A Samba for Sherlock: A Novel [Paperback]

Jose Eugenio Soares (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 1998

"Full of suspense and humor. . . . If Soares is remarkably strong in the crime scenes, he's also deliciously agreeable in his reconstruction of places and people."                          --Folha de São Paulo (Brazil)

Set in Rio de Janeiro in 1886, this internationally acclaimed literary thriller opens with the theft of a priceless Stradivarius violin that has been presented by Dom Pedro, emperor of Brazil, to his favorite mistress. At the same time a hideously inventive killer is prowling the boulevards and back alleys of Rio, leaving a violin string entangled in the intimate parts of his beautiful victims. Only one man possesses the genius, the valor, and the discretion that both cases demand: Sherlock Holmes.  
     In this witty, charming, and highly original novel, the Brazilian author Jô Soares boldly reimagines Conan Doyle's legendary sleuth, introducing a very distracted and debauched Sherlock Holmes, one who trades cocaine for "Indian cigarettes" and falls head over heels for a sultry actress. Overflowing with suspense and historical erudition, A Samba for Sherlock is a novel that combines the authenticity of The Alienist with the exuberant fantasy of carnaval.

"Written with irresistible humor and remarkable control."  
--L'Espresso (Italy)

"One of the most charming and entertaining books of the year."  
--Le Point (France)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Portugese --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

"Full of suspense and humor. . . . If Soares is remarkably strong in the crime scenes, he's also deliciously agreeable in his reconstruction of places and people." --Folha de São Paulo (Brazil)

Set in Rio de Janeiro in 1886, this internationally acclaimed literary thriller opens with the theft of a priceless Stradivarius violin that has been presented by Dom Pedro, emperor of Brazil, to his favorite mistress. At the same time a hideously inventive killer is prowling the boulevards and back alleys of Rio, leaving a violin string entangled in the intimate parts of his beautiful victims. Only one man possesses the genius, the valor, and the discretion that both cases demand: Sherlock Holmes.
In this witty, charming, and highly original novel, the Brazilian author Jô Soares boldly reimagines Conan Doyle's legendary sleuth, introducing a very distracted and debauched Sherlock Holmes, one who trades cocaine for "Indian cigarettes" and falls head over heels for a sultry actress. Overflowing with suspense and historical erudition, A Samba for Sherlock is a novel that combines the authenticity of The Alienist with the exuberant fantasy of carnaval.

"Written with irresistible humor and remarkable control."
--L'Espresso (Italy)

"One of the most charming and entertaining books of the year."
--Le Point (France)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; First Vintage International Edition edition (October 27, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375700668
• ISBN-13: 978-0375700668
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,019,109 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Cultural Misunderstanding, December 14, 1998

By 

Carlo Carrenho (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Samba for Sherlock (Hardcover)

I have read this book in Portuguese. After reading all the reviews posted here, I decided to write my own, from a Brazilian perspective. I fully understand the opinions of the Sherlock aficionados that hated the book, but there are some observations I must make: 1) This book is not about a Sherlock Holmes that goes to a tropical country (Brazil), but it is about a "Brazil" that welcomes a Sherlock Holmes. In other words, the main character is not Holmes, but the 19th century Rio de Janeiro society. 2) Soares is a comediant, so for anyone who knows him, it is not a surprise that he would make fun of Holmes and everything else. (Note how he depicts the Brazilian society; it is a lot worse than what he does to Holmes!!!). 3) Brazil has a society that tends to "Brazilianize" all the foreign elements (and immigrants) that arrive in the country. I think that's what Soares tried to do with Sherlock Holmes. By the way, from a Brazilian point of view, Holmes attitudes were very praisable, while Watson seemed to be too closed to new cultural experiences. As a last comment, I would like to say that the American publisher should have tried to give a better idea of the book on its cover and back cover text. This way, the traditional Sherlock aficionados could avoid the book or understand it better.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are a Sherlock fan, stay away or enjoy the joke..., February 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Samba for Sherlock (Hardcover)

I've read the other reviews on this book, and i'm sad to see that 90% of the North American readers (myself included) bought this book expecting a traditional Holmes adventure. I have to admit that as soon as i got into this reading i noticed this could not be serious...so, i decided to read it as a joke, and guess what: it was not bad at all, in fact, it was a very entertaining book, full of humor and extremely light reading... I'm a big Holmes fan, but the people who rated this book as being the worst ever writen with the character of Sherlock Holmes are idiots who treat a ficcional character as a religion! Folks, Sherlock Holmes never existed, ok? The reviews i read about this book are the type of reviews you can expect from a bunch of Catholic priests reading Carl Sagan...sorry i had to read those, the book is awesome!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining satire, February 18, 2003

By 

Denis Benchimol Minev "Amazonia" (Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Samba for Sherlock: A Novel (Paperback)

This book is an entertaining satire of a supposed Sherlock Holmes case in Brazil. The author does a good job of adding components of Brazilian culture to the case, poking fun at the concept of a know-it-all investigator while the story unfolds in pretty random fashion.

It should be read as what it really is, a satire. This book is not for those seeking the brilliant problem solving of Sherlock Holmes, it is definitely not here.