The Devil's Due

If you like your new Sherlock Holmes stories to be close to the originals rather than going off somewhere alien then these are the stories for you. The author digs deep into the characters and brings them wonderfully back to life. Keep them coming.

Good one.. happy with the book..

Bien écrit dans le style de Conan Doyle, très agréable.

Bonnie MacBird's third Sherlock Holmes pastische is an enjoyable story involving the Great Detective's efforts to solve the deaths of leading philanthropists The task is made more difficult by the presence of a tabloid reporter who depicts Holmes as in league with the Devil to explain the detective's powers. throw in two eccentric brothers, international intrigue, and a conman evangelist, and you have a splendid web. Along the way, MacBird juts some barbs at the press and the dangers of gossip and innuendo. It's an entertaining read with a strong base.

While acknowledging that this author is the best of the Holmes continuation novelists - I thoroughly enjoyed her previous two - I had a few minor problems with this one. Probably just me, but I never could buy into the Billings character. He was set up as the villain of the piece from the outset, and was hugely unlikely to be a police chief! (Honestly, how would he have got such a job, even with the best contacts in the world? What were his REAL credentials?) Bonnie M does take you on an exciting journey though, and I did enjoy the fact I stayed with her all the way thru, despite minor disappointments. I get tired of Holmes having to fight off disbelievers - bad policeman and journalist this time around. Isn’t it more likely everyone would be in his thrall like the readers?! The man is an evident genius at solving crime, with an extraordinary record of work. Wouldn’t those in his orbit treat him as such?