
    Reviewed in Australia on March 30, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Well written, interesting and exciting. Not quite Conan Doyle but very close.
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  • Kilbaddy
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Young Student Holmes Hones his Skills against Police Intransigence
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 4, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This intriguing mystery is a slow burner, partly because the prologue is used to explain the relationship between Holmes as a twenty two year old chemistry and anatomy student working at Barts and this narrator, A Stamford, also a student but of medicine and the precursor of Conon Doyle’s Dr Watson. Do stick with the book, however, as it becomes fascinating both in its plotting and its historical detail as Holmes uses his fast developing detection skills to delve into the disappearance of the Rosetta Stone. This has been stolen unobserved from the British Museum within a 20 minute gap late one spring afternoon in 1876, no mean feat.

    This author has certainly mastered the atmosphere and attitudes which drive Victorian life; the mind sets and motivations around criminal activities become clear in her descriptions of places and small historical events and especially the characters she has brought to life with occasionally painful reality as the drama unfolds. Lestrade appears as an underling to a particularly blinkered and opinionated Inspector, which creates an interesting dynamic between Holmes and Lestrade, especially for readers familiar with Conon Doyle’s tales. No spoilers allowed, but at this early stage in his self selected career Holmes heads up a few blind alleys, entertaining in their own right, but he looks on these blunders as learning experiences, every step and stumble adding to the bank of knowledge that he is building up for future use, and for the moment the errors are tempering his monumental self assurance.

    One small quibble is that Stamford claims to be writing this story as an old man in 1924 but the language in which the mystery is written is that of the Victorian age, more appropriate for a contemporary telling – and ideal for the telling of this tale - but it is not quite right coming from someone talking fifty years after the event by which time the English language has changed considerably. A scholar might have retained much of the Victorian cadences but Stamford is a doctor and would have been working all his life among people of all classes on a daily basis and his speech would surely have reflected that.

    To compensate, the author has added excellent notes to explain how and where she did her research, including, for those with Internet, links to very informative websites. Overall this book is well worth reading with many twists in the plot and interesting observations on Holmes’s development as a young ambitious maverick who does not quite fit in, but who nevertheless catches people’s attention.
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  • John Blenkinsop
    5.0 out of 5 stars No mere pastiche; this is the real deal.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 27, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    As many readers have, I too exhausted the canon works of Conan Doyle many years ago, and went in search of new tales of his greatest creation, Sherlock Holmes.
    There are so many around, these stories that borrow the characters of Holmes, Watson and Lestrade. Many jig them up with Lovecraftian monsters, vampires and so on; many fail to go beyond the aspects of the characters that they saw first in the many film adaptations. Some are very good, and a very few hit the nail right on the head.
    Linda Strattman's young Sherlock is just as insufferable as the mature man, just as cocksure, almost as brilliant - for he is learning his craft.
    Strattman puts far more detail into her books that Doyle - the people, the places, events, all rendered in the aura of their time, all woven into a tapestry that draws the reader into a Victorian world that Doyle knew intimately. And her detail does not overwhelm the story, but enhances our experience so that we sigh when it ends, and immediately seek the next in her wonderful series.
    Stamford, the precursor to Watson, knows his limits, and is sometimes in awe of his friend; but then, so would we all. Holmes in these books is impulsive, daring, full of youthful energy but working on the gravitas and authority he will wield in later life. They work very well together, although at times I feel annoyed by Stamford's timidity.
    I have read all five books, and will let this review stand for all. Read one, and you, too, will read them all - and seek out more of Linda Strattman's works.
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