The Case of the Haunted Haunted House

Another Fun Holmes and Watson Adventure

Review by: The Audiobook ReviewThe Case of the Haunted Haunted House, written by Drew Hayes, is the second book in the 5-Minute Sherlock series featuring Sherman Holmes and Joel Watson. This book was a lot more "mystery" orientated than the first. Fair enough, the first book set the world and its characters in play, an origin story of sorts. This book, though, got into the typical Doyle style of a mystery to solve.

And what a fun mystery it was! A potentially haunted, haunted house. A mysterious house left behind by a Sherman-level genius from a hundred years ago is the centrepiece of this mystery. Filled with insane traps and architecture, anyone who ever tried to find the house's secrets always winds up dead or wishing they were.

What follows is the typical lunacy Hayes brings to the Sherlockian world of his own creation. Mix Sherlock with Scooby-Doo, and you'll be close to understanding what's in store here. The traps of the house are truly cartoonish yet bordering on the believable.

Excellent character growth between the main characters of Sherman and Joel. Some dark glimpses into the mind of Sherman when he's functioning in his 5-minute window, and Joel's acceptance of life after the agency.

Narrator Scott Aiello does another bang-up job with the voices. He treats Sherman with such enthusiasm it suits the character to the ground. I find myself waiting for the chance for Sherman to shout "Disguises!"

All up, a great addition to the series. I'll be looking for more of these in the future.