Dead Man's Land: A Doctor Watson Thriller (A Dr. Watson Thriller Book 1)

This was wonderful! Felt very much in tune with Arthur Conan Doyle's original, and Watson and Holmes were very much in character. I could see this as a later story in the ACD canon without any trouble, and I liked having a story actually focus on Watson for a change.Poor guy got painted as a bumbling idiot by Nigel Bruce's portrayal, and has only recently been viewed as a character who is just as important to a Holmes story as the man himself. He deserved to get his own story, and this one is fantastic.Watson returns to the army as a Major, serving as a doctor in the trenches of WWI. Amidst the death and pain of the first truly modern war, he finds a case worthy of Holmes, and solves it essentially on his own, and rather brilliantly.

Awesome book! Exceptionally well written with characters so lifelike and the war so real that I could barely put it down!

It is enjoyable to read about Dr. Watson again. He takes center stage in a his well researched World War 1 mystery.Very well written, grand character development. Exciting and pleasurable must read book.

Ryan has finally given the good Doctor his time to shine. This book is fast paced and entertaining. The charactors ring true to the Conan stories with Watson as the hero and knight errant. The story flows well with a few surprises. It also broadens our take of Watson as he is the focus of the story and not the detective. I found the characters to be intertaining and real. In all it is a really good read

Was a great read as it gave the reader a very realistic view of what it was actually like in the trenches in the First World War - I especially enjoyed the inclusion of Dr Watson as the main character and what that inferred - will be putting Robert Ryan on my favourite author's list

Robert Ryan did a great job holding to the character of Dr. Watson while developing him as a fully fleshed out person outside of his symbiotic relationship to Holmes. The story was interesting enough and I always love a good historical fiction. All the characters were well drawn, if somewhat...unlikely. But that was okay, it was a story, not a history lesson, and a great read for those of us who love Holmesian fiction of any sort.

I had to wait for this to be sold in th US for some reason. It was a thoroughly good read and I highly recommend it. I was nice having Watson take such a lead role.

A British physician's view from both sides of the trenches during WW I sheds new images of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson in their latter years.Very captivating, realistic and medically accurate from this physician's viewpoint.

This is a novel I read in two days. Absolutely gripping from the start and well-written which is such a rare feat nowadays that it deserves to be mentionned. All the characters are well-portrayed and have been given depth so that I found it difficult to relinquish the book when other matters annoyingly claimed my attention and time and I couldn't wait to get back to reading. The ending is a little over the top to be sure but when the rest has been so enjoyable it would be mean to insist on this one flaw. I thoroughly recommend this page-turner and I'm looking forward to reading more of Mr Ryan's prose.

This is a spin off novel featuring Sherlock's Holmes companion Doctor Watson, in later life serving in the Royal Army Medical Corps during the First World War. While there, he solves a bizarre series of murders taking place against a backdrop of mass death and destruction. As a well written novel describing the horrors of the trenches this works well - while reading it, I thought the author really wanted to write a novel about the trenches and that the inclusion of Dr Watson was more of an afterthought - a feeling borne out in the acknowledgements section. As a Dr Watson story (with a brief appearance by Holmes) I didn't think this really worked - they seemed a fairly pale reflection of their original characters and were portrayed as being much older than they should have been in 1916, Holmes especially being a frail old man here, barely able to look after his bees on the Sussex Downs, never mind engage in any remote sleuthing. Also, without wishing to give away spoilers, I thought the basic rationale for the murders was completely implausible in this setting. The plot took rather a long time to get going, I thought, and the novel rather too long at nearly 500 pages. Some of the secondary characters, especially the nurses were well drawn. Overall, a bit of a disappointment, and I'm not certain if I will read the sequels.

