The Adventure of the Bloomsbury Bomber forms part of The Worlds of Big Finish release which also featured Dorian Gray, Graceless, Iris Wildthyme, Vienna and Bernice Summerfield.  As such it brings Sherlock Holmes fully into a shared universe of various BF productions – including Doctor Who.

With this adventure being part of a wider whole, the story doesn’t have a full conclusion but it forms a fun half hour in the company of Nicholas Brigg’s Sherlock Holmes.

Holmes is investigating a series of explosions at London bookshops.  This is at the behest of his brother, Mycroft Holmes played here, as in the Bernice Summerfield audio, The Adventure of the Diogenes Damsel, by David Warner.  His investigations lead him to a psychiatric hospital and a lamplighter.

As this is a relatively recent release – and serves as a taster for BF’s any offerings – I feel it only right I avoid spoilers in this review.  Also, because it is one of five parts there are some threads left dangling at the close of the story.

Historically the story is set in June 1911.  Up to now I have commented on how the Edwardian era lacks any definition in the  stories I’ve reviewed.  The Adventure of the Bloomsbury Bomber begins a slight redress of the balance.  The mystery’s solution partly revolves around the phasing out of gas lamps in favour of electric ones.  There is also discussion of new psychiatric techniques and the backwardsness of institutions such as Bethelem Hospital (commonly known as Bedlam) in their treatment of the mentally ill.  This feels like the ‘new age, new technology’ etc that was present in Horror of Fang Rock, way back in 1902 but hasn’t really been evident since.

Something else which pulls this story into the Edwardian era is Holmes himself.  He is, for this story, working alone, with Watson away recuperating.  He comes to a solution which is right but at the same time wrong.  He sounds tired and confirms that he is retiring from his work, albeit slowly and not a little reluctantly.  This is a contrast to the vital figure of Holmes seen in the Victorian-set stories.

Nicholas Briggs plays Holmes with his usual gusto and whilst I know many people are not fans of Briggs, it’s hard to fault his performance as Holmes.  The fact that in this story, Holmes is caught out, adds other nuances to his performance.  He is ably supported by David Warner as Mycroft (reprising his role from the Bernice Summerfield audio) and Terry Molloy as Dr Robins.  Katy Manning even pops up in a little cameo (although I’ll admit I didn’t even recognise her, only knowing it was her from the cast list).    It’s a shame Richard Earl isn’t included to give us his Watson as he is an integral part of BF’s Holmes range and his absence is felt throughout.

On the basis of this Sherlock Holmes segment, and excepting the absence of Earl’s Watson, I would recommend that anyone interested in BF’s non-Doctor Who output seeks out this release as a good example and taster of what to expect from the various ranges.