The Sherlockian

by Graham Moore Narrated by James Langton

Overview

Hurtling from present day New York to Victorian London, The Sherlockian weaves the history of Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle into an inspired and entertaining double mystery that proves to be anything but "elementary."

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

Janet Maslin

Thanks to the sly self-awareness that keeps The Sherlockian smart and agile, it's possible to enjoy this book's laughable affectations and still be seduced by them. This is a novel by, for and about Holmes-quoting mystery nuts, and it understands what makes them happy. Red herrings, exclamations of "Elementary!" and the assurance that life's problems have logical solutions are at the core of Mr. Moore's world view.
—The New York Times

From the Publisher

Moore spins engaging parallel detective stories.—Entertainment Weekly

Thrilling...a ripping good story that's packed with loads of Doyle and Holmes trivia.—USA Today

"It must be said of Graham Moore that he has his methods. Ingenious and amusing ones, too. You will enjoy their elucidation even if you are not a committed Sherlockian. The game's afoot!"—Christopher Hitchens, author of Hitch-22

"What irresistible fun! As the literary intrigue deepens, with Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker, and some brainy Sherlock Holmes buffs as partners in crime, you don't have to be Holmes to deduce that The Sherlockian is a serpentine delight for anyone who loves mystery and historical suspense."—Rupert Holmes, Edgar-award winning creator of The Mystery of Edwin Drood

"Sly self-awareness keeps THE SHERLOCKIAN smart and agile, [and] it's possible to enjoy this book's laughable affectations and still be seduced by them... it is anchored by Mr. Moore's self-evident love of the rules that shape good mystery fiction and the promises on which it must deliver."

—Janet Maslin, New York Times

"A truly terrific mystery ... Witty and breezy, yet [it]manages to explore the toll taken on Doyle by having created a character so beloved that the creation obscures the creator ... For a first book - actually, for any book - this is impressive. Among its virtues is a feel for the gas-lamp Victorian world. As we read, we understand Doyle's impatience with his world as well as [Harold] White's yearning to return to it ... The Escher like patterning of real life on fictional reconstruction, complete with murder, related rissoles and tentative love story all come off without a hitch. For mystery lovers, this book is a treat. For Sherlock Holmes lovers, it is indispensible."

—David Wolpe, The Huffington Post

"The tales of Conan Doyle and White, told in alternating chapters, make up "The Sherlockian," Graham Moore's entertaining debut novel. Both mysteries are well crafted, with gratifying and amusing nods toward the conflation of Conan Doyle and his most famous literary creation ... exemplary weaving of historical fact and fiction ... This is a novel clearly written with great affection, not just for Conan Doyle and Holmes, but their 21st-century fans as well."—Associated Press

"The problem with Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories is that there aren't enough of them. Fans try to fill the gap with spin-offs, some of which work better than others. This engaging riff on the familiar themes by first-novelist Moore is one of the best . . . Moore spins his tale in prose that shifts easily from exposition to pathos to sly comedy . . . Mystery fans should love the mix of historical fiction and contemporary puzzle-solving. And Sherlockians? Try keeping them away."—Booklist (starred review)

"Moore's fiction provides a shrewd take on the noted author and his legendary scion."—Kirkus

The tales merge in a grand finale that, looking back, seems inevitable. The Sherlockian on your Christmas list will love this book. So will any mystery lover, even one who has never read a Sherlock Holmes story, if there be such an unfortunate creature.—Dallas Morning News

Clever...insightful...ingenious...a testament to the power of storytelling.—South Florida Sun-Sentinal

The mystery is gripping, and Moore has a feel for the transitional nature of Conan Doyle's era.—Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review

Moore is well-steeped in Holmes lore but savvy enough as a writer to keep the reader's interest with the parallel, and eventually intersecting, plots.—Los Angeles Times

Required reading.—New York Post

Brilliantly executed: a must-read for admirers of historical fiction, Sherlock Holmes, and intellectual mysteries...This debut manages to be both highly original as well as deeply reverential to its literary sources. It's difficult to find a new spin on Sherlock Holmes, but Graham Moore has pulled it off with flying colors.—Matthew Pearl, author of The Dante Club

