*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Holmes and Watson take on the mystery of several missing people, all the cases are linked and point to a group called the 'Order of the Gash'. Watson is sent to an asylum in France to find out more about the order whilst Holmes puts himself in increasing danger exploring Londons underworld for clues as to where the missing people have gone. He becomes obsessed with solving the puzzle box and like those before him soon wishes he hadn't when faced with what it summons.

The author brings together the Hellraiser universe of Clive Barker and Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and does so very well. Although set in 1895, Kane manages to date the Hellraiser details authentically, blending characters and plot lines in seamlessly to victorian London.

The first 3/4 of the book worked best for me, the lead up to the confrontation with the cenobites flowed well with plenty of references from both worlds,making it a lot of fun to read. Holmes and Watson were given separate POV which kept the storyline fresh and ensured that both characters were well developed and that Holmes didn't dominate the story too much.

The last quarter wasn't quite as enjoyable and to be honest I can't help but feel a bit disappointed that Pinhead wasn't part of the cenobite group. I also thought that some of the details in the last part were too conveniently worked out although the end wasn't in any way what I expected.

Great premise that worked out really well but perhaps fell slightly short of my expectations towards the end.

I have a confession. Before reading this book, I had no clue who Paul Kane was. Apparently, to the people in the know, he is the leading guru on Clive Barker's Hellraiser films and mythos (outside of Barker, of course). So you'll have to excuse me for being late to the party. What I do know is that I love Clive Barker's Hellraiser films and I enjoy Sherlock Holmes stories. So when I stumbled across the title of this book, I was instantly intrigued. In what seems upon first glance as a farce, started sounding pretty damn full of possibilities the more I thought about it. After jumping head first into Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell, I am pleased to announce that the possibilities were right on the money and Kane delivered one hell of a fun read.

Sherlock Holmes is moping around since he defeated his archenemy, Moriaty. Cases don't seem to be that intriguing or challenging and Holmes is apparently a ball of irritability if his mind isn't challenged. Dr. Watson is worried about his dear friend, especially since he's had a tangle with the opium demon from time to time. Then a missing person case comes in. Apparently, a Francis Cotton went inside his attic room, locked the door, and never came out. Disappeared. Holmes and Watson take the case and are stumped. Other missing person cases come trickling in with the same descriptions. Holmes is convinced that they are tied together. But how? When investigating one of the other disappearances, the duo discover a secret society that focuses on the forbidden pleasures of the flesh and a pillar that contained a small box. Sound familiar?

Kane's tale weaves in and out of tie-ins with previous Sherlock Holmes stories and the Hellraiser films. And it works. Very well, I might add. The story is told Arthur Conan Doyle-style through a re-telling by Dr Watson. We also get a nice perspective from it rotating back and forth from Watson to Holmes POV and back again. Who would've thought that the marriage of Sherlock Holmes and Clive Barker would work so well? You know what? Don't question a good thing and Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell is a good thing.

5 Elementary, My Dear Watsons out of 5

This ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell. There is so just much potential in the concept. Handle it right, and you've got yourself a horror/mystery that is destined to become a genre staple. Fumble it at any point, however, and you have two separate camps of fandom ready to critique, condemn, and drag you to . . . well, Hell.

Fortunately, Paul Kane knows his stuff, and what we have here is no mere imaginative lark. Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell is a very carefully constructed story that considers the legacies of both Doyle and Barker, and which not only finds a point at which the two can meet, but one in which that intersection actually adds something to each respective story.

In terms of narrative, this absolutely feels like a Sherlock Holmes story. Kane captures the voice of Dr. Watson exceptionally well, and explains away any irregularities by presenting it as a tale that Watson never intends to publish. Furthermore, he sets it after the incident at Reichenbach Falls, using the Hellraiser mythology to cleverly explain the shift in Holmes' character and personality in those latter tales. He also does some clever work with The Hound of the Baskervilles, taking one of the most horrific Sherlock Holmes tales and casting some doubt upon its casual dismissal of the supernatural.

As far as Hellraiser is concerned, reading this is like an epic Easter Egg hunt. Kane touches upon all aspects of the extended mythology, including details from the original Hellbound Heart tale; the Hellraiserfilms, Barbie Wilde's tales of Sister Cilice in Voices of the Damned, and even several tales from theHellbound Hearts anthology. There are some very nice parallels to the original story of the Cotton family; some fantastic background on the Lemarchand family and the Lament Configuration puzzle box; a gloriously grotesque band of Cenobites; and a vivid exploration of Hell that fits in very well with last year'sScarlet Gospels.

In bringing the two worlds together, Kane remains true to the feel and the style of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, but drags the story into darker, more decadent corners of the Victorian world. There is torture aplenty in this tale, both of the human and the Cenobite variety, and a BDSM-themed brothel that really allows him to play with (and foreshadow) the dark eroticism of Baker's sadomasochistic fantasies. Ultimately, however, it's the relationship between Holmes and Watson that makes the story work, testing the deepest, darkest bounds of friendship, and exploring the absolute darkest chapter in their shared story.

If you do choose to open the cover of Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell, be forewarned that once you're well-and-truly hooked, the pages (like the puzzle box) do tend to turn themselves.