BOOK REVIEW: MORIARTY BY ANTHONY HOROWITZ

Dang! I did not realize how much time has passed since my last book review!
Let's correct that situation right now!

The world mourns the (apparent) death of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes, who plunged over the Reichenbach Falls fighting his arch nemesis Professor James Moriarty, in what creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle hoped would be his last Holmes story: "The Final Problem".

Yet while Doctor John Watson slips quietly back into the private sector, Moriarty's absence creates a vacuum as others seek to declare themselves the new Napoleon of Crime, without the devious subtlety and non-violent approach that the Professor was known for.

One of these would be candidates hails from America, which leads Pinkerton agent Frederick Chase to join forces with Scotland Yard Inspector Atheleny Jones (introduced in Doyle's Holmes novel The Sign of Four) in hopes of bringing this rogue to justice, and perhaps creating a new team to take on the mysteries and criminals of Victorian London in the process.

While Doyle eventually bowed to fan pressure and brought Holmes back to literary life, Anthony Horowitz explores those dark days with both a modern writer's sensibilities and a fan's respect and knowledge of the original Sherlock Holmes canon. The twist ending within the finale completely caught me by surprise, because it was the last thing I was expecting during the story's climax. I will not reveal those details here and spoil the surprise, but I sincerely hope Horowitz eventually writes a sequel, picking up where this novel ended.

This adventure is written and reads like the worthy addition to the Holmes legacy it is. The novel has even been endorsed by the Conan Doyle estate, along with Horowitz's previous Holmes story The House of Silk. Although it isn't necessary to read one before the other, I do urge Holmes fans to seek it out as well.
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Lee Houston, Junior, one of the founders of this fine blog, is the Editor-In-Chief of The Free Choice E-zine and the writer/creator of Hugh Monn, Private Detective and Alpha the superhero.
He maintains a presence on G+, Facebook, and his own writer's blog. His creative work can be found in both print and e-formats at Amazon.com and other outlets.

BOOK REVIEW: LOCKED ROOMS BY LAURIE R. KING

Bantam Books, 404 pages

Hello Everyone. Lee Houston, Junior here.
Yep, it's been a while since I posted last. But since my last appearance, my second Hugh Monn, Private Detective novel is due for release soon, I have started the second Alpha novel, and even had a couple of bad wisdom teeth yanked.
Trust me, I was NOT looking forward to that last one!
But amongst all that, I managed to finish reading another novel, so let me share with you what I thought of it.

There are many authors who have used the legendary Sherlock Holmes character to star in new mysteries, but Laurie R. King is one of the few that I have read who creates adventures worthy of the world's first consulting detective.

Her work is based (in part) upon the premise that Doctor Watson and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, his literary agent; aged Holmes for the original stories, fearing no one would believe that a man as young as Sherlock actually was when those adventures occurred could do the things he did.

Which leaves us with a Holmes in his mid-to-late 50s when he first meets King's original creation Mary Russell; a woman who can not only hold her own against Sherlock's intellect, but in time intrigues him in a way no woman has since Irene Adler.

Locked Rooms finds the intrepid, now married May-December couple sailing to San Francisco after their previous adventure (The Game) to settle the estate of Russell's family. However, one cannot be successful within their line of work without acquiring some enemies, and the danger from that is just the tip of the iceberg as they try to solve the mystery of who would break into a deserted house and what everything has to do with the repressed memories of Russell's childhood.

Locked Rooms is the eighth installment within the Russell-Holmes series. Alas, life and other events have kept me from finding and reading anything in this series since the second book (A Monstrous Regiment of Women), but I found it easy enough to fill in the gaps as I went along, although I will continue haunting my public library and (used) bookstores until I have had a chance to read the other volumes.

King is not afraid to use period word spellings, nor do her research. I found the San Francisco of this book to be quite believable, as well as the surprise guest star who shows up in Chapter 10 to help Holmes with the ensuing mystery, since Russell is at first overwhelmed by confronting her past. It should come as no surprise that Sherlock also establishes an American version of his Baker Street Irregulars, although what happens to them after the end of the book remains to be seen, since the next Russell-Holmes adventure (according to the preview at the end of this novel) starts with the duo back in Europe.

Overall, while some of the various post-Doyle adventures might conflict with one another on various points and timelines, Laurie R. King's work with Sherlock Holmes is well worth reading.

***

Lee Houston, Junior

Now then, I'm not exactly sure what I will read next, for I do like to bounce between the various genres I like (science fiction, mystery, pulp, fantasy) to keep it fresh.
I can tell you that I have finished the first chapter to Alpha, Book 2: Wayward Son, am still the Editor-In-Chief of The Free Choice E-zine (at www.thefreechoice.info), and have been recently promoted to full editorship of Pro Se Presents magazine.
But I do promise I will try not to let so much time pass before my next post here.
Until then...