The Sherlockian

Graham Moore
Twelve (2010)
ISBN 9780446572590
Reviewed by Marty Shaw for Reader Views (3/11)


“The Sherlockian” intrigued me as soon as I saw the cover and the synopsis on the back convinced me that this was a ‘must-read.’ One of the best things about this book is that you don’t have to be a Sherlock Holmes enthusiast to enjoy. My previous encounters with the intrepid detective consist of reading and watching “The Hound of Baskervilles.” While fans of Doyle’s creation might get an extra little thrill out of the content, the characters and plot are strong enough to maintain interest on their own.

The story starts in 1893, with Arthur Conan Doyle plotting a murder with his friends. He plans to kill what some consider his greatest creation - what he himself considers a joke that steals attention from his more serious work. Almost immediately thereafter, we’re whisked away to 2010, where Sherlock Holmes enthusiast Harold White has just been inducted into the ‘Baker Street Irregulars,’ the “world’s preeminent organization devoted to the study of Sherlock Holmes.” This group of Sherlockians has assembled for one of the most historic moments in Sherlockian history – the discovery of Arthur Conan Doyle’s missing journal.

We learn that Doyle, in addition to being a prolific writer, was also a prolific journal-keeper, with a vast collection of papers documenting his thoughts and life, but this one particular book has been missing for over a century. The celebration is cut short though, when the man who discovered the journal is found dead in his motel room, with the journal nowhere in sight. Meanwhile, back in the 1800s, Doyle becomes involved in a mystery worthy of his literary creation and, with the help of Bram Stoker, sets off to solve a murder.

For the modern-day tale, Harold is a likable hero that is easy to root for. He’s not athletic or rich or even socially adept. He’s a normal guy who just happens to believe in the power of deductive reasoning used in the Holmes’ mysteries. Convinced that deduction can solve real-world crimes, Harold sets off to find both the killer and the journal, with a reporter named Sarah accompanying him in hopes of writing a story that will give her career the boost it needs.

While Harold’s adventure is both fun and entertaining - my favorite parts of the story followed Doyle and Stoker through their search for a serial killer. Doyle isn’t portrayed as a superhero or an infallible character. He’s an ordinary guy with a talent for putting pen to paper and, like Harold in modern times, he believes the deductive reasoning used in his writing can be used to solve a real-world crime and is determined to prove this theory to avoid feeling like a con artist deceiving his readers. Stoker, who has yet to publish his book about that fellow in Transylvania, tags along as a pseudo-Watson.

Moore does a great job of interweaving fact and fiction together; the two stories form one entertaining book, “The Sherlockian,” that is sure to please anyone who loves great fiction, mysteries, or Sherlock Holmes.

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