The Sherlockian combines two intertwining mysteries – one set in the 1800s and one in the present day. Lately I’ve been reading a lot of Sherlock Holmes-related fiction, so I loved the idea of a book that merged two timelines into one mystery.
Title: The Sherlockian
Author: Graham Moore
First Published: November 30, 2010
Publisher: Twelve
Categories: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Acquired: Borrowed from the Library
Two stores for the price of one
There are two individual stories happening that have an important link between them. The first storyline involves Doyle who has just “killed” off Sherlock Holmes in ‘The Final Problem’. A murderer is on the loose in Victorian England and is killing young women – all of whom sport a mysterious three-headed crow tattoo. In an attempt to distract himself from a public that is angry at him for killing off their beloved detective, Doyle takes it upon himself to discover who is behind the murders.
The present-day storyline kicks off at the annual gathering of the Baker Street Irregulars (BSI). Alex Cale, a prominent member of the BSI, is scheduled to present his findings on Doyle’s lost diary, but is found dead in his hotel room instead. Harold White, the BSI’s newest member, races off to London to play detective and attempts to solve Cale’s murder and recover Doyle’s diary.
It took me much longer to finish this book than I expected. I actually put the book aside a few times and went on to other books, but then ultimately came back – probably because I needed to find out ‘whodunit’. (Can you imagine if I got to the end and it was a cliffhanger?!). To be honest, I really liked the Doyle storyline and could have done without the present-day storyline. The chapters alternated between the two timelines, which I found annoying since I wanted to stay with Doyle and his mystery. It almost felt like I was reading two different books at the same time.
I was also much more interested in the characters in storyline one. You get a frustrated Doyle trying to prove that he’s a better detective than his fictional creation, plus stodgy Victorian policemen, bright young suffragettes and Doyle’s loyal and not-as-famous-yet friend Bram Stoker. On the other hand, I REALLY didn’t care about any of the characters in the present-day story. Harold White is as dull as dishwater, the BSI members barely make a dent in the story and even Harold’s love interest, Sarah, who is written as the tough, enigmatic, capable journalist with a secret, turns out to be a big disappointment.
Parting thought
The two stories in The Sherlockian are interesting on their own and the idea to intertwine them is a good one. Unfortunately, even though I started the book with high hopes, it falls a bit flat for me. I would have much rather have just read the Doyle portion of the book and skipped the entire Harold White story (but I do admit that it was fun to find out what happened to Doyle’s diary!)
Read The Sherlockian for yourself
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