Customer Reviews

Prisoner of the Devil

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Prisoner of the Devil is NOT a pastiche Sherlock Holmes tale ,in the manner of such writers as ,say ,Val Andrews but rather a rich and rewarding novel in its own right ,one adding value to the Holmes canon and that can be enjoyed by people who are not rabid Holmesians .Michael Hardwicke was uniquely well qualified to write such a book being an adapter of the original tales for radio and the theatre ,a writer of Holmes movie novelizations and an expert in the era .I especially recommend his excellent Victorian era police procedural-thriller "Nightbone" as evidence of his absorbtion in the era .
Prisoner of the Devil is ,in addition to being a well written novel a brave one too as it does not end on a note of unqualified triumph for Holmes as his involvement in the case he is investigating is partially thwarted by government machinations

The case is one of the most notorious in European history -that of the French Jew ,Alfred Dreyfus.In 1895 Dreyfus ,a mild and somewhat unprepossessing man ,was carving out a modestly successful career in the French military and was employed on the General Staff when he was accused of trying to sell military secrets to the Germans .He was tried "in camera" and found guilty on the flimsiest of evidence ,being sentenced to life imprisonment on the notorious Devil's Island near the coast of South America,the widespread view of his supporters and other interested parties being that his social isolation and religion(he was Jewish)made him an ideal scapegoat for the misdeeds of other better placed people .
Holmes is approached by Dreyfus' brother Matthieu but he refuses to become involved until he is asked to do so by none other than Queen Victoria who is worried that the case may be exploited by those anxious to drive a wedge between Britain and Germany.Under cover as a journalist he travels to the area ,sneaks onto the Island and meets Dreyfus and is persuaded of his innocence .Holmes uncovers the truth -that Dreyfus is indeed a victim of wider European power struggles .His brother Mycroft warns Holmes off the case claiming his involvement threatens the stability of Europe and throws a number of obstacles in the path of a wholly satisfactory resolution to the case
The book is meticulously researched and is a perfectly good primer on the Dreyfus Case as well as a good historical crime novel .In its view of the primacy of political expedience over justice it is also deeply cynical especially about State Intelligence Agencies

The book is rewarding and makes a great addition to the non Doyle Holmes novels and is a good bet for those who like both the Great Detective and the historical mystery in general

Author Michael Hardwick penned two wonderful Holmes pastiches before his death, this _Prisoner_ being the first. Holmes and Watson are rendered faithfully, better than any other pastiche I've read, and I've read dozens. If you want a fresh Holmes novel, but one that reads like an original story, full of wonderful Watson-like prose, buy this book and pray for a reprint of Hardwick's other pastiche, _Revenge of the Hound._

Author Michael Hardwick has so aped the writing style of Conan Doyle's Dr. Watson, Sherlock Holmes' biographer, that it is difficult to distinguish between them. His intriguing tale finds the Great Detective in the service of the Queen and heading to Devil's Island to look into the Dreyfuss case; and what he finds, as Watson puts it, "is a grim account of treachery, cupidity, repression and shame."

So if you are a coinsurer of the very best in mystery fiction like The Crime Doctor, Sherlock Holmes : The Complete Novels and Stories (Bantam Classic) Volume I, or The Last Sherlock Holmes Story (Oxford Bookworms Library), then I am certain that this thrilling novel will provided you with quite a few lively nights of suspenseful reading.

Mr. Hardwick has weaved a classic! I am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan (I am 13 and have read all of them) and I saw this and knew I had to read it! Mr. Hardwick has lived up to Doyle's standards and delivered a captivating tale of Holmes! At some points, I couldn't tell if it was Mr. Hardwick or Mr. Doyle writing. Doyle's daughter is was like her father's writing. Mr. Hardwick has captured Sherlock Holmes as Doyle did. When I read Doyle and when I read Hardwick, I get the same picture of Holmes in my mind. Mr. Hardwick wrote about the genius detective, and came out with a classic! I enjoyed reading this suspenseful novel!