The Breath of God

January 16, 2012
Sherlock Holmes joins an all-star team of psychic investigators in Adams's intriguing if uneven pastiche. One of them, Algernon Blackwood's Dr. John Silence, comes to Baker Street after his experiences on a case of demonic possession. Via the body of a young girl, a demonic entity gave Silence three names: Hilary De Montfort, the Laird of Boleskine, and Sherlock Holmes. De Montfort is found dead the very morning of Silence's visit to 221B, his corpse savagely battered, as if it had been dropped from a great height. The Laird of Boleskine turns out to be real-life occultist Aleister Crowley. While Holmes is skeptical of Silence's view that a supernatural force known as the Breath of God killed De Montfort, the detective involves himself in the mystery. For good measure, Adams (Restoration) throws William Hope Hodgson's Carnacki into the mix as well as a character from M.R. James's tale "Casting the Runes." Holmes's hyper-rationalism never gels with the decidedly otherworldly plot line, though Adams does a better-than-average job in portraying him and Watson.