The Sherlockian

October 4, 2010
Moore's debut cleverly sets an accidental investigator on the track of an old document within the world of Sherlock Holmes buffs, though the results may please those with only a superficial knowledge of the great detective. In January 2010, Harold White, "a freelance literary researcher" who helps defend Hollywood studios against claims of copyright infringement, is inducted into the pre-eminent Sherlockian society, the Baker Street Irregulars, at their annual New York City dinner. During the festivities, scholar Alex Cale plans to present a long-lost diary penned by Arthur Conan Doyle that he's discovered, but someone strangles Cale before he can do so. Doyle's great-grandson hires White to solve the murder and trace the diary, which is missing from Cale's hotel room. Chapters alternate between White's amateur sleuthing in Europe and Doyle's own account of his search for a serial killer, aided by Dracula creator Bram Stoker. Admirers of similar efforts by Anthony Boucher, H. Paul Jeffers, and Arthur Lewis will find this falls short of their standard.

September 15, 2010

This debut literary thriller, which revolves around a central mystery in Arthur Conan Doyle's life (why did he kill off Sherlock Holmes and then revive him?), weaves together two very different perspectives and time periods. At the annual Baker Street Irregular convention in 2010, newly minted "Irregular" Harold immediately begins investigating the murder of Alex Cale, a top Sherlock Holmes scholar who had bragged about finding the famously missing volume of Conan Doyle's diary. But when Cale is found dead in his hotel room, the diary is nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, back in 1900, Conan Doyle, desperately sick of his famous character, decides he must channel his own creation to find the person who sent him a letter bomb. Teaming up with his friend Bram Stoker, the author finds the situation is much more complicated, involving suffragettes, cryptic tattoos, and murder. VERDICT The constant switching of narrators can be jarring, but Moore does an excellent job of making his characters and settings feel real, using his thorough knowledge of the Holmes stories to good effect. Given the enduring popularity of Sherlock Holmes, this title is an excellent choice for public libraries and historical mystery fans who enjoy Matthew Pearl's thrillers. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 7/10.]--Laurel Bliss, San Diego State Univ. Lib., CA

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2010

Another resurrection of Sherlockiana, the conceit here being the story of tracking down Arthur Conan Doyle's missing journal from 1900—and solving a murder associated with the journal.

Owing to a couple of scholarly articles on Sherlock Holmes, Harold White has just been inducted into the famous but secretive Sherlockian society; at 29 he's one of the youngest members ever invited to join. A game's afoot, however, for Alex Cale, perhaps the most prominent Sherlockian of all, has recently announced that he's found Conan Doyle's famous missing journal. His plan is to reveal the contents at the annual meeting of the Sherlockians at the Algonquin Hotel in New York, but Cale is found murdered, with the word "Elementary" written on the wall near his body. White decides to solve both the case of the missing journal and Cale's murder. In his investigation he's abetted by Sebastian Conan Doyle, the great-grandson of the author himself (who feels he's the rightful owner of the journal), and Sarah, a reporter bent on following White because she's sure he has the best chance of finding the journal and solving the mystery of Cale's death. Throughout the narrative White's mantra is "What would Sherlock Holmes do?" and his answers to this question lead him from New York to London to Cambridge and finally to the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland, the site of Holmes's putative death. Moore cleverly alternates his chapters between White's story in the present and Conan Doyle's activities in the fall of 1900, so the reader can better understand the reasons why Conan Doyle—or more likely his friend Bram Stoker—would want to suppress the journal. Along the way, Stoker winds up playing Watson to Conan Doyle, much as Sarah becomes a Watson figure to White.

While occasionally heavy-handed and coincidental, Moore's fiction provides a shrewd take on the noted author and his legendary scion.

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Starred review from September 15, 2010
The problem with Conan Doyles Sherlock Holmes stories is that there arent enough of them. Fans try to fill the gap with spin-offs, some of which work better than others. This engaging riff on the familiar themes by first-novelist Moore is one of the best. His book alternates two stories and two centuries. The modern hero is twentysomething Harold Whitemild, bookish, and smart. Hes just been initiated into the prestigious Baker Street Irregulars when a premier Holmes expert announces that he has found Conan Doyles long-lost 1900 diary. Then the expert is murdered. Maybe. The game is afoot, and sos Harold. The hero of the alternate chapters is Conan Doyle himself, gleeful after sending that hawkshaw Holmes to his death at Reichenbach Falls and ready to write real literature. But murders intervene, and he and his friend Bram Stoker must investigate. All these gumshoes, past and present, use Holmes methods. Moore spins his tale in prose that shifts easily from exposition to pathos to sly comedy. Its based on fact: in 2004, a premier Sherlockian was found dead after claiming hed discovered Conan Doyles lost papers. Mystery fans should love the mix of historical fiction and contemporary puzzle-solving. And Sherlockians? Try keeping them away.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)