**spoiler alert** London, 1867. Dr. Julia Lewis and Inspector Richard Tennant are back in a second historical mystery. This time the focus is on the a**spoiler alert** London, 1867. Dr. Julia Lewis and Inspector Richard Tennant are back in a second historical mystery. This time the focus is on the artistic community and links to pornography and other illicit trade "goods."
While it is perfectly acceptable for Victorian women to dabble in watercolors and painting as an innocent pastime, women who try to make a living as an artist face ridicule and worse. And the women who pose for artists (male or female)? They're even worse. Julia is called to examine a young woman suspected of prostitution (to make sure she's not spreading disease) even though the girl insists that she's a shop girl and an artist's model at times. The police only became involved because two men were harassing her--though it's obvious they think she attracted their attention on purpose. Then, a new artistic friend of Julia's, Mary Allingham, suffers a break-in the studio on the grounds of her home. A large "W" (for whore) in emerald green paint is left behind. Local officers aren't too keen to investigate the "goings-on" at an art studio, but Julia asks Richard to speak with her friend about other incidents in the female art world.
When young female models become the target of a killer, both Richard and Julia are sure there's more behind this than just spite against females who don't know their place. Mary's brother Charles, an admirer of all sorts of art, has also died of poison. It looks like and is ruled a suicide, but then the family doctor and a member of Charles's club also dies of poison. The club has been tied to another line of investigation involving young girls--are the two threads connected? And if so, how?
McDonough has provided another absorbing Victorian mystery (one of my favorite historical periods). We learn more about Julia and Richard and we get to watch them learn about each other. The supporting characters are also interesting and given depth--even those who aren't on stage long. I enjoyed the look at the artistic world of the 1800s and McDonough deftly weaves real artists into the story in a very believable way. Like Richard Tennant, I wasn't happy that justice wasn't served up to all of the deserving. At the end of the book he takes a leave of absence from the force and is off to France in search of one of those responsible. I hope he catches them...but since the official justice system isn't interested, I do wonder what he's going to do when he does find them.
Meet the young Sherlock Holmes--who, by the way, bears very little resemblance to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Holmes. It's possible he's the teenage versMeet the young Sherlock Holmes--who, by the way, bears very little resemblance to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Holmes. It's possible he's the teenage version of Robert Downey Jr's Holmes. Yeah, I'm more likely to believe that one.
So 1868...Sherlock has been at the Deepdene School for Boys. It's the summer holidays and he's waiting for his father to take him home--only Father isn't coming (he's been sent off to India) and Mycroft has come to take his brother to their uncle's house--an uncle and aunt that he's never met in an area of England that's he's never been. It's going to be lovely--the relatives are distant and there's a housekeeper who seems to be some sort of Mrs. Danvers (from Rebecca) proto-type. On the plus side, he makes friends with another boy, Matty Arnatt, and he winds up with a pretty cool tutor, Mr. Amyus Crowe. And...he finds himself in the middle of his first mystery...
Two men in the Farnham area die mysteriously--covered with angry red welts reminiscent of the plague. Just before the first man is found dead, Matty Arnatt saw what he describes as dark cloud that moved as if it had a mind of its own. The two boys and Sherlock's tutor find themselves in the middle of an evil plot that threatens Britain's safety (because of course it does). And, of course, Sherlock's first adventure pits him (and his friends) against an evil mastermind with hordes of bad guys at his command (Remind you of anyone already in the Holmes canon? But, no, it's not him.)
My thoughts: Where on earth is the early evidence of the brilliant mind of the world's first consulting detective? It's not in young Holmes. Instead, we have Amyus Crowe who has all of the Sherlock Holmes traits and who spouts many of Holmes's famous lines (everything from how to stock the lumber room of your mind to "when you eliminate the impossible..."). Young Holmes, who by the way is fourteen and has only had some boxing in school, seems best fit to beat up on the hordes of bad guys commanded by the evil genius. Yes, folks, the teenage Holmes can fight grown men (some hardened criminals) and come out the victor! Most of the time he seems dumber than a box of rocks, but when it comes to using his brain to figure out clever ways to beat up the baddies then suddenly he's firing on all cylinders. Apologies for the mixed metaphors. I'm not the world's smartest detective, but I figured out long before it was revealed what the "death cloud" was.
