Moriarty Meets His Match - Anna Castle

   2016; 290 pages.  Book 1 (out of 4) in the “Professor & Mrs. Moriarty Mystery” series.  New Author? : No.  Genres : Historical British Mysteries; Sherlock Holmes.  Overall Rating : 8½*/10.

 

    You could call it “Professional Jealousy”.  Professor James Moriarty admits that.

 

    But he has a degree in mathematics.  And a job as an assistant patent examiner.  And he’s frankly convinced that Teaberry & Company’s new-fangled, recently patented “Compact Spherical Engine” has some serious flaws, particularly as far as fuel efficiency goes.

 

    So when it’s announced the engine will be showcased at the 1885 London International Inventions Exhibition, Moriarty sneaks in the night before and secretly “adds” a little fuel gauge to it.

 

    Unfortunately for him, the next day, when the Compact Spherical Engine is fired up, it explodes, killing its operator.  Was that due to a design flaw, or did someone sabotage it?  Unfortunately for Moriarty, Scotland Yard is bringing in a consulting specialist to investigate.

 

    Whose name is Sherlock Holmes.

 

What’s To Like...

    Moriarty Meets His Match is a reimagining of two of the main characters in Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series, but this time around, top billing is given to Moriarty.  Holmes still plays a prominent role, and there are at least three others that reprise their roles here: Dr. Watson, Mrs. Hudson, and Inspector Gregson.  Both Moriarty and Holmes are still incredibly brilliant, and I liked that Anna Castle makes both of their characters a bit more “gray.”

 

    There are three main storylines.  First and foremost is the parallel investigations by the two protagonists into the exploding spherical engine.  The second involves a new character, Angelina Gould, and her efforts to find and recover some incriminating letters penned by her brother, Sebastian.  Those sound like very disparate plot threads, but the author manages to deftly make them converge.

 

    The third plotline is hinted at in the series title.  There is no “Mrs. Moriarty” at the start of the story, and it is quite entertaining to watch as the super-nerd Professor Moriarty struggles to cope with his own feelings and the delightful attentions of a attractive woman.  We won’t reveal who she is, but it doesn't take very long to figure it out.

 

    I thought the world-building was expertly done.  Like a Conan Doyle episode, I got a great “feel” for London in the 1880s.  The “musical jump-rope” was a fascinating (and presumably factual) recreation, and I had to look up who “Sheridan La Fanu” was.  I learned the correct pronunciation of “Miswell” (it rhymes with ‘drizzle’) and am still trying to figure out what a “front-sheeter” is.

 

    The ending is suitably logical, which I expected since two geniuses are investigating.  Holmes and Moriarty still don’t like each other, but at least they respect each other’s sleuthing.  A couple of dei ex machina provide key breaks, but it’s still a challenge to properly evaluate them.  Things close with a crafty impersonation plot twist.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon: 4.2*/5, based on 1,640 ratings and 211 reviews.

    Goodreads: 3.95*/5, based on 1,034 ratings and 115 reviews.

 

Kewlest New Word ...

Grizzled (adj.) : having or streaked with gray hair.

Others: Moil (n.); Delimited (adj.); Spunks (n.); Frowsty (adj.).

 

Excerpts...

    “Why the deuce did you let Hainstone trick me into judging that plump baby contest, Ramsay?  Can’t abide the little buggers!  How am I to tell one from the other?”

    The secretary answered him in soothing tones.  “The name of both mother and baby are right here in this envelope, my lord.  You need only read them off.  The village doctor selects them in advance.  Part of the British Mothers Health and Wellness Program.  It’s good for you, politically, my lord.  It shows your concern for the people.”

    Nettlefield snorted.  (pg. 196)

 

    Moriarty kissed the little curl on her temple.  He worshipped that curl.  “You should marry me because without you my life can never again have a meaning.  You are more beautiful than the arrangement of binomial coefficients in Pascal’s triangle.  You mean more to me than Euclid’s postulates of plane geometry.”