Combines good pacing with an engaging plot, and its ample dose of Holmes quotes, errata, and flair for humor have enough to keep anyone from an initiate to a dedicated Sherlockian on the hook...the kin of everyman adventure that one can't help but enjoy.—BookPage

Suspenseful...a first-time novelist fictionalizes real-life events to write a compelling mystery.—TheDailyBeast.com

Moore spins a tale full of characters that make his first book a fun read...I found myself getting pulled into each story simultaneously since Moore deftly parallels the action taking places in both stories.—BookReporter.com

Moore does an excellent job of making his characters and settings feel real, using his thorough knowledge of the Holmes stories to good effect...Any reader curious about Sherlock Holmes won't be able to resist following up with the originals.—Library Journal

Fun and games with Sherlock Holmes is a never-ending pursuit, as THE SHERLOCKIAN proves.—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Exciting, clever, and convoluted (as all mysteries are)...This is a book for Sherlock Holmes fans, Conan Doyle fans, Stoke fans, and anyone who likes a good mystery/detective story.—Tucson Citizen

Tucson Citizen

Exciting, clever, and convoluted (as all mysteries are)...This is a book for Sherlock Holmes fans, Conan Doyle fans, Stoke fans, and anyone who likes a good mystery/detective story.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Fun and games with Sherlock Holmes is a never-ending pursuit, as THE SHERLOCKIAN proves.

BookReporter.com

Moore spins a tale full of characters that make his first book a fun read...I found myself getting pulled into each story simultaneously since Moore deftly parallels the action taking places in both stories.

TheDailyBeast.com

Suspenseful...a first-time novelist fictionalizes real-life events to write a compelling mystery.

BookPage

Combines good pacing with an engaging plot, and its ample dose of Holmes quotes, errata, and flair for humor have enough to keep anyone from an initiate to a dedicated Sherlockian on the hook...the kin of everyman adventure that one can't help but enjoy.

Matthew Pearl

Brilliantly executed: a must-read for admirers of historical fiction, Sherlock Holmes, and intellectual mysteries...This debut manages to be both highly original as well as deeply reverential to its literary sources. It's difficult to find a new spin on Sherlock Holmes, but Graham Moore has pulled it off with flying colors.

New York Post

Required reading.

Los Angeles Times

Moore is well-steeped in Holmes lore but savvy enough as a writer to keep the reader's interest with the parallel, and eventually intersecting, plots.

Marilyn Stasio - New York Times Book Review

The mystery is gripping, and Moore has a feel for the transitional nature of Conan Doyle's era.

South Florida Sun-Sentinal

Clever...insightful...ingenious...a testament to the power of storytelling.

Dallas Morning News

The tales merge in a grand finale that, looking back, seems inevitable. The Sherlockian on your Christmas list will love this book. So will any mystery lover, even one who has never read a Sherlock Holmes story, if there be such an unfortunate creature.

Booklist (starred review)

"The problem with Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories is that there aren't enough of them. Fans try to fill the gap with spin-offs, some of which work better than others. This engaging riff on the familiar themes by first-novelist Moore is one of the best . . . Moore spins his tale in prose that shifts easily from exposition to pathos to sly comedy . . . Mystery fans should love the mix of historical fiction and contemporary puzzle-solving. And Sherlockians? Try keeping them away."

Associated Press Staff

"The tales of Conan Doyle and White, told in alternating chapters, make up "The Sherlockian," Graham Moore's entertaining debut novel. Both mysteries are well crafted, with gratifying and amusing nods toward the conflation of Conan Doyle and his most famous literary creation ... exemplary weaving of historical fact and fiction ... This is a novel clearly written with great affection, not just for Conan Doyle and Holmes, but their 21st-century fans as well."

David Wolpe - The Huffington Post

"A truly terrific mystery ... Witty and breezy, yet [it]manages to explore the toll taken on Doyle by having created a character so beloved that the creation obscures the creator ... For a first book - actually, for any book - this is impressive. Among its virtues is a feel for the gas-lamp Victorian world. As we read, we understand Doyle's impatience with his world as well as [Harold] White's yearning to return to it ... The Escher like patterning of real life on fictional reconstruction, complete with murder, related rissoles and tentative love story all come off without a hitch. For mystery lovers, this book is a treat. For Sherlock Holmes lovers, it is indispensible."

