The Shadow of Reichenbach Falls [Hardcover]

John R. King (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 5, 2008

Probably the most infamous story in the Sherlock Holmes canon is “The Final Problem” as it relates the facts of the death/murder of the master detective at Reichenbach Falls. On May 4, 1891, the detective met his archenemy Professor Moriarty on a ledge above the falls; the two became locked in a titanic hand-to-hand struggle before both tumbled over the precipice, presumably to their deaths, as witnessed afar by Dr.Watson. The outcry against the death of such a popular character was so great that in 1901 Conan Doyle was forced to give in to the pressure of his fan mail. He resurrected the detective by claiming that Holmes had managed to grab a tuft of grass during the fall into the “dreadful cauldron” and so had lived to solve another mystery.

But what really happened that infamous day at Reichenbach Falls and why did Holmes disappear in the aftermath? And what of the infamous Moriarty? How did a noble mathematician become the Napoleon of Crime?

The Shadow of Reichenbach Falls provides these answers and more. It turns out that the events were not just witnessed by Watson but by another young detective of the Victorian era—Carnacki the Ghost Finder. Carnacki rescues an amnesiac gentleman from the base of the falls only to find himself and his companion doggedly pursued by an evil mastermind whose shadowy powers may reach from the bloody crime scenes of White Chapel to far beyond the grave.

Filled with Holmesian lore and thrilling encounters evocative of Doyle’s work in the Strand magazine, The Shadow of Reichenbach Falls will undoubtedly join the ranks of such successful Holmesian pastiches as The Seven Percent Solution, The West End Horror, and Murder by Decree.

 

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* The popular fantasy novelist (readers know him better as J. Robert King) joins the ranks of Sherlock Holmes pastiche-ists with this thoroughly enjoyable novel. The story begins in May 1891, in Switzerland. Thomas Carnaki, a poor (but educated) traveler, makes the acquaintance of Anna Schmidt, a beautiful young woman. Together they picnic near Reichenbach Falls, where, five years earlier, Anna’s father had perished. Thomas and Anna are astonished to witness a fight between two men, which ends when one of them falls to his apparent death. After pulling the man out of the water, Thomas finds that he has amnesia. Thomas doesn’t know who this man is, with his distinctive appearance and incredible deductive powers, but we quickly figure it out, and soon we’re off on a fast-paced adventure that pits Holmes against his nemesis, the Napoleon of crime, Professor Moriarty. A good standard for judging the quality of a Holmes pastiche is to ask whether the novel would still be a good one if it were not about the great detective. On that score, the novel succeeds completely: it is a fine historical thriller that stands on its own two feet, but it also offers a tantalizing solution to the question of what happened after the events of Conan Doyle’s story “The Final Problem,” in which Holmes apparently died. A treat for Holmes devotees. --David Pitt

Review

Praise for The Shadow of Reichenbach Falls

“From the first page I was hooked … This is a marvelous read!”--Elaine Bergstrom, author of Shattered Glass and Mina…the Dracula Story Continue

“The Shadow of Reichenbach Falls is a rousing mystery-adventure wreathed in the smoke of Holmes’s meerschaum pipe and bathed in the eerie light of Carnacki’s electric pentacle. Deftly told and exciting.”--James Lowder, author of Prince of Lies

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (August 5, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765318016
• ISBN-13: 978-0765318015
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #711,277 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Exciting opening, mildly interesting middle, deteriorating to absurdity - not Holmes, by any measure, November 21, 2008

By 

ginnyk "ginnyk" (Glenside, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Shadow of Reichenbach Falls (Hardcover)

I'm really glad I got this book from the library. It starts out with excitement, the struggle at Reichenbach Falls, the rescue of a drowning man who turns out to have traumatic amnesia and turns out to be Holmes. Then there is the rescue from a doctor, blackmailed by Moriarity, who attempts to kill Holmes, and other rescues from Moriarity himself. Key actors are Anna, Moriarity's daughter, along with Carnacki, who is writing this letter to - Watson, I guess. The book then segues into Moriarity's biography, in which he recalls his history and why he turned to crime. He turned to crime when he tracked and killed Jack the Ripper who - oh horrors! - turns out to be demon-possessed, and the demon possesses Moriarity. Things plod along, Moriarity conducts his life of crime (using research created by his wife, who was killed by the Ripper), battles with Holmes, the events of this story occur, Moriarity is killed, and the demon possesses Holmes, who then turns to crime. In the end, Holmes is rescued by Carnacki dissipating the demon through an electricity driven pentacle.

This is so far from what writing about Holmes should be, I can't find enough derogatory words. If you want to read stories much closer to Holmes, postulating his post-retirement life and without supernatural beings, try Laurie King's novels. But don't, please don't waste your money on this book.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Definitely not Holmesian, January 16, 2009

By 

W. Wirtanen "Wild Wil" (St. Louis MO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Shadow of Reichenbach Falls (Hardcover)

Proported to be the story of Sherlock Holmes right after his fall at Reichenbach Falls with Prof. Moriarty, it is disappointing.
Mr. King starts out with Moriarty chasing an amnesiac Holmes and deftly inserts Moriarty's life and his rise to be the king of crime that makes for a good story.
The whole thing then goes off the tracks when the book started to be the Exorcist.
Sherlock Holmes' fan will be as disappointed as I was.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Toss It Over the Falls, July 1, 2009

By 

Larry Latham (Tulsa, OK United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Shadow of Reichenbach Falls (Hardcover)

In retrospect, I'd have gotten more enjoyment from setting my twenty bucks on fire, plus I'd only be out a few minutes time rather than the several hours trudging through this mess.

The iniital idea sounds exciting, but the writer pushes that over the falls, too, almost right from the beginning. Even given that Carnacki is a younger version of the one in the Hodgson stories, I never for a moment buy the protagonist of this story as the same character. Holmes spends most of the novel lost in amnesia, and King is at such great pains to not reveal who he or his nemesis is that it sets up the expectation of a twist. It never comes. Amnesia, I suppose, is an excuse for Holmes not acting in any way that you would recognize from Doyle's stories. Midway through, the narrative switches over to the diary of Moriarty -again, a totally new character stamped with a famous name. It's tedious and rambling, with the occult shoehorned in so forcefully near the end that my feet hurt.