Saturday, December 11, 2010

Review - The Sherlockian by Graham Moore

"Elementary, my dear Watson!"


TITLE:    The Sherlockian
AUTHOR/EDITOR:    Graham Moore
INFO:    Paperback, Fiction, 350 pages
PUBLISHED:   Twelve Books, 2010
ISBN#:   978-0-446-57259-0
HOW'D I GET IT:   Received from Hachette Books for Review

FROM GOODREADS: 
In December 1893, Sherlock Holmes-adoring Londoners eagerly opened their Strand magazines, anticipating the detective's next adventure, only to find the unthinkable: his creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, had killed their hero off. London spiraled into mourning -- crowds sported black armbands in grief -- and railed against Conan Doyle as his assassin.

Then in 1901, just as abruptly as Conan Doyle had "murdered" Holmes in "The Final Problem," he resurrected him. Though the writer kept detailed diaries of his days and work, Conan Doyle never explained this sudden change of heart. After his death, one of his journals from the interim period was discovered to be missing, and in the decades since, has never been found.

Or has it?

When literary researcher Harold White is inducted into the preeminent Sherlock Holmes enthusiast society, The Baker Street Irregulars, he never imagines he's about to be thrust onto the hunt for the holy grail of Holmes-ophiles: the missing diary. But when the world's leading Doylean scholar is found murdered in his hotel room, it is Harold - using wisdom and methods gleaned from countless detective stories - who takes up the search, both for the diary and for the killer.

MY TAKE:     I must admit that I've only read a few of the Sherlock Holmes stories over the years. My interest in the collection was sparked when I saw the movie with Robert Downey Jr. last year.  I enjoyed it so much that I jumped at the chance to review this book when it became available.

The story alternates between the late 1800's and present day.  We follow the master, Arthur Conan Doyle as he deals with the aftermath of killing off London's most-beloved sleuth~Sherlock Holmes.  We are then along for the ride as modern-day Sherlockian scholar, Harold searches for Holmes's missing diary.

This was a very interesting and fun-to-follow story.  I learned a lot about Doyle as well as the Sherlock Holmes stories.  Harold was a very likable and easy to relate to character.  The author made you feel that you were right there with Harold as he searched for the diary.  

I really enjoyed the fact that Bram Stoker was Conan Doyle's "Watson" in their adventures through London.  Stoker and Doyle's friendship with Oscar Wilde was also something that I never knew.  Graham Moore did a wonderful job of creating a book that was both educational to me and quite entertaining.

I highly recommend it for mystery lovers and those with a fondness for Sherlock Holmes.  The book is available now and considered quite Giftworthy!


MY RATING:    4/5

WHERE TO BUY IT:    Amazon, The Book Depository, Powell's Books, IndieBound

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~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.

1 comment:

  1. I both agree and disagree. I loved how Moore put so much research into MOST of the book and Doyle, but adding to Doyle's family and even changing the gender of one of his children, was unnecessary. and it seemed like he didn't do any research on Agatha Christie at all.

    ReplyDelete

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