It’s taken me a few months after finishing it to get round to reviewing Paul Gilbert’s The Illumination of Sherlock Holmes, and I think that’s because I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. I love the original Conan Doyle stories and this mimicked them in a very clever way; but there was something missing and I don’t know what it was.
The publisher’s blurb is as follows: “Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson reunite after a long and hazardous journey through the icy mountains of Bavaria. They face a dramatic encounter within the walls of a secluded castle. Sherlock Holmes and his brother, Mycroft, give chase, only for their quarry to escape. The three men, in the company of a new and mysterious ally, return to London knowing that an old adversary will be seeking a deadly revenge. Almost at once Holmes and Watson are presented with an intriguing case, one that brings back disquieting memories. However, this only serves as a temporary diversion. Before long, Holmes is challenged by a deadly but beautiful stranger. In a spectacular final showdown, their vengeful enemy proves just how far they’re willing to go.”
It has all the ingredients of a Holmes story… and yet, and yet. It didn’t grip me. I got a little confused in the middle and stopped reading for a while, and when I went back it took me a while before I realised my Kindle had somehow flipped back and I was reading a chapter I’d already read. And now, the acid test for any book — after a few months I can’t really remember much about the plot.
I think a lot of people will love this book. It’s true to the Conan Doyle originals in many ways. But in the back of my mind I seem to hear Elvis singing She’s Not You. It’s everything a Holmes fan could want, but it’s not Conan Doyle. For me, the magic ingredient is missing.
Thanks to Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy in return for an honest review.
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