Author: J. Lawrence Matthews

Narrator: Thomas Judd

Length: 19 hours 13 minutes

Publisher: East Dean Press

Released: Oct. 1, 2021

Genre: Mystery

“What do you get when you cross Abraham Lincoln with Sherlock Holmes? The alchemy of creative genius. Matthews brings us to the intersection of history and fiction in this beautifully written epic full of unfathomable twists and turns. It’s elementary: this book is sensational.” (Jim Campbell, syndicated radio host and author of Madoff Talks: Uncovering the Untold Story Behind the Most Notorious Ponzi Scheme in History)

“President Lincoln is assassinated in his private box at Ford’s!”

When those harrowing words ring out during a children’s entertainment in Washington on the evening of April 14, 1865, a quick-thinking young chemist from England named Johnnie Holmes grabs the 12-year-old son of the dying president, races the boy to safety, and soon finds himself enlisted in the most infamous manhunt in history.

One Must Tell the Bees is the untold story of Sherlock Holmes’ journey from the streets of London to the White House of Abraham Lincoln and, in company with a freed slave named after the dead president, their breathtaking pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth. It is the very first case of the man who would become known to the world as Sherlock Holmes, and as listeners will discover, it will haunt him until his very last.

At a time when Western history is being reexamined and retold, old heroes cast aside and statues torn down, and even the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, “the Great Emancipator”, is questioned, One Must Tell the Bees is a timely reminder that our history deserves to be understood before it is entirely undone.

J. Lawrence Matthews has contributed fiction to the New York Times and NPR and is the author of three non-fiction books as Jeff Matthews. “One Must Tell the Bees” is his first novel. Written at a time when American history is being scrutinized and recast in the light of 21st Century mores, this fast-paced account of Sherlock Holmes’s visit to America during the final year of the Civil War illuminates the profound impact of Abraham Lincoln and his Emancipation Proclamation on slavery, the war and America itself. Matthews is now researching the sequel, which takes place a bit further afield—in Florence, Mecca and Tibet—but readers may contact him at jlawrencematthews@gmail.com. Those interested in the history behind “One Must Tell the Bees” will find it at jlawrencematthews.com.

Overall: 5 out of 5
Narration: 5 out of 5
Story: 5 out of 5

Overall: I grew up loving Sherlock Holmes, so I was really interested in this book – and I was not disappointed. A new Holmes adventure, this time written by the great detective himself, and with the same spirit that ran through the original Arthur Conan Doyle stories. If you’re a Sherlock Holmes fan, I highly recommend this book.

Narration: Judd did an excellent job bringing the story to life, and I felt like I was listening to Holmes himself recount the events as though we were sitting by the fire just chatting. There was just something about his tone of voice and cadence that felt right, and really matched the tone of the story.

Story: From England to the states, during the 1860s, we get some insight to young Holmes before he ever met Watson or became a detective that helped private citizens and Scotland Yard alike. The descriptions are vivid enough that you can see everything unfolding, and the spirit of the character of Holmes was definitely held true to. The relationship between Holmes and Lincoln was fascinating, and in a world where Sherlock Holmes is real, I could absolutely see the events of this book playing out. Although this story is narrated by Holmes, Matthews has done an excellent job of keeping the same tone I came to love as a kid reading the original stories.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Books Forward. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

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