    She frowned.  He loved it when she frowned.  She licked her rosy lips and said, “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

    “It’s the highest praise I have to offer.”   (pg. 261)

 

Kindle Details…

    Moriarty Meets His Match sells for $4.99 right now at Amazon, as do the other three books in the series.  Anna Castle’s “Francis Bacon Mystery” series has eight volumes with prices ranging from free to $4.99.

 

“A secret can only be kept by two people if one of them is dead.”  (pg. 145)

    There’s very little profanity in Moriarty Meets His Match; I noted only four instances in the first 33% of the book, and all of them were of the milder eschatological ilk.  One adult situation is mentioned later on.  I noted just one typo: entrée/entry, so kudos to whoever did the editing.

 

    Some reviewers didn’t like that Sherlock Holmes is cast in a somewhat unfavorable light, but I thought it was a refreshingly new angle.  At one point in the story, Holmes admits that Dr. Watson has a habit of portraying his detective prowess far more brilliantly that it actually is.  To boot, this is a four-book (and presumably completed) series, and I'm anticipating that Moriarty and Holmes will develop a closer professional relationship as the series progresses.

 

    I’ve read two of Anna Castle’s “Francis Bacon Mysteries” series; and liked them both.  I was curious to see how her “Professor and Mrs. Moriarty” books would measure up against Sir Francis Bacon’s endeavors, and I’m happy to report that both series are page-turners for anyone who, like me, loves to read Historical Mysteries.

 

    8½ Stars.  One last quibble.  While I loved the inclusion of several characters from the Arthur Conan Doyle series, there was one glaring omission.  There’s no Mycroft Holmes!  He's Sherlock’s brother and makes his sibling look like an observational amateur.  Here’s hoping he shows up at some point in the next three books, even if it’s just a cameo appearance.

The Last Moriarty - Charles Veley

   2015; 292 pages.  Book 1 (out of 36) in the “Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mystery” series.  New Author? : Yes.  Genres : Historical Mystery; Thriller; Sherlock Holmes.  Overall Rating: 9*/10.

 

    Frederick Foster fell to his death from the Westminster Bridge last night.  Or maybe he jumped.  Or maybe someone pushed him.  Mr. Foster was an American.  A business card found on his body identifies him as an employee of the Standard Oil Corporation.

 

    Sherlock Holmes has been summoned rather early in the morning to come to St. Thomas Hospital to examine the corpse.  His faithful aide, Dr. Watson, is invited to come along.

 

     Several important people have also journeyed to the hospital to hear what Holmes has to say about whether this was an accident, a suicide, or a murder.  They include England’s First Lord of the Admiralty, the Lord Chancellor of Her Majesty’s courts, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner of London, and the Secretary of State for War’s chief of staff.  Oh yeah, and the Prime Minister himself, Lord Salisbury.

 

    Now why would such a bunch of high muckamucks be interested about the death of an American businessman?

 

What’s To Like...

    The Last Moriarty is set in November, 1895 in the classic setting for Sherlock Holmes stories: the greater London area.  The tale is presented the traditional way: via Dr. Watson’s journal.  A number of characters from the Arthur Conan Doyle series also show up here, including Inspector Lestrade, the Baker Street Irregulars, and my personal favorite, Mycroft Holmes.

 

    There are also lots of new people introduced: some good guys, others baddies, but all of them interesting to meet.  Two of them, Zoe Rosario and Lucy James, I feel certain will be sharing the spotlight with Holmes and Watson in future tales.

 

    I was impressed with how adeptly Charles Veley can spin a story in “Watson-esque” style.  The storyline quickly gets more complicated, and plot twists abound.  There are even several instances of Sherlock making those incredible deductions when meeting someone, with onlookers gasping at how he could do that, and Holmes then explaining what observations clued him in.  I loved those interludes in Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories.

