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Sherlock Holmes & The Morphine Gambit

By Jason Cooke

ISBN : 978 1 901091 35 9

It is February, 1912 and Sherlock Holmes is called out of retirement by brother Mycroft, acting on behalf of the British Government, to investigate a break-in at the Norfolk home of a wealthy German financier. Holmes is soon at work dismantling a German spy ring, but the investigation becomes clouded by his suspicions concerning Mycroft’s pivotal role in events.

What agenda is Mycroft pursuing? What is the truth behind the loss of the fishing vessels the Misty Jane and the Yarmouth Adventuress in the North Sea? And why is the Royal Navy seemingly operating incognito along the Norfolk coast? Before long a number of disparate events crystallise to reveal a dangerous conspiracy.

As the story unfolds against the background of an International Opium Conference, Holmes and Watson find themselves embroiled in espionage and arms-smuggling in the tense period leading up to the First World War.

Jason Cooke received a Masters Degree in Modern History from the University of Birmingham and is a keen student of the works of Conan Doyle. Following this he spent five years living and working along the North Norfolk coast, where the bulk of this adventure is set. He now lives with his wife and three daughters in Kent and works in London.

Reviews for this publication

'Book Worm' reviewing (5 Star Rating) on Amazon writes ...

I picked this up not quite knowing what to expect. Cooke does a really good job of capturing the essence of the characters and the period in a way that was straightforward and easy to understand for a modern reader unfamiliar with Britain at the start of the twentieth century.

The plots great - starts off slow and accelerates at a cracking pace that draws you in but without sacrificing any of the Conan Doyle "feel".

My only quibble was that it ended at the point at which I was totally hooked - there's got to be a sequel in there somewhere without the need to compromise any of the excellent plot lines.

M Phelps reviewing (5 Star Rating) on Amazon writes ...

Sherlock Holmes and the Morphine Gambit is not just another book about Sir Arthur Conan Dyole's famous creation. There is mystery here, suspense, espionage and a dark villian whose motivations remain cloaked in secret. Sherlock Holmes must not only rely on his deductive skills and his attention to detail to win out over the Morphine Gambit. All Sherlock Holmes fans should have this book.

Roger Johnson, Editor of The Sherlock Holmes Journal writes ...

There are echoes of ‘His Last Bow’ in Sherlock Holmes & the Morphine Gambit by Jason Cooke. In February 1912 Mycroft Holmes calls on his brother to investigate a burglary at a house on the Norfolk coast, belonging to a German-born businessman and philanthropist, Sir Edward Muster. Relations between Britain and Germany are strained after the previous month’s International Opium Convention, at which the Germans urged a ban on the opium trade (which would damage the British economy) and the British demanded a ban on the cocaine trade (which would damage the German economy). The novel is inspired by the story of the Rt Hon Sir Edgar Speyer, who fell victim to anti-German hysteria when war broke out. The Morphine Gambit is an exciting story, adequately well-written, though there are a few disconcertingly anachronistic phrases, such as ‘safe house’ and ‘real ale’, and Mr Cooke apparently thinks that the First Lord of the Admiralty is the same as the First Sea Lord. Not so. In February 1912 Winston Churchill, MP held the former post, and Admiral Sir Francis