Thursday, October 17, 2013

Kregel: The Reichenback Problem by Martin Allison Booth

Song Stuck on the Brain: House of the Rising Sun by The Animals


by
 
Martin Allison Booth
 
 
 
 
MY TAKE:

I love Sherlock Holmes. His curmudgeonly brilliance and tactlessness is somehow endearing despite every bit of reason that says it shouldn't be. I've enjoyed Sherlock and Doc Watson in just about every form presented. SO I was sure I would love the fictional tale of Arthur Conan Doyle. A brilliant man who most likely was more like Sherlock than he ever cared to admit. I was rather excited to start this book.

Then I actually did start the book and found myself forcing myself to turn pages and propping my eyelids open. The begining is very slow and dry, in my opinion, and it takes way too long for the mystery to truly begin. It was too slow paced and dry for my tastes, I believe I'll stick with the original Sherlock himself.

I have to give the author credit for a feeling of authenticity, the language and feel of the setting felt very much like a Sherlockian/Conan Doyle book. And the character Conan Doyle himself was interesting. How could he not be? The man did a little bit of everything! The book did have it's moments of pleasure, just not enough for me personally to balance the scales.

I will say, to each his own. Everyone's tastes vary, so if it looks intriguing to you, please don't let my opinions stop you from trying it yourself. For your info, the book description, excerpt and trailer is below.
 
 
ABOUT THE BOOK:
 
Arthur Conan Doyle is on the run from his own fame. Taking a much needed holiday, Doyle flees to a picturesque village in Switzerland nestled beneath the imposing Reichenbach Falls. There he hopes to find anonymity, but even in this beautiful rural setting, peace eludes him when he finds himself immediately recognized by a fan who pressures him into looking into the death of a fellow visitor.

All too soon, Doyle’s somewhat unwilling gentle probing into the case begins to cause the finger of suspicion to turn towards him. But can the creator of the famous detective actually do the sleuthing himself? Although able to pen the character of Sherlock, he soon begins to learn he does not share his leading creation’s characteristics, but rather Watson’s. Can the “sidekick” see enough of the picture to solve the case for once?

Sherlock Holmes has fascinated readers ever since he first burst into fiction, over one hundred years ago. In this novel, the first in a trilogy, we meet his author and discover the difficult relationship between them.
 

Read an excerpt HERE.
 


2 comments:

Beckie B. said...

I have to agree with your assessment. I too thought I would love this book, but soon found myself bored with it. Thanks for your review.

April Erwin said...

Thanks for stopping by Beckie. I hate to leave negative reviews, I find most books enjoyable in some way, but sometimes a miss is just a miss. Here's hoping someone else enjoyed it more.