 

    Everything builds to an exciting ending.  The bad guys’ ultimate intentions are revealed and seemingly have things completely in their control.  Their nefarious plans will fail, of course, but the fun is seeing just how that somehow transpires.

    The chapters are short, with 66 of them covering 292 pages, and The Last Moriarty is both a standalone novel and part of a series.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon:  4.4/5 based on 5,461 ratings and 761 reviews.

    Goodreads: 4.20/5 based on 4,030 ratings and 312 reviews.

 

Excerpts...

    “Moriarty was both physically unattractive—‘reptilian,’ as you have described him, Dr. Watson—and also entirely lacking in ability to perform a musical composition in the spirit intended by the composer.  Due to his mathematical gifts he was able to grasp the theoretical aspects of a composition instantly, that much is true.  But he had no feel, no heart, to understand and project the emotion of the composer, which is, of course, the sole reason for the existence of any musical performance.”  (loc. 1482)

 

    Holmes would be accused of placing a personal relationship above matters of national importance.  I recalled an ironic poem by Mr. Kipling, the gist of which was that we ordinary people frequently take an attitude of superiority to soldiers, until the shooting starts and we need them to protect us.  The critics of Holmes, I thought, would not hesitate to turn on him if he failed in his mission.  (loc. 2294)

 

Kindle Details…

    The Last Moriarty sells for $3.99 at Amazon right now.  The other e-books in this 36-book series are all priced within the $2.99-$4.99 range.

 

She appeared to be in radiant health, possibly due to the beneficial effects of frequent exposure to music.  (loc. 577)

      I didn’t note any cusswords at all in The Last Moriarty, and that always impresses me.  There’s action and intrigue aplenty, yet I don’t recall any "adult situations."

 

    A number of Sherlock Holmes series have cropped up over the last couple decades, due to the copyrights expiring on the characters in the series.  I’ve sampled several of them, and their quality ranges from “pretty good” (including one co-written by Kareem Abdul Jabbar) to “downright amateurish” (we’ll not name names).

 

    The Last Moriarty comes closer to duplicating Arthur Conan Doyle’s style of writing and storytelling than any other series I’ve read, and that's a giant plus.  Book Two, The Wilhelm Conspiracy, is on my Kindle and I’m eager to see how it compares to Book One.  Stay tuned.

 

    9 Stars.  One last thing.  I loved seeing chemistry play an important part of the storyline.  White phosphorus, chloroform, and hyoscine all crop up, much to my delight.  Okay, full disclosure, I am a career chemist, so I’m a bit prejudiced about this.  But still, when chemicals are involved in the tale, it means that the author has done a bunch of research.

Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon - Larry Millett

1996; 315 pages.  Genre : Holmesian Mystery; Historical Fiction.  New Author? : No.  Overall Rating : 7½*/10.

    James J. Hill is a very rich man.  He owns a railroad that services the logging industry in Minnesota, north of St. Paul.  To boot, he owns most of the surrounding forest.

    But someone who calls himself The Red Demon wants to ruin him.  By burning down his forest.  And his railroad.  And the entire town of Hinckley, where his business is centered.  And all the inhabitants therein.

    James J. Hill doesn't know who the Red Demon is, or why he's so mad at him.  But he can afford the very best detective in the world to figure it out.  Sherlock Holmes.  And his associate, Dr. Watson.

What's To Like...
    Larry Millett lives in the Twin Cities area, used to work for the St. Paul daily newspaper, and has researched its history and written extensively on it.  So the "historical" part of Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon is a masterful thing.  Bringing Holmes and Watson to Minnesota in the 1890's is a bit of a stretch, but via copious notes and an amusing fictional Introduction, Millett renders it plausible.

    The case itself is so-so.  Nothing as complex or mystifying as, say, The Case of the Speckled Band.  But it kept me guessing throughout and had a logical resolution.  The pacing is good, and the cast of suspects, if not engaging, are at least diverse and equally suspicious.

Kewlest New Word...
Porte Cochere : a carriage entrance leading thru a building or wall into an inner courtyard.