This is not the story I was expecting from a book about the teenage Holmes. Going up against a big criminal organization? Deranged mastermind who wants to bring down the British Empire? Deranged mastermind who can only move around using wires as if he's some kind of life-size marionette? Sounds more like a proto-James Bond versus supervillain to me. And it might have worked out a heck of a lot better (story-wise and interest-wise) if Sherlock actually seemed smarter than average--but he doesn't. Matty is smarter than Sherlock. Matty has to explain so many things to Sherlock. Fans of Sherlock Holmes are used to him being the smartest person on the page. And he's not.
Oh...and one final thing. Why on earth did we introduce the antagonistic Mrs. Danvers-like character. All she does is stand around and glare at Sherlock and whisper things like "You're not welcome here, boy." But she does so to no purpose. Sorry if it's a spoiler--but she has absolutely nothing to do with the plot. Nothing. I have no idea why Lane thought he needed to add this pointless antagonist to the Holmes household. You meet her and think she must have some sort of hold over Sherringford Holmes and/or his wife and that this is going to be relevant to the plot in some way. Nope. Unless Lane plans on carrying this little side story forward and making it relevant later in the series, this was just wasted space on the page. [And for the record--I don't plan on finding out. Not interested enough to go on with the series.]
It would be nice if those in charge of the estates of some of our greatest detective novelists actually seemed to care about the legacy of the work instead of making more money based on their forbears' genius (Christie estate, I'm particularly looking at you). This is "the first teen series endorsed by the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Estate" and one wonders if those in charge have actually read Doyle's work.
★★ , but only because I actually like Amyus Crowe, his daughter Virginia, and Matty. Sherlock is okay--for an average teenager. I just wish he were more Holmes-like. If the rating were based on resemblance to the original Sherlock Holmes, then I'd be tempted to hand out no stars....more
In an opening that might remind GAD readers of their introduction to Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, we are introduced to Philip and Diana Abinger. LikeIn an opening that might remind GAD readers of their introduction to Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, we are introduced to Philip and Diana Abinger. Like the Beresfords, they are a young couple who are in need of funds and Philip, at least, isn't adverse to a bit of risk if it will help the cash flow. A chance meeting with a former RAF man just may be the ticket. Count Jan Piatovsky and his friend Miss Lena Watson invite Philip and Diana for a drink. Piatovsky tells Philip that he may be able to set him up with a man named Anatol who can use men like Philip and the Count. They make an appointment to meet on Hampstead Heath where Piatovsky will make the introduction. But unknown to the Abingers...
The man known only as Anatol uses blackmail to pressure his associates into handling shady currency deals for him in the years following World War II. Even if he has to manufacture the blackmail evidence. Everyone from Polish refugees to members of the British aristocracy are fair game. He knows everything about them all and they know nothing about him. But when one of his band of fraudsters stumbles across some unsavory information about Anatol, the consequences are dire and Scotland Yard finds themselves with a pair of corpses in the middle of Hampstead Heath during the Bank Holiday. Inspector Lunt is sure it's going to be a long and fruitless search...
Meanwhile, Mr. Charles Blessington, a civil servant with the Ministry of the Treasury, is waiting for a man to show up for an appointment. An appointment that was made with Blessington's secretary after he had left for the long holiday and with a man about whom he knows nothing. When Count Jan Piatovsky is half an hour late, Blessington realizes that the name does sound familiar and goes back to the morning's paper. Count Piatovsky was one of the pair killed on Hampstead Heath. Soon our mild mannered civil servant is mixed up in a dangerous hunt for a very dangerous man as well as helping Diana search for her husband who has unaccountably disappeared. The trail leads from London to Paris (with murder and mayhem on the famed Blue Train) to the French Riviera. Blessington may look mild as milquetoast but he's on hand to help Scotland Yard and the Surete get their man. But he doesn't consider himself skilled (other than in financial matters. As he says in response to a compliment from Lunt on a previous investigation (after the inspector realizes who he is):
"Neat? My dear Inspector, it was far from neat. I have always reproached myself bitterly for strangling that poor fellow in the railway yard. If I had not bungled matters it would not have been necessary."
There is very little mystery here--we know who the bad guy is from the beginning and we know who has killed whom. The fun is in the adventure and watching Blessington work in his quiet way to unravel the whole of Anatol's plot. I also enjoyed the Philip and Diana subpot once it really got going. The first half is a bit iffy, but there are definite shades of the Beresfords in the second half--particularly as played by Francesca Annis and James Warwick.
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