Monday, January 17, 2011

Book review: The Sherlockian

Moore, Graham. The Sherlockian. New York: Twelve, 2010.

The literary-historical-quest (not really a mystery) continues with this charming if somewhat thin confection, which charts parallel stories of Arthur Conan Doyle chasing a man who slaughtered a bride in a bathtub and a Sherlockian scholar hotly pursing Doyle's missing diary. As usual, the mystery takes second seat to period details and puzzles, and here they're entertaining. Moore's prose style is direct, and he builds excitement; at the end, Doyle feels like more of a contemporary, full-fledged character than the contemporary sleuths Harold and Sarah. But it's a fun excursion into Baker Street life nonetheless, as it highlights Doyle's delightful ambivalence about his greatest character. (Library challenge)

2 comments:

@parridhlantern said...

have read a couple of moore's books (fluke, lamb etc.) & enjoyed them so might give this a go if i see it.thanks for the heads up.

Richard LeComte said...

Dang. I gave the wrong first name of the author. I've fixed it.