Janet Maslin - New York Times

"Sly self-awareness keeps THE SHERLOCKIAN smart and agile, [and] it's possible to enjoy this book's laughable affectations and still be seduced by them... it is anchored by Mr. Moore's self-evident love of the rules that shape good mystery fiction and the promises on which it must deliver."

Rupert Holmes

"What irresistible fun! As the literary intrigue deepens, with Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker, and some brainy Sherlock Holmes buffs as partners in crime, you don't have to be Holmes to deduce that The Sherlockian is a serpentine delight for anyone who loves mystery and historical suspense."

Christopher Hitchens

"It must be said of Graham Moore that he has his methods. Ingenious and amusing ones, too. You will enjoy their elucidation even if you are not a committed Sherlockian. The game's afoot!"

Entertainment Weekly

Moore spins engaging parallel detective stories.

USA Today

Thrilling...a ripping good story that's packed with loads of Doyle and Holmes trivia.

Scott Turow

"The Sherlockian is a well-written, fast paced and completely engaging homage to the legacy of Arthur Conan Doyle, in which an intriguing dose of literary history never stand in the way of an exciting present-day mystery."

Book Page

The Sherlockian combines good pacing with an engaging plot, and its ample dose of Holmes quotes, errata and flair for humor have enough to keep anyone from an initiate to a dedicated Sherlockian on the hook . . . the kind of everyman adventure that one can't help but enjoy."

The Buffalo News

"A clever debut . . . an insightful look at the rise of celebrities, extreme fans and a character who continues to be bigger than life as well as a testament to the power of storytelling . . . Moore deftly alternates between two heroes working in two time periods on two continents. Doyle would be proud of Moore's ingenious novel."

LA2DAY

"The final book published by Twelve this year, THE SHERLOCKIAN rises above the expectation that one has come to expect from the New York publishing house. . . . . The narrative is delightfully shaped, intricately crafted and promises to entertain."

Janet Maslin - The New York Times

"[THE SHERLOCKIAN's] smart young author, Graham Moore, has done much more than fall into the fancy of Holmes's existence. He has fallen down a Holmes well. He's going to take a lot of readers with him too. Thanks to the sly self-awareness that keeps "The Sherlockian" smart and agile, it's possible to enjoy this book's laughable affectations and still be seduced by them. This is a novel by, for and about Holmes-quoting mystery nuts, and it understands what makes them happy. Red herrings, exclamations of "Elementary!" and the assurance that life's problems have logical solutions are at the core of Mr. Moore's world view . . . interestingly researched . . . based on something authentic . . . "The Sherlockian" manages to make a journey from the ridiculous (Harold White, instant detective?) to the sublime. And it is anchored by Mr. Moore's self-evident love of the rules that shape good mystery fiction and the promises on which it must deliver."

The Daily Beast's "Hot Reads"

"A first-time novelist fictionalizes real-life events to write a compelling mystery about the society of Sherlock Holmes scholars."

Oline Cogdill - Sun Sentinel

"Moore deftly alternates THE SHERLOCKIAN between his two heroes . . . smoothly delivers an evocative view of late-19^th century London as well as its 21^st century version. The endearingly nerdy White is perfectly balanced by the arrogant and priggish Doyle. Doyle would be proud of Moore's ingenious THE SHERLOCKIAN. So would Holmes. As will any fan of Holmes."

Brian Wooley - The Dallas Morning News

"[Moore] gives us two mysteries for the price of one, and what ripping yarns they are . . . Moore uses alternating chapters to tell his two stories - a method that could become clumsy, but doesn't. Then the tales merge in a grand finale that, looking back, seems inevitable. The Sherlockian on your Christmas list will love this book. So will any mystery lover, even one who has never read a Sherlock Holmes story, if there be such an unfortunate creature."

TheBookReporter.com

"Spins a tale full of characters that make his first book a fun read . . . I found myself getting pulled into each story simultaneously since Moore deftly parallels the action taking place in both stories . . . Moore is obviously an ardent fan of both Sherlock Holmes and his creator. He does a good job of capturing the time period in 1893, even including some new scientific discoveries such as indoor lighting, which adds a nice authentic touch. Even if you're not a fan of Conan Doyle, Moore will incite some interest in reading a few of his stories . . . enough to make you want to see if you own a copy of THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES or A STUDY IN SCARLET."