Gripping WW1 crime thriller set amid the dying on the Western Front where a serial killer appears to be as eager as the German enemy to kill British soldiers.I liked the premise and loved the research that reflects on life and death in early MASH, here termed a CCS Casualty Clearing Station. Here amoung the nurses and VADs we find Major Watson an army doctor determined to save lives with blood transfussions.The story is padded out by details of German snippers, a visit from Field Marshall Haig and a role for Churchill. However, it is the inclusion of Sherlock Holmes that will please and /or disappoint readers in equal measure. It isn't an attempt to extend his cannon of work but rather a true homage to this wonderful fictional detective often referred to in these pages as the Tweedy man or just the old man. Clearly he haunts Watson who appears to have severed all links with him as our story begins.I felt the war setting and descriptions at the front were first rate and it makes for a wonderful detective story however I am not altogether comfortable with the aged Doctor Watson being the protagonist and his role lets the book down in my opinion.A second book is available which I will read with enthusiasm but I remain unconvinced on the scope of this independent sleuth to carry the story and hold the readers' attention and credability throughout.

I must admit that as a fan of Conan Doyle's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, I was rather sceptical about this book and the revival of Dr Watson by a contemporary author, but Robert Ryan pulled it off and I feel that there are very few writers who could get away with this, but get away with it he did and it's a cracking good read.Dead Man's Land, set in the Great War, with Doctor Watson, by now an elderly RAMC doctor, who investigates a series of mysterious deaths in a particular group of "Pals" from a northern town, ably assisted by a strong female character in the form of VAD Mrs Gregson, and aided via correspondence from Sherlock Holmes himself. I really enjoyed the book that had a feasible plot - murder under cover of war. Plenty of detail too regarding blood transfusions, casualty clearing stations, evacuation of wounded from the battlefield. All good stuff.Apparently there was a bit of artistic licence with the placement of VAD's but it was crucial to the plot, so we'll let him off. I wouldn't have noticed this but it was pointed out to me. I'm hoping Robert Ryan will write some more of the same. Plenty more for Dr Watson, Mrs Gregson (and Holmes) to investigate I'm sure!In the back of the book in 'Acknowledgements' the author writes 'Dead Man's Land was inspired by Sherlock Holmes's suggestion, at the end of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's His Last Bow (set in 1914) that Watson would return to his old service, which by that stage was called the Royal Army Medical Corps.

Dr John Watson formerly chronicler of the detective skills of Sherlock Holmes is in the trenches facing the Kaiser's troops. It becomes apparent that Watson did not part on good terms with Holmes who was opposed to him putting himself in harm's way on the front line of WW1. Watson has the rank of Major and has volunteered to bring his medical skills to the aid of those of the British forces who cut down in this awful war.The opening chapters of this book are devoted to scene-setting, describing the landscape, the awful conditions, the field hospital where Watson works and its staff. We are also introduced to a 'pals' Regiment from Lancashire,'the Leigh Pals', who are to play a central part in the unfolding tale of brutal murder behind the British lines.It took me a long time to get into the book because there are so many chapters setting this scene and relating the horrors of the war. I was impatient to hear about the first murder. I suppose this build up was necessary to put what follows in proper context but it did go on a bit. Do not lose momentum however and keep with it and it suddenly ups the pace.We also get to know a German sniper who takes his place in a shell hole in no mans land with the express task of picking off British Officers if they are foolish enough to be seen in their trench. His cold skill is often rewarded. It is chilling to follow his progress right to the end of the novel.Only after this groundwork has been thoroughly laid does Watson encounter a death of a soldier in his care due to causes other than the wounds inflicted by German arms. The dead man is one of the Leigh pals who is in the hospital tent with relatively minor wounds. Just when he should be getting ready for discharge and after receiving a blood transfusion he dies a terrible death. Watson is convinced that he was murdered and he appoints himself as the investigating officer. He is ably aided by the firey Mrs Gregson the (Voluntary Aid Detachment) VAD Nurse who has become his right hand 'man'. Almost a hint of romance.There are brief appearances of an ever more frail Sherlock Holmes and a cameo role for Winston Churchill (in the front line wilderness after the disgrace of the Dardenelles). The murder plot now takes precedence over the war story which nevertheless remains ever present. More murders lead to a flash of inspiration for Watson and perhaps an opportunity to stop the killer before he completes his task. Watson's age-related physical brittleness plays a part in the final outcome and the plot builds to a rapid and sudden climax.Once this book moves into detective mode the pace accelerates and it became a worthwhile read but I struggled a bit in the early days in the trenches.