Graham Moore - The Sherlockian

Graham Moore has written a novel that takes place in two different periods: the turn of the 20th century - which was the end of the Victorian era in England - and the increasingly muddled present. Loosely based on real events, this fascinating novel suggests that the era in which Sherlock Holmes and his creator flourished exists in a kind-of golden glow in our modern imagination. According to Moore the primal source of the mystery story is an innate need to know that lays deep within us all. And the protagonists in both eras actively involve themselves in two great mysteries. In 1900 Arthur Conan Doyle figuratively dons the mantle of his creation Sherlock Holmes. He is aided by his close friend Bram Stoker (the author of Dracula) who serves as a fiercely loyal stand-in for Watson. The two writers are thrust into a dangerous search for the murderer of several young women. It is nearly the end of Conan Doyle's self-imposed 7 year long hiatus from new Sherlock tales following the 'death' of Holmes at the hands of Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls. It is also a period of political upheaval in which women are demanding the right to vote while men - and Conan Doyle is one of the most vocal opponents - seem solidly entrenched in opposition. The nascent modern era appears to have been crystallized in these events as the hideous murders that Conan Doyle and Bram Stoker pursue reveal several bitter surprises. In 2010 a top Holmes scholar claims to have discovered Conan Doyle's long-sought diary covering those first few crucial months in 1900. The diary quickly disappeared after Conan Doyle's mysterious entries and remained lost for more than a century. Soon after the announcement of this critical discovery the scholar is found murdered. Young Harold White, a Sherlock Holmes devotee and recent inductee into The Baker Street Irregulars (the chief assemblage of Holmes buffs) has discovered the scholar's body. With a mysterious young woman acting as HIS Watson, the increasingly excited and ambitious White is also thrust into the Holmes role. The two investigations continue in tandem in alternate chapters. As the mysteries deepen - and their ramifications profoundly resonate through the years - we are skillfully led into several areas of thought. The author uses these events to broach the notion of the mystery tale as a metaphor for some of the deeper conundrums that haunt our lives and hopes. The need to know is deeply ingrained into the human psyche, assuming prime importance even as the illusions of the main characters are stripped away one-by-one, leaving them utterly exposed and vulnerable. The author wields his spare and crystalline prose like a scalpel, dissecting his characters to reveal the bitter truths that lay at their core. It is a bravura performance by a young writer of obvious talent. The Sherlockian is an exemplary novel. It is more than a mere mystery: it is an exploration of the conflicted human heart and our unceasing need for illumination, no matter how faint the light and obscure its revelation. There is one minor complaint: I found the ending somewhat predictable, written with one eye towards Hollywood and the need for a dramatic ending ripe for filming. But that disappointment failed to negate what went before. This is a superb novel.