One Must Tell the Bees: Abraham Lincoln and the Final Education of Sherloc Paperback – Import, 22 May 2021

I have just finished reading One Must Tell the Bees, and must say, it’s a great book. Growing up I had never read any of Conan Doyle’s stories about Sherlock Holmes and his Dr. Watson. That aside, I grew to love the irascible but delightful man through your novel. The Abraham Lincoln thread hooked me. It’s wonderful how writers can place a minor character in Big World events. I remember watching a show about Lincoln’s last hours, a discovery station of some kind searching for provenance about the facts and theories about that last day. I also remember watching a movie (years ago) about Dr. Mudd. I think the director wanted to present him as an innocent, sympathetic character.What I particularly enjoyed about One Must Tell the Bees was your sussing out themes that speak to us today: the concern for bees and their important role in the food chain on our planet, threatening our very existence, the worries that by erasing our past, eventually we lose our compass as to the future as well as understanding how we got to where we are, the fears that Western nations/democracies will do to Russia the same as to Germany in 1945-46, given that our nations and peoples are far more globally connected both in the realm of communication and economics in 2023 than in either of the times on your novel, the consequences of which could be catastrophic, that humanity always trumps suspicion and intolerance.

One Must Tell the Bees is a wonderful story spun from combining historical fiction of Abraham Lincoln and the end of the Civil War, with the fictional history of Sherlock Holmes. Impeccably researched and so, so credible – it’s similar to the recent book, Great Circle, by Maggie Shipstead, in that after finishing it, I wondered if the story actually did take place. The book is one of the best books I have ever read.I do not possess an overwhelming knowledge of the Civil War or the moment by moment events of 1865, and I know even less about Sherlock Holmes, but, I found the book engrossing and tremendously entertaining. How and why the young British Holmes comes to the US and gets involved with the young nation at war is quite clever. How the story is woven into other facets of Holmes’ storied lifetime crime-solving career is remarkable. Within it all there’s a murder mystery to be solved, a political assassin to hunt down, and other crimes to be investigated, with plot twists and surprises to keep the reader from putting the book down. I thoroughly enjoyed it.I must add, there are interesting circumstances and occurrences that remind one of some of the social and political happenings of today – some intentional, others somewhat coincidental – it all adds more intrigue to the story and its relevancy, and gives the reader more than the great story to think about, after the last page is read.Lastly, the title: One Must Tell The Bees, the title, is one of the most clever titles I have come across in memory. The book is worth reading just to understand that. There’s irony there, deep meaning, invoking in those inclined to a separate discussion on its own. This book is highly recommended. Get the book and save it for a time when you want to be highly entertained on a continuous level that few books attain.

This is one of the best books I have read in years. It is a literary masterpiece of historical fiction. It is eloquently written with both historical and spiritual components to it as well as a bit of suspense in the language of the time it is set in. It is the story of the life of Sherlock Holmes from his childhood as Jonnie Holmes traveling to the United States in the last year of the Civil war to his retirement in England tending bees. The narrator is Dr. Watson which lends a personal touch because of the very close relationship they had and his empathy and understanding of Sherlock’s complicated personality. It is faced pace and I had to stay focused throughout so as not to miss anything. The ending is poignant but written with sensitivity and caring. For the fans of Sherlock, this book is a must read and one that I know I will return to from time to time.

Even though this book is more than 500 pages, I didn't want it to end. I read it slowly, savoring each word. I am admittedly a Holmes aficionado so I'm not sure that someone who's not familiar with the Sherlockian world would share my enthusiasm, but I found the imagined early life of "Johnnie" Holmes fascinating and plausible, and explained, for example, Holmes' affinity for the unsavory side of London as well as how he acquired his unique talents involving puglisim, disguise, mimicry and so on. I even enjoyed the author's refreshing views on Civil War America, and his wise admonition to "first understand our history befor attempting to alter or erase it." I was sad when the book ended, bringing Holmes' life to an unexpected end, but I am looking forward to reading the book's sequel that will focus on those "lost" years when Holmes was presumed dead after grappling with Moriarity at the Reichenbach Falls.

Loved the history and fiction combined