Just finished reading. . .

And with all of Val's books so far, a good read, but not a great one.
I still like that he makes Holmes much more easy going and 'user friendly'
Watson seems a little more Nigel Bruce in this one.
Like lots of English writers, his dialog with American characters is a little stilted. Like in all his books so far, he adds so many real people into his tales that it inspires you to go out and do a lot of research.
And any reading the makes you want to read more is worth the time spent.