The Three Locks

Written by Bonnie MacBird

Narrated by Simon Darwen

A heatwave melts London as Holmes and Watson are called to action in this new Sherlock Holmes adventure by Bonnie MacBird, author of “one of the best Sherlock Holmes novels of recent memory.”

In Whitechapel, a renowned Italian escape artist dies spectacularly on stage during a performance – immolated in a gleaming copper cauldron of his wife’s design. In Cambridge, the runaway daughter of a famous don drowns, her long blonde hair tangled in the Jesus Lock on the River Cam. And in Baker Street, a malevolent locksmith exacts an unusual price to open a small silver box sent to Watson.

From the glow of the London stage to the buzzing Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, where physicists explore the edges of new science of electricity, Holmes and Watson race between the two cities to solve the murders, encountering prevaricating prestidigitators, philandering physicists and murderous mentalists, all the while unlocking secrets which may be best left undisclosed. And one, in particular, lands very close to home.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Apr 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9780008380861

Bonnie MacBird

Bonnie MacBird was born and raised in San Francisco and fell in love with Sherlock Holmes by reading the canon at age ten. She attended Stanford University, earning a BA in Music and an MA in Film. Her long Hollywood career includes feature film development exec at Universal, the original screenplay for the movie TRON, three Emmy Awards for documentary writing and producing, numerous produced plays and musicals, and theatre credits as an actor and director. In addition to her work in entertainment, Bonnie teaches a popular screenwriting class at UCLA Extension, as well as being an accomplished water-colourist. She is a regular speaker on writing, creativity, and Sherlock Holmes. She lives in Los Angeles, with frequent trips to London    

Reviews for The Three Locks

[brianewilliams · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dr. Watson narrates this Sherlock Holmes adventure caper. There are two principal storylines that just barely touch on one another. One involves a stage magician mystery in London, and the other starts as a bizarre missing person case set mostly in Cambridge. Unfortunately, neither of them ends well. The stage magician story is mostly a red herring; a lot of ink is spilled on a story that adds little to the other one, which seems to be the main story. There's also a side story about a locked silver trinket given to Watson by his deceased mother. This tale gets lost within the two main plots. Despite all of this, the book is an exciting fast paced read with plenty of suspense. Holmes (and even Watson) faces danger and injury as they struggle to resolve the mysteries placed in their way. By the end, they tie up the loose ends and prepare for their next adventure.

[thequietreader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

London is the grips of an intense heatwave in the late summer of 1887. Watson receives a strange silver box in the mail that appears to have no key. An Italian escape artists experiences problems with his performance and his wife demands the Holmes prove her former lover be cleared of suspicion. A young lady runs away from home, leaving her father strangely unconcerned. As these cases intertwine, locks play on an important part as Holmes and Watson race to find the answer.I am always delighted when I find a Sherlock Holmes novel that closely mimics the original characters and the spirit of the original stories. I found it in this book. The author does a marvelous job of writing a plot, dialogue, and characterization much like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle first wrote so long ago.Though I will admit I had my suspicions about a character soon after he was introduced, most of the mysteries are laid out in a way that kept me guessing. Clues are scattered through the story and come together in a satisfying way. I was kept glued to the narrative from page to page to find out just how everything connected.The story is filled with colorful, memorable characters. The atmosphere of the year, with the oppressive heat, is excellent as well. The writing is reminiscent of Doyle's work, as I mentioned before. My only concern would be that I didn't realize that this is the fourth in a series. There are details that obviously come from earlier books that influence choices, such as Watson's mother drowning, and that Watson had a twin sister, Rose, who...also drowned. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it was unexpected.I'm going to have to find the first three books but I would recommend this one to readers looking for a new Sherlock Holmes adventure. I received a free copy from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own.