Excerpts...
    "You've had a chance to read the letters, Watson.  Tell me, what do you think?"
    "They are the work of a demented mind," I said at once.  "It is my opinion that we are dealing with a madman!"
    "My dear Watson, your command of the obvious is, as always, nonpareil," Holmes said in a mocking manner which I did not find amusing.  "Of course, the person who would write such letters is quite mad.  But the world is full of madmen, and the problem before us is this: What do these letters tell us about this particular madman?"  (pg. 28)

    "Holmes. It is you!"
    "Who did you think it was?" Holmes replied with a smile.
    "The devil," I admitted groggily, for my mind was still somewhat tangled in the cobwebs of sleep.
    Holmes, who obviously took my remark as a compliment, laughed and said, "I have always thought the devil must be a most interesting fellow, with a fine criminal type of mind, and perhaps one day I shall meet him.  But I assure you, Watson, that when yout time comes, it will be St. Peter and not the Prince of Darkness who shall greet you in the great beyond."  (pg. 224)

"If the best evidence of your senses leads you to believe that a thing is impossible, then it probably is."  (pg. 75)
    There really was a James J. Hill; there really was a town called Hinckley; and it really was subject to a great fire in 1894 that claimed hundreds of lives.  Which is not a spoiler, since Millett mentions it in the Introduction.

    Arthur Conan Doyle can rest easy - he's still the master of writing Sherlock Holmes fiction.  Larry Millett won't knock him from his pedestal, but this is a decent effort nevertheless, and I've seen worse.  See here, for example.  We'll give SHatRD 7½ Stars, a bit more if you like Minnesota history.

Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Alliance - Larry Millett

2001; 401 pages (plus 32 pages of notes).  New Author? : Yes.  Book #4 in Millett's Sherlock Holmes series.  Genre : Murder/Mystery.  Overall Rating : 6*/10.

    What on earth are Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson doing in Minnesota in 1899?  Helping their friends and fellow sleuths - Shadwell Rafferty and George Washington Thomas - solve a murder/mystery.  A labor activist has been killed, stripped, and then hanged.  Just to make sure the message is clear, a sign in hung around the victim's neck, reading "The Secret Alliance Has Spoken".  But was it really done by them?  Can our fact-finding foursome get to the bottom of this?  What do you think?

What's To Like...
    The action starts immediately.  We have a body by page 4; and Rafferty is on the case by page 13.  The murder/mystery is nicely constructed.  The solution is neither too obvious, nor too arbitrary.

    Larry Millett lives in the Twin Cities, and takes pains to give you a detailed "feel" for life there at the dawn of the 20th century.  But if historical details aren't your shtick, be of good cheer - most of the minutiae are in notes in the back of the book.  The subject of labor unions vs. industry management is given an even-handed treatment.  Greed has its counter in Extremism; and in 1899, any and all foes are conveniently labeled anarchists, just like today we conveniently call them all terrorists.

    Alas, this isn't the Sherlock Holmes I know.  This one is troubled by his dreams and gets guidance from his premonitions.  Arthur Conan Doyle's Holmes would never do anything that subjective.  Also, Holmes and Watson don't arrive on the scene until almost halfway through the book (page 186, to be exact), and there are very few brilliant Holmesian deductions that we all look forward to.

    Finally, there are way too many back-reference plugs for earlier books in this series.  And Rafferty drops his g's with annoying  frequency.  Sharin'; tryin'; doin'; etc.

Kewlest New Word...
Flaneur : an idler; a loafer.

