This Week in Reviews– November 4th, 2022
Following up on last week’s capsule reviews, I will continue that this week.
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, by Vincent Starrett
In this casual “biography” of Sherlock Holmes’ life and career, Starrett summarizes the great detective’s life based on little snippets and comments from the original stories, along with historical background from Conan Doyle’s writing, as well as the early stage productions of adaptations featuring Holmes. It’s an interesting look at the “life” of Holmes, addressing issues such as contradictions in dates and characterization, as well as providing profiles on how Dr. Joseph Bell inspired Holmes, and other real-life details connected to the development of Holmes. Definitely of great interest for Sherlock Holmes fans, though given my extensive knowledge of the subject, I already knew most of what was in the book. Though they share a title, this book is quite different from the Billy Wilder movie.
Not Quite Dead Enough, by Rex Stout
The Nero Wolfe novels by Rex Stout novels span from the Great Depression to Watergate, and about twenty percent of the way through the series, Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin are investigating crimes connected to World War Two. In the titular story, the first of two novellas that compose the volume, Archie’s serving in the armed forces, and he’s tasked with convincing Wolfe to perform investigations to help the war effort. The problem is, Wolfe is obsessed with the idea of getting in shape and becoming a soldier. Archie, seeing the folly of such a plan, realizes the only way he can get Wolfe to become a detective again is to frame himself for a murder he didn’t commit and force Wolfe to clear his name! The second story, “Booby Trap,” has Wolfe investigating the death of a military man, killed by a grenade. Both are entertaining stories, and this is a terrific use of a wartime setting.
–Chris Chan
Chris Chan’s anthology Of Course He Pushed Him and Other Sherlock Holmes Stories Volumes 1 & 2 was released on June 22nd. His first novel, Sherlock’s Secretary, was released by MX Publishing. His Agatha-nominated book Murder Most Grotesque: The Comedic Crime Fiction of Joyce Porter was published by Level Best Books. His first non-fiction book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there). It is also available in a Kindle edition.
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