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The Three Locks

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The Three Locks

By: Bonnie MacBird
Narrated by: Simon Darwen
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£5.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST. Cancel monthly.

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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.

 Crime Thrillers Detective Fiction Historical Mystery Police Procedural Suspense Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives England Sherlock Holmes Adventure Murder Crime
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Critic reviews

“MacBird’s artistry will keep readers eagerly turning the pages.”
—Michael Dirda, Washington Post
“Intriguing … MacBird artfully alternates among multiple plotlines, maximizing suspense. With its deep probe into the friendship between the detective and the doctor, this is a good choice for fans of Sherlock Holmes.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Perfectly captures the essence of Conan Doyle's fiction.'
—Independent
“Bonnie MacBird’s The Three Locks satisfies a hunger for more adventures of Holmes and Watson on so many levels. Not only does she perfectly capture their voices, she captures that most critical element—their humanity. Brava!”
—Leslie S. Klinger, editor, New Annotated Sherlock Holmes
“Bonnie MacBird’s sly plot and admirable sense of pacing keeps the story twisting and turning in a way that would have kept Doyle himself turning the pages.”
—Michael Sims, author of Arthur and Sherlock: Conan Doyle and the Creation of Holmes
“Though stage magic features in The Three Locks, the real magician is author Bonnie MacBird, who once again brings humour, action, rigorous period detail, and the characters we love to her latest Holmes adventure.”
—Dennis Palumbo, author of the Daniel Rinaldi series, Writing from the Inside Out
“Bonnie MacBird has conjured up a captivating three-card monte of murder, mystery and magic. The Three Locks may be her best yet.”
—Dan Stashower, author of Teller of Tales: The Life of Arthur Conan Doyle
“Skilfully intertwining three very different mysteries, Bonnie MacBird’s fourth Sherlock Holmes novel is as intriguing as it is clever.”
—Love London, Love Culture
“MacBird's series grows stronger with each book and she remains the best and most faithful pastiche writer out there today – bar none.”
—The Doylockian
All stars
Most relevant
I liked the story and would have given it five stars but the use of American words supposedly written by Watson annoyed me. Blocks describing distance in a city like London or Cambridge. Sidewalk instead of pavement. Americans are not stupid and they do not need words translated to US English. Watson would not have used “block” or “sidewalk”. Overall it is a good book.

Good

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A three puzzle problem, which left me feeling underwhelmed. The interwoven stories are plotted well, although I could see the resolution of Dilly Wyndham story, coming a lock gate away. That adventure is also topped off with an old fashioned homophobic conclusion that I have not come across in many years. I could it coming and had no way of getting out of its offensive landing. The other main mystory, depicting intrigue in the world of stage magic felt hollow and unfinished. And finely a mystory that served to fill out some back story for John Watson felt overcomplicated. The voice work from Simon Darwen proved to be the saving grace as his performance moved the book along at a pace.

A puzzle too many

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Another excellent story from Bonnie MacBird, who captures the spirit and essence of Holmes and Watson excellently and builds on it, which isn’t easy to do.
It intertwines two seemingly separate stories (though a little incredulously) and there’s plenty more to enjoy around them with the usual red herrings and side stories, the locked box being one of them, which barely features yet has real importance come the end.
It did get bogged down a little in the final third but I’ve really enjoyed the expanding characterisation of our protagonists in her books, and like the way she, unlike others, gives Watson plenty of air time.
Excellent narration again by Simon Darwen. A really good listen!

Another great Holmes story

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Great story, great series (honestly I prefer the others) but on the whole great.

the voice work fine. But Holmes himself could use a little more distinction to make it perfect.

Great addition to the Holmes culture

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I love the stories of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and so I was excited to listen to this book, but I was disappointed! The Holmes in this book is more like an ordinary man than the clever, skilled and remarkable man, making the gulf between Holmes and Watson much smaller which seemed odd. The story is okay, but it struggled to keep my attention. It is worth mentioning that the locked box that you hear about in the sample hardly comes into the story, except for a bit in the middle and at the end. If you want to hear a superb new Holmes story you must read The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz - there you’ll find the true Sherlock Holmes!

Not Sherlock Holmes!

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