“Art in the Blood: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure”, by Bonnie MacBird

 

336 pages, ‎ Collins Crime Club, ISBN-13: 978-0008129699

So we had a power outage out here and, rather than sit in darkness, I took my mother to her local library (which was, evidently, on a different grid) just to have a look around – and I found this, Art in the Blood – A Sherlock Holmes Adventure by Bonnie MacBird. Now, as I’m sure you remember, Dear Reader, as of this writing I am running a mystery book club at the Fraser Public Library and find myself on the lookout for new books to suggest to the folks. So when I saw a brand-new Sherlock Holmes adventure that I could borrow and read at no cost to myself I said, “Oh, what the hell. I’ll be the guinea pig” (I mean, why not; it was free, after all).

And I’m glad that I did for, in reading Art in the Blood I had the very real sensation that I was reading an authentic Holmes mystery written as Conan Doyle would have. The pacing, the language, the characterizations – especially, it must be said, of Holmes and Watson – all felt to me like MacBird had channeled Sir Arthur and wrote a book the way he would have. Be warned, however, for the story is rather dark – very dark, perhaps – concerning as it does art theft, torture, child abuse, rape, incest and pederasty, themes atypical for a Holmes story but which, I would argue, existed during the Victorian Age (as well as our own, mores the pity).

The story is certainly more action-packed than most Holmes mysteries (although Holmes is perfectly able to comport himself physically) with famous names periodically being dropped: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec meeting Holmes and Watson? Why not! And Vidocq is based on Eugène-François Vidocq, a French criminal-turned-detective (Conan Doyle partially based Holmes on Vidocq, which makes this an inside joke). There are little inconsistencies that quirk at True Fan; for instance, Mary Morstan – that’s Mrs. Watson – has a sick mother in this outing, but canon has established her as an orphan.

So, for what it’s worth, I thought that Art in the Blood was a fast-paced novel with several intriguing subplots and some nicely thought-out twists and turns. MacBird captured the Victorian Era and atmosphere convincingly, the dialog especially. The local color was certainly well done; facts about the historical period were well detailed in language, setting and in society’s detail. Stepping into Conan Doyle’s shoes couldn’t have been easy, but MacBird did a very credible job with this fast-paced and dark adventure. If the book club agrees I’ll put it on the calendar; regardless, I look forward to reading the second book.