Book Description
Embark on a journey through the Old and New Testament with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson as they explore exotic and spice-laden places in search of clues.
The detective and the doctor travel back in time with the help of a Moriarty-designed time machine to investigate ten Bible destinations, unlocking clues to ten Bible mysteries. The most fascinating crime cases are those that are already solved, those that have been investigated by the police and brought to a swift, satisfying, and almost inevitable conclusion. So it is with Bible stories which the reader may consider familiar and unremarkable. But under close scrutiny these stories give up their hidden clues, their long kept secrets. Like a jewel newly polished, they sparkle and shine with a fresh, introspective light.
Sherlock Holmes and the Needle’s Eye: The World’s Greatest Detective Tackles the Bible’s Ultimate Mysteries by Len Bailey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have enjoyed Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr. Watson for almost as long as I have relished mystery books. I grew up reading and watching Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Holmes, and it was always a treat. I embarked on this book with an expectation that I would find the same scintillating characters with a Christian bent.
First of all, I struggled to see Holmes and Watson in modern times. In fact, I didn’t even realize that was the case until fighting in Afghanistan was mentioned a few times. I wish that Holmes and Watson would have remained in the 1800’s–they seemed to fit better.
Secondly, I really was lost concerning the gospel message in this book. I knew it was supposed to be there, but I never felt closure on this issue. I would have preferred this not being such a murky issue. Holmes was definitely his intellectual self, but the ending left me a little more confused on the salvation issue than I would have preferred.
Lest you think I didn’t enjoy the book, nothing could be further from the truth. The book is definitely written in an intellectual, somewhat classical style. Holmes’s antics were quite entertaining, and every time he bested Watson, it was quite entertaining. I didn’t hate the time travel–it seemed to make sense. After all, Holmes is a genius, and he could certainly create such a device. And the Biblical mysteries were quite baffling and completely amazing! Sometimes I felt that the mystery’s solution was somewhat dogmatically stated when we truly can’t be sure about some things, but I guess that would have been the way Holmes would have done it.
I wrestled with the rating I would give this book because it wasn’t my favorite, but it was intriguing at the same time. I think I delighted in witnessing the Bible stories more than any other part of the book. To be able to go back in time and see these stories firsthand would be an unbelievable, somewhat dangerous trip!
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