Entertainment Weekly's "Top 10 Things We Love This Week"

"First time novelist Moore spins engaging parallel detective stories: one set in the lively world of modern-day Sherlock buffs and another features turn-of-the-century scribe Arthur Conan Doyle himself."

Rabbi David Wolpe - Huffington Post

"For mystery lovers, this book is a treat. For Sherlock Holmes lovers, it is indispensible."

S. Krishnas Books

"I enjoyed The Sherlockian immensely. I couldn't put it down because it was so compelling and the mystery was so well done. Whether you are a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes, or, like me, don't know much about him, if you enjoy mysteries, you must pick up this book."

Curled Up With A Good Book Blog

"This is a fun revision of Doyle redux in both contemporary and vintage modes. Moore is a witty writer and populates his first book with engaging characters: Bram Stoker, for one . . . There is a much to take in here. Moore will leave you alternately awed and mystified."

Booklist (Starred Review)

"The problem with Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories is that there aren't enough of them. Fans try to fill the gap with spin-offs, some of which work better than others. This engaging riff on the familiar themes by first-novelist Moore is one of the best . . . Moore spins his tale in prose that shifts easily from exposition to pathos to sly comedy . . . Mystery fans should love the mix of historical fiction and contemporary puzzle-solving. And Sherlockians? Try keeping them away."

Carol Memmott

Thrilling . . . a ripping good story that's packed with loads of Doyle and Holmes trivia.
— USA Today

Marilyn Stasio

The mystery is gripping, and Moore has a feel for the transitional nature of Conan Doyle's era.
— New York Times, "Baker Street Irregular"

The Daily Beast

A first-time novelist fictionalizes real-life events to write a compelling mystery about the society of Sherlock Holmes scholars.

Oline Cogdill

Moore deftly alternates THE SHERLOCKIAN between his two heroes . . . smoothly delivers an evocative view of late-19^th century London as well as its 21^st century version. The endearingly nerdy White is perfectly balanced by the arrogant and priggish Doyle. Doyle would be proud of Moore's ingenious THE SHERLOCKIAN. So would Holmes. As will any fan of Holmes.
— Sun Sentinel

Sarah Weinman

Moore is well-steeped in Holmes lore but savvy enough as a writer to keep the reader's interest with the parallel, and eventually intersecting, plots.
— Los Angeles Times

Brian Wooley

[Moore] gives us two mysteries for the price of one, and what ripping yarns they are . . . Moore uses alternating chapters to tell his two stories - a method that could become clumsy, but doesn't. Then the tales merge in a grand finale that, looking back, seems inevitable. The Sherlockian on your Christmas list will love this book. So will any mystery lover, even one who has never read a Sherlock Holmes story, if there be such an unfortunate creature.
— The Dallas Morning News

Daphne Durham

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.
— Amazon's, "Best Books of the Month"

David Wolpe

For mystery lovers, this book is a treat. For Sherlock Holmes lovers, it is indispensible.
— Huffington Post

Bob Hoover

Fun and games with Sherlock Holmes is a never-ending pursuit, as "The Sherlockian" by first-time novelist Graham Moore (Twelve, $24.99) proves. Fans of the Baker Street sleuth can follow the life of his creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, and an odd legacy that emerges in the present day.
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Booklist

The problem with Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories is that there aren't enough of them. Fans try to fill the gap with spin-offs, some of which work better than others. This engaging riff on the familiar themes by first-novelist Moore is one of the best . . . Moore spins his tale in prose that shifts easily from exposition to pathos to sly comedy . . . Mystery fans should love the mix of historical fiction and contemporary puzzle-solving. And Sherlockians? Try keeping them away.

Kirkus Reviews

Another resurrection of Sherlockiana, the conceit here being the story of tracking down Arthur Conan Doyle's missing journal from 1900—and solving a murder associated with the journal.

