The Sherlockian [Hardcover]

Graham Moore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2010

In December 1893, Sherlock Holmes-adoring Londoners eagerly opened their Strand magazines, anticipating the detective's next adventure, only to find the unthinkable: his creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, had killed their hero off. London spiraled into mourning -- crowds sported black armbands in grief -- and railed against Conan Doyle as his assassin.

Then in 1901, just as abruptly as Conan Doyle had "murdered" Holmes in "The Final Problem," he resurrected him. Though the writer kept detailed diaries of his days and work, Conan Doyle never explained this sudden change of heart. After his death, one of his journals from the interim period was discovered to be missing, and in the decades since, has never been found.


Or has it?

When literary researcher Harold White is inducted into the preeminent Sherlock Holmes enthusiast society, The Baker Street Irregulars, he never imagines he's about to be thrust onto the hunt for the holy grail of Holmes-ophiles: the missing diary. But when the world's leading Doylean scholar is found murdered in his hotel room, it is Harold - using wisdom and methods gleaned from countless detective stories - who takes up the search, both for the diary and for the killer.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Amazon Best Books of the Month, December 2010: The Sherlockian begins with Arthur Conan Doyle pondering the best way to kill off the character that brought him fame, fortune, and the angst of a writer desperate to be remembered for more than "a few morbid yarns." We then skip more than a hundred years into the future, to meet Harold White, a Sherlock Holmes devotee attending an annual celebration of hundreds of Sherlockian societies. When both Conan Doyle and White face grisly murders, Graham Moore's delightful debut novel really takes off, bouncing merrily between these two characters and time periods. Replete with winking cameos and Holmes-worthy twists, The Sherlockian is an inspired historical suspense novel that will captivate Holmes fans and anyone who loves a good twisty, clever mystery. --Daphne Durham

From Publishers Weekly

Moore's debut cleverly sets an accidental investigator on the track of an old document within the world of Sherlock Holmes buffs, though the results may please those with only a superficial knowledge of the great detective. In January 2010, Harold White, "a freelance literary researcher" who helps defend Hollywood studios against claims of copyright infringement, is inducted into the pre-eminent Sherlockian society, the Baker Street Irregulars, at their annual New York City dinner. During the festivities, scholar Alex Cale plans to present a long-lost diary penned by Arthur Conan Doyle that he's discovered, but someone strangles Cale before he can do so. Doyle's great-grandson hires White to solve the murder and trace the diary, which is missing from Cale's hotel room. Chapters alternate between White's amateur sleuthing in Europe and Doyle's own account of his search for a serial killer, aided by Dracula creator Bram Stoker. Admirers of similar efforts by Anthony Boucher, H. Paul Jeffers, and Arthur Lewis will find this falls short of their standard. (Dec.) (c)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Twelve; First Edition edition (December 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446572594
• ISBN-13: 978-0446572590
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.2 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (115 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,162 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Graham Moore is a twenty-eight-year old graduate of Columbia University, where he received his degree in Religious History. He is from Chicago and lives in Los Angeles.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

88 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thrilling novel about our deep need to know, November 3, 2010

By 

Mike Birman (Brooklyn, New York USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Sherlockian (Hardcover)

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Graham Moore has written a novel that takes place in two different periods: the turn of the 20th century - which was the end of the Victorian era in England - and the increasingly muddled present. Loosely based on real events, this fascinating novel suggests that the era in which Sherlock Holmes and his creator flourished exists in a kind-of golden glow in our modern imagination. According to Moore the primal source of the mystery story is an innate need to know that lays deep within us all. And the protagonists in both eras actively involve themselves in two great mysteries. In 1900 Arthur Conan Doyle figuratively dons the mantle of his creation Sherlock Holmes. He is aided by his close friend Bram Stoker (the author of Dracula) who serves as a fiercely loyal stand-in for Watson. The two writers are thrust into a dangerous search for the murderer of several young women. It is nearly the end of Conan Doyle's self-imposed 7 year long hiatus from new Sherlock tales following the 'death' of Holmes at the hands of Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls. It is also a period of political upheaval in which women are demanding the right to vote while men - and Conan Doyle is one of the most vocal opponents - seem solidly entrenched in opposition. The nascent modern era appears to have been crystallized in these events as the hideous murders that Conan Doyle and Bram Stoker pursue reveal several bitter surprises.

