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Sherlock Holmes and the Devil’s Grail |
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 Sherlock Holmes and the Devil’s Grail byBarrie Roberts Allison & Busby Crime 190 pages, June 2000 ISBN 0749004703 Reviewed by our UK Editor Rachel A Hyde There are a good many Sherlock Holmes novels on the market, and too many of them deserve to be called by that pejorative term "pastiche" - but not this one. As I tumbled into the story, I felt that Conan Doyle himself would have enjoyed it and found it in keeping with his own works. The year is 1895. Holmes and Watson are staying at a hotel during Mrs. Hudson’s unavoidable absence, when a mysterious assailant fires at them. Also staying at the hotel is an American tobacco millionaire and his family who have been receiving death threats, although Colonel John Vincent Harman is quick to dismiss the idea. But when his son is abducted, it is time to call in the Baker Street pair. What follows is a delightful roller-coaster ride encompassing sinister pagan rituals at country houses, Moriarty’s sidekick Drew, and dashes across the country to ancient sites to search for priceless treasures. All this action is packed into under 200 pages with not one boring moment. I am not normally a fan of attempts to resurrect characters from classic novels, yet this is an uncommon exception, proving that it can be done successfully. The characters were nicely drawn without resorting to caricature, although the villain proved elusive and did not truly play much of a part aside from pulling strings in the background. Barrie Roberts’ earlier novel Sherlock Holmes and the Railway Maniac was competently handled. In his latest Sherlock Holmes and the Devil’s Grail, readers will find an exciting new yarn. |
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