—2.5—

The Art of Detection by Laurie R. King surrounds the murder of a man obsessed with Sherlock Holmes, and a literary murder thought to be written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself. The present day San Fransisco man has renovated much of his house to reflect a home Holmes himself would have lived in, complete with lanterns and a water closet. When this man turns up dead, detective Kate Martinelli is given the case and clues from an undiscovered manuscript that eerily echos the modern day murder.

I was drawn to this novel because its plot surrounded Holmes. However, I often felt the mystery dragged on. Almost half of the 500+ page book is the manuscript, a book within a book I suppose. It wasn’t what you’d call a thrilling mystery, although the eccentric Holmes addicts were entertaining. Overall, I think better mysteries have been written.

2.5/5