The Great Game: A Professor Moriarty Novel (Professor Moriarty Novels) [Hardcover]

Michael Kurland (Author)

Book Description

Series: Professor Moriarty Novels | Publication Date: August 11, 2001

Labeled the "Napoleon of Crime" by an obsessed Sherlock Holmes, Professor James Moriarty is a prominent scientist, a keen analytical mind, and a dabbler in less than savory doings. Two friends and former associates of Moriarty - Benjamin Barnett and his wife, the former Cecily Perrine - are travelling in Europe in early 1891 when they realize that they have become objects of scrutiny from persons unknown. Things turn deadly when they find themselves in the midst of an attempted assassination of a German prince. Meanwhile in Vienna, the younger son of a British nobleman - indulging in what was then known as "The Great Game" of amateur spying - finds himself framed for the murder of his paramour and the assassination of an Austrian Duke. In London, an unknown caller arrives at Moriarty's door on a matter of great urgency. But before Moriarty can be summoned to speak with him, the stranger is shot by a crossbow bolt loosed by unseen hands.

While a lesser man might be daunted, Moriarty is merely intrigued and begins to investigate. What Moriarty uncovers is a cabal that seems to be using assassination to destabilize the rule of the crowned heads of Europe. But he also senses that there is something even bigger than this operating - a conspiracy behind the conspiracy - and detects the workings of a mind quite possibly as clever as his own. Using his contacts, friends, and the not-so-desired help of his often nemesis Sherlock Holmes, Moriarty must save his friends and outwit his most cunning opponent while the fate of history hangs in the balance.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Sherlock Holmes as a bit player? The great detective as a somewhat bumbling doper? The reluctance of authors to let go of Conan Doyle's fog-enshrouded London has led to a new subgenre of mystery: Holmes stories in which Holmes himself has largely faded from view. This example of the new breed get the feel of Victorian London just right, while offering innovative perspectives on the character and the era.

Kurland, whose four previous Professor Moriarty novels have been acclaimed for their historical accuracy and adept plotting, returns with The Great Game , which is every bit as successful as its predecessors at bringing fin de siecle Europe to brilliant life and presenting the reader with a wild alternative--that Moriarty may actually be a force for good. The action starts at 221-Baker Street, with an encounter between Holmes and Moriarty designed to bring Holmes into a case that involves both the British and the Austro-Hungarian Empires. But the center of the action remains 64 Russell Square, Moriarty's book-lined lair. The professor, helped by Holmes, works feverishly to circumvent assassination plots on Queen Victoria and Emperor Franz Josef. With the pair moving from European capital to capital, the action veers and twists like that in a contemporary spy thriller. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Michael Kurland has written many non-fiction books on a numerous topics, including How to Solve a Murder, as well as having authored many novels. Twice a finalist for the Edgar Award given by the Mystery Writers of America, Kurland is perhaps best known for his novels about Professor Moriarty. Born and raised in New York City, he lives in Petaluma, California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (August 11, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031220891X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312208912
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,266,096 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A plump, middle-aged man with greying hair and mild, hazel eyes looking out from behind wire-rim glasses, Author Michael Kurland has the perpetually nervous look of a rabbit invited to lunch at the Lions' Club. He has been a teacher of obscure subjects to disinterested children, the editor of a magazine even more idiosyncratic than himself, a seeker of absent persons, a magical explainer, and guest lecturer at numerous unrelated events. But he has never wandered far from his chosen profession of scrivener for very long, since he finds the fawning idolatry of his fans a useful counterbalance to the disinterest of landlords and the disapproval of bank managers.

In Kurland's over 30 books he has romped through a variety of fields. His non-fiction works cover topics as diverse as forensic science, criminal law, espionage, amateur radio, and the history of crime in America, and have been selections of the Military Book Club, the Readers' Digest Book Club, the Junior Literary Guild, and the Writers' Digest Book Club, among others.

Kurland has written a dozen or so science fiction and fantasy novels, notably "Ten little Wizards" and "A Study in Sorcery," set in Randall Garrett's Angevin Empire, and "The Unicorn Girl," which was nominated for a Hugo. He now mainly writes mysteries, including "The Infernal Device," the first of (currently) five Professor Moriarty novels, which was nominated for both an Edgar and an American Book award, and "Too Soon Dead" and "The Girls in the High-Heeled Shoes," set in the 1930s and chronicling the mystery-solving talents of Alexander Brass, a columnist for the New York World. A couple of his books, notably "The Last President," and "Button Bright" fit tenuously into that nondescript category known as "mainstream."

The next Moriarty novel, tentatively titled "Who Thinks Evil," is in the works.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Witty and Delightful--Holmes and Moriarty, November 2, 2001

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Great Game: A Professor Moriarty Novel (Professor Moriarty Novels) (Hardcover)

At the end of the 19th century, Europe teeters toward war. Anarchists and assassins have taken aim at the crowned heads and Sherlock Holmes, at least, sees a connecting thread. Someone, for some reason, is conspiring to overthrow the existing order.

England lacks a professional spy organization--that role being served by aristocratic young men playing 'the great game.' When one of these amateur spies is accused of murder, his father calls on Professor Moriarty to help.

Despite Holmes's profound mistrust of Moriarty, the two can find common cause against the enemies of peace in Europe. Their enemies plan to strike soon, but can either uncover the conspiracy before it is too late?

Author Michael Kurland has created a delightful novel. Holmes fans might initially resist seeing Sherlock as improperly fixated on Moriarty, but Kurland's writing draws the reader in. Moriarty himself, as well as his friends Benjamin and Cecily Barnett are well crafted and interesting. Kurland throws both from one adventure to the next letting the reader chase after.

Sherlock Holmes takeoffs are plentiful these days, but THE GREAT GAME is a huge step ahead of the mob.

Highly Recommended

BooksForABuck.

I appreciate your 'helpful' vote.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable read, December 28, 2001

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Great Game: A Professor Moriarty Novel (Professor Moriarty Novels) (Hardcover)

It is 1891, and political terrorism and assassination are sweeping Europe. Professor James Moriarty, a brilliant if often amoral scientist, finds himself sucked into the maelstrom when certain shadowy organizations take Sherlock Holmes' maundering accusations seriously, and decide they need to deal with this "Napoleon of Crime." Collecting an unusual assortment of allies, Moriarty must use all of his talents to penetrate this mystery and stop those who would set the world at war.

I must admit that this is the first book by Michael Kurland that I have read. I found it quite by chance, and was intrigued by the story's premise. The story's main weakness is that none of the characters seem the least bit Victorian (I couldn't shake the idea that the Barnett's were modeled directly on the Blues (Kathleen Turner and Dennis Quaid), from the movie Undercover Blues). That said, though, the author does spin a great yarn, that succeeds in gripping the reader all the way through to the end.

If you are interested in a story that features the famous (or infamous) Professor Moriarty, or simply like a good thriller, then I highly recommend this book to you. I enjoyed it immensely!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Total Page Turner, November 28, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Great Game: A Professor Moriarty Novel (Professor Moriarty Novels) (Hardcover)

Michael Kurland has written a terrific book that contains clues and subplots that will keep the pages turning. As a reader, you get an deep understand of who each of the characters are, and you develop a new perspective of Professor Moriarty. In all honesty, I think this would make a great movie. It has all the suspense and mystery.