A Three Pipe Problem [Hardcover]

Julian Symons (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 17, 1975

A fading actor is playing the detective Sherlock Holmes in a TV series. Persuading himself that by following in the master's footsteps he can solve a string of apparently unrelated murders - the "Karate Killings" - he begins to investigate the crimes.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Mr Symons has never done anything so wholly delightful' -- Sunday Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Julian Symons is primarily remembered as a master of the art of crime writing. However, in his eighty-two years he produced an enormously varied body of work. Social and military history, biography and criticism were all subjects he touched upon with remarkable success, and he held a distinguished reputation in each field.

His novels were consistently highly individual and expertly crafted, raising him above other crime writers of his day. It is for this that he was awarded various prizes, and, in 1982, named as Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America - an honour accorded to only three other English writers before him: Graham Greene, Eric Ambler and Daphne Du Maurier. He succeeded Agatha Christie as the president of Britain's Detection Club, a position he held from 1976 to 1985, and in 1990 he was awarded the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the British Crime Writers for his lifetime's achievement in crime fiction. Symons died in 1994. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Collins Crime Club; 1st edition (February 17, 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0002313782
• ISBN-13: 978-0002313780
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,162,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Life imitating art, or the other way round?, June 2, 2009

By 

CMBohn "cmb" (Orem, UT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Three-Pipe Problem (Paperback)

Actor Sheridan Haynes is really Sherlock Holmes. Well, not really. But he does play him in a British television program. He has a bit of an obsession about the detective. They share the same initials. He even has a flat on Baker Street. If only life were as simple as it is in the books.

In real life, his Watson is an open homosexual, which bothers the intensely private Haynes. His wife is sleeping with the producer. They've rewritten his scripts to include a hint of romance. Traffic is horrible. And everyone seems to be laughing at him.

So when a new series of murders has all of London talking, Holmes - I mean Haynes - is determined to solve the case. Using the great detective's own methods, surely he can identify the murderer before Scotland Yard!

He starts by finding his own set of Baker Street Irregulars. The suspects - none other than his fellow cast members. Haynes seems to be getting close enough in his investigation to get himself into danger. Things escalate until no one - not Haynes, not the police, and not the reader - can tell who to trust.

I really enjoyed this book. The ending and the identity of the murderer was in question almost until the very end of the book. So many people looked guilty. This is more of a psychological mystery than a straight murder. Symons is brilliant at creating this sort of book, where you don't know what to expect at all. If you like cozy mysteries, this is very different, but if you prefer a book where there are more shades of gray than black and white, you will like this one. A well done twist on the classic Holmes story.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good read but a bit implausible, April 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Three Pipe Problem (Hardcover)

This isn't a book in which Sherlock Holmes appears, rather it is set in the 1970's and the main character is a TV actor that plays Holmes.

Although I quite enjoyed this book there is one glaring oversight that the author makes (I will mention it here because it won't give away who the guilty party is) - at the end of the book the crook is killed and "Holmes" is knocked unconscious. Only these two people knew who the crook was, yet when "Holmes" comes to he is hailed as a hero and everybody now knows the full story. Who told them?