Customer Reviews

The Empress of India: A Professor Moriarty Novel (Professor Moriarty Novels)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

THE EMPRESS OF INDIA is a pretty good read, even though there are too many oddball characters and the identity of the gold thief is obvious. I've read all of Michael Kurland's Moriarty books even though I'm not crazy about the idea that the professor is an innocent victim of Holmes' bizarre obsession about a master criminal - that idea had already been used in THE SEVEN PERCENT SOLUTION. The biggest fault here is that Holmes is missing for most of the story, robbing the reader of his exchanges with Moriarty. THE GREAT GAME was better, they were forced to work together in that one.

This author has definitely found his niche. All of the Moriarty and Holmes books by this author very much work in conjunction with the original Holmes stories or as stand alone stories.

In 1890, the Empress of India leaves Calcutta carrying a quarter-ton of gold to deliver to the Bank of England in London. The vessel also carries an assortment of passengers including the notorious Professor James Moriarty and the malevolent Colonel Sebastian Moran. Brigadier General Sir Edward St. Yves leads thirty Highland Lancers watching over the fortune; his eighteen years old Lolita like daughter, Margaret accompanies him.

Moriarty and Moran compete for possession of the valuable heavily bejeweled statuette "Queen of Lamapoor" also on board. However, someone steals the gold shipment. The English government immediately assumes Moriarty did the deed. They ask Holmes to retrieve the stolen loot from the Professor, but instead he vanishes. Meanwhile Moriarty not enjoying the limelight that interferes with his "business" activities decides to solve the case of what appears to have been an impossible theft.

The latest Moriarty investigative tale is a fabulous historical mystery that uses the "locked room" concept enhanced by a vivid look at relationships during the late Victorian era "The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire" mindset. The terrific story line contains a strong who-done-it and how he or she purloined the gold, but is held together mostly by the "hero" who finds being the prime suspect interfering with his efforts to win the prize of GREAT GAME instead of Moran succeeding at the endeavor. Michael Kurland provides a wonderful thriller as the unknown opponent seems to match Moriarty with for wit.

Harriet Klausner

I'll admit, I get inordinately annoyed by boneheaded mistakes in period novels that could have easily been fixed had the writer done even a smidgen of research. Unfortunately, this book is loaded to the gills with some of the most glaring mistakes I've ever seen in professionally published fiction.

I should have known that this book would raise my blood pressure when, in the very first section, the Honourable Eustace Bergarot is referred to *by Watson* as "Honourable Bergarot".

"Honourable Bergarot", I bleeping kid you not.

And it goes downhill from there: a brigadier-general in the British Army?? This is only one of the gobsmackers you'll find. It's just...feh, I have better things to do than to read a book about Victorian England written by someone who won't even do the most basic research.

Empress of India is a rather good example of the Holmes inspired pastiche let down by a few defects.
Firstly it's rather predictable; from the identity of the gold thieves to the fate of Holmes.
Secondly it's rather slow moving with frequent distractions.
Finally Kurland seems to have skimped on his research; some further work on British Army ranks (i.e. no Brigadier General), firearms (since when does a Martini-Henry have a magazine?), the value of gold in 1890 (two tons of gold would not have been worth four million sterling: more like a quarter million) and other hostorical details would have been time well spent.

All in all it's not bad though not as good as his other works or Laurie King's Holmes/Russell works.

As an "expert" on Sherlock Holmes and all the "bad guys" who are connected with him, I was anxious to read this book. It was fair. I enjoyed reading it...but...I could tell how the plot was going to play out by half-way through the book. For Holmes fanatics, read it...for others...don't.