Review: The Sherlockian – Graham Moore
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Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Twelve (December 1, 2010) Language: English ISBN-10: 0446572594 ISBN-13: 978-0446572590 |
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Characters:
Harold White – Literary Researcher and Sherlock Holmes Buff.
Sarah Lindsay – Reporter, Plays Watson to Harold’s Sherlock Holmes.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – Author of Sherlock Holmes
Bram Stoker – Sir Doyle’s Watson.
Overview:
1893 – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has just done the Unthinkable. He’s killed Sherlock Holmes. As a result, he finds himself at the scorn of a major part of the public. He also finds himself stepping into his character’s shoes to solve a murder of a young girl.
2010 – Harold White has just been inducted into the upper echelons of Sherlockian Society and is attending their annual meeting in NY. At his meeting, a noted scholar is supposed to present Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s missing diary. This diary, a holy grail quest for over a hundred years, is part of a missing set from the late writer. But what is it about the diary that is causing someone to want to kill for it. Harold finds himself, along with female reporter Sarah Lindsay using skills he’s learned from reading Sherlock Holmes novels, to try to solve the murder of this famous scholar.
Review:
I liked this book. It bounced back between the past story of Conan Doyle/Bram Stoker working to solve a murder in London, to the present with Harold/Lindsay working to solve a murder. Both mysteries kept me guessing as to who the killer could have been, motive, etc. It was interesting to see the two diffferences in the time periods. And as a fan of fictional works myself, I could really feel Harold’s excitement at getting to put himself int his favorite characters shoes.
Both stories seemed to stay true to their time periods, with the possibility of a few exceptions. The author seemed to research the past, and some of the characters that were mentioned, etc. were historically accurate to their time period.
Exceptions, there was same strong language that I’m not 100% sure was in existence or used by these two particular authors in the late 19th/early 20th Century. As a result of that, I’d probably give this book a PG-13.
The author includes a note section at the end where he uncovers what was true, made up, stretched for literary sakes, etc. which I found a nice touch to the story.
I think if you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes, or want an actual mystery (which today seems to be a lost genre), then I think this would be a good book for you to read.
*Disclaimer* A special thanks goes out to Brad at Hachette Book Group for a review copy of this book. It in no way influenced my review.
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