Excerpts...
    "Ah yes, Miss Addie O'Donnell, the outspoken friend of the workingman.  Have you gone through her place yet with your usual destructive thoroughness?"
    "No.  We do that and she'll raise a big stink in the newspapers."
    "True.  The First Amendment is a constant bother, isn't it, Dolph?  If the Founding Fathers had only started with the Second, our lives would be immeasurably easier."  (pgs. 32-33)

    "Am I callous?  Perhaps, but the reality is that I can do nothing about the accident any more.  Nothing.  I can only accept that what happened was part of God's plan."
    Rafferty had found that when people spoke of "God's plan" they were usually referring to someone else's misfortune, thereby confirming their own lofty status before the Almighty.  (pg. 230)

"Spite, you see, can be a form of idealism."  (pg. 77)
    Larry Millett's Sherlock Holmes will not supplant the original.  Ditto for the mystery itself, and the investigative techniques used to solve it.

    Which is a shame, because based on its own merits, this story is quite good.  If you edit out the two Englishmen (they aren't really necessary except for name-dropping), and rename the book "Shadwell Rafferty and the Secret Alliance", you avoid the inevitable comparison to Conan Doyle, and have yourself a very good historical murder-mystery.  This story rates 8* without Holmes, but only 4* with him.  That averages out to 6 Stars, so we'll go with that.

A Letter Of Mary - Laurie R. King

1996; 315 pages. Genre : Mystery. Sub-Genre : Sherlock Holmes. Book #3 in the "Mary Russell" series. New Author? : No. Overall Rating : 5*/10.

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The third book in this series finds Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes now married and still sleuthing. A Letter Of Mary opens with a cantankerous lady archaeologist paying a visit to get their opinion of an ancient papyrus scroll that seems to have been written by Mary Magdalene. That would seem to be an obvious hoax, until someone murders the archaeologist and ransacks the Holmes/Russell abode in an apparent search for the scroll.

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What's To Like...

Mycroft Holmes is back, as is Inspector Lestrade. Russell and Holmes make for a fascinating couple. Particularly Mary, who is an anachronistic feminist. Some people were put off by this, but I thought it was a unique and worthy twist. Plus, Mary is left-handed, a sure sign of genius.

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The descriptions of 1923 London are neat, and some obscure tidbits of historical trivia are sprinkled throughout. For example, I got to learn about Abishag and Shunammism. Thank you, Wikipedia! The wit runs the length of the story and is quite entertaining.

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In the end however, any book that name-drops Sherlock Holmes will inevitably be compared to Arthur Conan Doyle's works, and in that respect, ALOM falls flat. There are very few Holmesian feats of observation, and when the breakthrough finally comes, it feels like an arbitrary turn of events. Far too many pages are filled with dead-ends (although I suppose you could claim they were red herrings), and the titular letter has almost nothing to do with the story.

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Kewl New Word...

Tutrix : a female tutor. (is that a kewl word, or what?! and I've changed the format of this section - from now on it will be one KNW per book, max.)

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Excerpts...

"Shall we see her?"

"We? My dear Russell, I am the husband of an emancipated woman who, although she may not yet vote in an election, is at least allowed to see her own friends without male chaperonage.:

"Don't be an ass, Holmes. She obviously wants to see both of us..." (pg. 7)

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Actually, I am not against the killing of foxes, being a farmer myself and having lost numerous poultry to them over the years. What I dislike is the unnecessary glorification of bloodthirstiness. We no longer execute our criminals with the prolonged agony of stoning or torture, and I cannot see why we should grant a wild creature any less dignity. (pg. 210-211)

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Cor, stone the crows, as my granfa' used to say..." (pg. 186)

This is the second book I've read from this series (the other one is reviewed here), and both left me muttering "meh". I almost think Laurie King would've been better off developing Mary Russell as a free-standing character. The feminist and theological angles could be more fully addressed, without being overshadowed by the unavoidable and distracting comparison to Conan Doyle's stories.

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OTOH, with some additional effort, A Letter Of Mary really could've been a fine Sherlock Holmes tale. Add in some more Holmesian deductions, tie in all the tangents, make the breakthrough a "Cold Case" type clue that would be easily overlooked at first glance, and give the purported ancient letter some relevance, even if it turns out to be a forgery. Arthur Conan Doyle would have done as much. 5 Stars.