The Whole Art of Detection: Lost Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes, that fascinating detective born from Conan Doyle’s pen in the late Victorian era, still captivates readers and viewers today. Currently, PBS offers specials about Holmes and his friend and biographer, Dr. John Watson; a weekly series about a modern-day Holmes runs on CBS; and authors continue to try their hand at resurrecting the world’s greatest sleuth.
Faye presents us with a credible job of telling stories about Holmes and Watson. Of course, no one but Conan Doyle can do it with perfect authenticity. The book begins with Holmes regaling Watson with stories from his earliest days of solving mysteries. Then come The Early Years, The Return and The Later Years. Most of the stories have been published previously in Strand Magazine, the publication which also published the first Sherlock Holmes tales.
The mysteries are satisfying and the writing an approximation of Doyle’s, though not quite as formal in language, which is probably a good thing for modern readers. Overall, a fun read and another incarnation of the incomparable Sherlock Holmes.