Review: A Sherlock Holmes Devotional: Uncovering the Mysteries of God by Trisha Priebe

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

After a century, Sherlock Holmes mysteries still fascinate us—and this devotional will delight you with spiritual truths drawn from the pages of the classic detective stories. A Sherlock Holmes Devotional contains 60 entries drawn from the characters, stories, and events of the Holmes canon. From 221b Baker Street to Reichenbach Falls, from Irene Adler to the evil Dr. Moriarty, from the pipe to the violin, this book investigates the spiritual truths we can discern from this enigmatic fictional character—a brusque, stubborn, and arrogant man who also shows honor, trust, and self-sacrificing friendship. It's a fascinating read for fans of the series—or those yet to meet the great detective!

MY TAKE:
I am a Sherlock Holmes fan, so I couldn't resist reading this book.

In A Sherlock Holmes Devotional: Uncovering the Mysteries of God, we see Sherlock Holmes connects to different lessons and ideals that Christians should keep in mind.

I loved the Sherlock Holmes parts of the book. I learned quite a few things about the detective, as well as Arthur Conan Doyle, that I didn't know before. I particularly liked the part about the inconsistencies in the stories.

The idea of connecting the quotes and Sherlock's attributes, as well as Sherlock and John's friendship, to lessons learned from the Bible, was an inspired one. It's not the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Sherlock Holmes, but after reading this, I can see the connection. Granted, some of the correlations were a little tenuous, but there were a number of connections made that did make sense and felt perfectly natural and obvious.

There were plenty of inspiring gems written here. I particularly liked the one about humility and doing good things for the sake of doing them and not for the attention. However, I wasn't in agreement with everything. For example, there was a brief discussion about tolerance in our society. I agree that God doesn't tolerate sin. It is also mentioned that in our society, love and respect equal acceptance. Sure, I agree with that too, but the next statements give me the impression that this acceptance leads to people accepting other people's opinions even if they're clearly wrong. I think people do know when something is right or wrong and they disagree if it's bad. It doesn't go into specifics, though, so I'm not sure exactly what it is referring to. I have a feeling that it might be about, or at least include, a volatile topic that people are becoming more and more okay with, but which most conservatives are still against.

Thanks to NetGalley and Shiloh Run Press for the e-ARC.

THE GOOD:

1. Christian Sherlock Holmes' fans will love this.
2. There are quite a few wise words here.
3. It references writings by Christian writers who are contemporaries of Arthur Conan Doyle.  

THE BAD:

1. You may disagree with a few statements if you're a more liberal Christian. 

READ IT IF:

1. You are a fan of Sherlock Holmes.
2. You are looking for an interesting devotional.
3. You want to learn more about Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle. 

RATING:


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