In 2010 a top Holmes scholar claims to have discovered Conan Doyle's long-sought diary covering those first few crucial months in 1900. The diary quickly disappeared after Conan Doyle's mysterious entries and remained lost for more than a century. Soon after the announcement of this critical discovery the scholar is found murdered. Young Harold White, a Sherlock Holmes devotee and recent inductee into The Baker Street Irregulars (the chief assemblage of Holmes buffs) has discovered the scholar's body. With a mysterious young woman acting as HIS Watson, the increasingly excited and ambitious White is also thrust into the Holmes role. The two investigations continue in tandem in alternate chapters. As the mysteries deepen - and their ramifications profoundly resonate through the years - we are skillfully led into several areas of thought. The author uses these events to broach the notion of the mystery tale as a metaphor for some of the deeper conundrums that haunt our lives and hopes. The need to know is deeply ingrained into the human psyche, assuming prime importance even as the illusions of the main characters are stripped away one-by-one, leaving them utterly exposed and vulnerable. The author wields his spare and crystalline prose like a scalpel, dissecting his characters to reveal the bitter truths that lay at their core. It is a bravura performance by a young writer of obvious talent. The Sherlockian is an exemplary novel. It is more than a mere mystery: it is an exploration of the conflicted human heart and our unceasing need for illumination, no matter how faint the light and obscure its revelation. There is one minor complaint: I found the ending somewhat predictable, written with one eye towards Hollywood and the need for a dramatic ending ripe for filming. But that disappointment failed to negate what went before. This is a superb novel.

63 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For fans of Sherlock Holmes, November 19, 2010

By 

sb-lynn (Santa Barbara, California United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Sherlockian (Hardcover)

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Brief summary and review, no spoilers.

This story is told in alternating chapters, starting off in the 1883 as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is contemplating killing off his fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes. The next chapter takes us to the present as we are introduced to Harold White, who has recently been invited to be a member of the prestigious Baker Street Irregulars. He is the youngest member, and he has earned his invitation by his extensive knowledge of all things regarding Holmes and by his having written an article in the Irregulars' quarterly publication called The Baker Street Journal. To say he is excited is an understatement.

As we go back and forth in time in these alternating chapters, we follow Arthur Conan Doyle (teamed up with his friend, Dracula author Bram Stoker) as they investigate a serial killer. We see how Doyle was castigated by Holmes fans for killing their hero, and we find out why years later, Doyle brings Holmes back to life in The Hound of the Baskervilles. We also find out why he wrote the diary which went missing for so many years.

In the chapters that take place in the present time, Harold White also becomes involved in the investigation of a murder of a member of the Baker Street Irregulars - one who purportedly had a long missing and much sought after diary from Arthur Conan Doyle. Along with his "Watson", a young woman named Sarah, we resolve the mystery and find out what happened to that diary.

If you are a big fan of Sherlock Holmes and you are are familiar with Doyle's stories and novels I think you will enjoy this book. I thought the alternating chapter technique was used effectively, and I liked that. At the same time, in critique, this was not a page-turner for me, and when I'd put the book down I was not that eager to pick it back up. I was surprised to feel this way because I do love mystery novels, although I admit I am rusty on my knowledge of Holmes since it's been years since I read those stories. At the same time, this book did make me think about picking them up again and I appreciate that.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Moore's a new player in the game. Good job., November 14, 2010

By 

Dick Johnson (Oklahoma USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Sherlockian (Hardcover)

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This is a very good first novel. I usually do not like a parallel story format. Here, Moore alternates chapters between the present day characters and the historical A. C. Doyle with a famous friend. Surprisingly, he pulled it off. I think the key was the length of the chapters, each ending with a bit of a cliffhanger that made it easy to slip back into each story line on return.

The Product Description (unfortunately we have to click on "See all Editorial Reviews" above and look for it) nicely summarizes the plot without spoiling any of the story. In the style of good mysteries, we have a murder or two or maybe some more. We also have a missing volume of Doyle's diary. Of course, all the normal phrases from Sherlock Holmes come to mind as you read through the book.

The primary success of the book is Moore's writing - it's very smooth and he doesn't try to get in the way of the story to show his ability. That, in itself, showed his ability. The characters, though, are unevenly developed. We have the very well drawn and the very stereotyped. But, that doesn't particularly affect the story. (Our hero provides us with some enjoyable moments and it seems this could be the first of a series.)

The story, though quite fun, is too predictable too often. That is not a fatal flaw, because (again) the uniqueness of the story and the writing ability make a few problems forgivable. Unfortunately, it does make for a weaker overall impression than I was hoping for. This is well worth the time and a good addition to a mystery library - and definitely a better than average first novel.