The Surrogate Assassin [Hardcover]

Christopher Leppek (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Write Way Publishing; 1St Edition edition (August 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885173547
• ISBN-13: 978-1885173546
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #720,402 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stylish Holmes in a uniquely American plot, February 25, 1999

By 

Ron Franscell, Author of 'Sourtoe Cocktail Club' - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Surrogate Assassin (Hardcover)

Christopher Leppek has transplanted the great British detective to American soil to explore one of America's greatest crimes, the assassination of Lincoln. His attention to the facts in the true crime only make this story more appealing. He has played fairly with the reader by offering his fictional alternative explanation, to the point where I momentarily considered John Wilkes Booth in an entirely new light.

Leppek captures the rhythms of Arthur Conan Doyle admirably. Holmes's American fans (and fans of the number of Holmes knock-offs this century) should love this story. And before it is classified as merely a mindless mystery entertainment, it should be appreciated for its expertly handled message (properly posed by a contemporary journalist): History is not always what it seems.

Good work, Chris. "The Surrogate Assassin" gave me several hours of pleasureable and challenging reading.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting in Spite of Flaws, November 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Surrogate Assassin (Hardcover)

This book is less an adventure of Sherlock Holmes than it is a re-examination of the Lincoln assassination and the role of John Wilkes Booth. The author uses Holmes (and utilises every horrid, tired cliche' in doing so) as a vehicle to put forth his own theory regarding the assassination. There are significant flaws in the reasoning he forces through Holmes to reach his conclusion (for instance, there is a key error of fact which no educated Englishman, particularly Holmes, could possibly have made). Overall, though, the writer does an admirable job of breathing life into this period of American history. The historic people and places who hitherto have been mere names are vividly drawn and can be clearly seen and heard by the reader. Although I won't give it a place of honour on my shelf of Holmes pastiches, it is still worth reading for entertainment.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read, authetic in every respect., July 8, 1999

By 

Bryan D. Costin "omnivorous reader" (Westminster, MD United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Surrogate Assassin (Hardcover)

One of the best latter-day Sherlockian works I've read--and I've read a lot of them. The author does a masterful job of portraying the Holmes and Watson we've grown to love, while placing them into a completely alien environment--the United States. Many have tried this and failed, but Christopher Leppek does a near-perfect job. The plot is appropriately dramatic and, while historically unlikely, it's skillfully constructed and has a definite ring of authenticity. It's pure fiction, of course, but a good author can persuade his reader not to care-- and I found Mr. Leppeck to be a very good author.