Owing to a couple of scholarly articles on Sherlock Holmes, Harold White has just been inducted into the famous but secretive Sherlockian society; at 29 he's one of the youngest members ever invited to join. A game's afoot, however, for Alex Cale, perhaps the most prominent Sherlockian of all, has recently announced that he's found Conan Doyle's famous missing journal. His plan is to reveal the contents at the annual meeting of the Sherlockians at the Algonquin Hotel in New York, but Cale is found murdered, with the word "Elementary" written on the wall near his body. White decides to solve both the case of the missing journal and Cale's murder. In his investigation he's abetted by Sebastian Conan Doyle, the great-grandson of the author himself (who feels he's the rightful owner of the journal), and Sarah, a reporter bent on following White because she's sure he has the best chance of finding the journal and solving the mystery of Cale's death. Throughout the narrative White's mantra is "What would Sherlock Holmes do?" and his answers to this question lead him from New York to London to Cambridge and finally to the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland, the site of Holmes's putative death. Moore cleverly alternates his chapters between White's story in the present and Conan Doyle's activities in the fall of 1900, so the reader can better understand the reasons why Conan Doyle—or more likely his friend Bram Stoker—would want to suppress the journal. Along the way, Stoker winds up playing Watson to Conan Doyle, much as Sarah becomes a Watson figure to White.

While occasionally heavy-handed and coincidental, Moore's fiction provides a shrewd take on the noted author and his legendary scion.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170061228
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	12/01/2010
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

The Sherlockian

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By Moore, Graham

Twelve

Copyright © 2010 Moore, Graham
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9780446572590

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CHAPTER 1

The Reichenbach Falls

So please grip this fact with your cerebral tentacle The doll and its maker are never identical.

—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, London Opinion, December 12, 1912

August 9, 1893

Arthur Conan Doyle curled his brow tightly and thought only of murder.

“I’m going to kill him,” Conan Doyle said as he folded his arms across his broad frame. High in the Swiss Alps, the air tickled Arthur’s inch-thick mustache and seemed to blow straight through his ears. Set far back on his head, Arthur’s ears always appeared to be perking up, listening to something else, something distant and behind him. For such a stocky man, he had a nose that was remarkably sharp. His hair had only recently begun to gray, a process that Arthur couldn’t help but wish along. Though he was but thirty-three years of age, he was already a celebrated author. An internationally acclaimed man of letters with light ocher hair would not do so well as a wizened one, now, would he?

Arthur’s two traveling companions ascended to the ledge on which he stood, the highest climbable point of the Reichenbach Falls. Silas Hocking was a cleric and novelist well known as far away as Arthur’s London. His recent offering of religious literature, Her Benny, was a work Arthur held in high regard. Edward Benson was an acquaintance of Hocking’s and was much quieter than his gregarious friend. Though Arthur had met the two men only this morning, over breakfast at the Rifel Alp Hotel in Zermatt, he felt that he could confide in them safely. He could tell them of his mind, and of his dark plans.

“The fact is, he has gotten to be a kind of ‘old man of the sea’ about my neck,” continued Arthur, “and I intend to make an end of him.” Hocking huffed as he stood beside Arthur, gazing at the vast expanse of the Alps before them. Tufts of snow melted yards beneath their feet into a mighty stream of water that had, millennia ago, driven a path through the mountain as it poured loudly into the frothing pool below. Benson silently pressed a mittenful of snow into a tight ball and dropped it whimsically into the chasm. The force of the wind tore bits off the snowball as it fell, until it disappeared in the air as a series of white puffs.

“If I don’t,” said Arthur, “he’ll make a death of me.”

“Don’t you think you’re being rather rough on an old friend?” asked Hocking. “He’s given you fame. Fortune. You two have made a handsome couple.”

“And in plastering his name across every penny dreadful in London, I’ve given him a reputation which far exceeds my own. You know I get letters. ‘My beloved cat has vanished into South Hampstead. Her name is Sherry-Ann. Can you find her?’ Or, ‘My mum had her purse snatched exiting a hansom in Piccadilly. Can you deduce the culprit?’ But the thing of it is, the letters aren’t addressed to me—they’re addressed to him. They think he’s real.”

“Yes, your poor, admiring readers,” pleaded Hocking. “Have you thought of them? People seem so terribly fond of the fellow.”

“More fond of him than of me! Do you know I received a letter from my own Mam? She asked—knowing I would of course do anything she ever required—she asked that I sign the name Sherlock Holmes to a book for her neighbor Beattie. Can you imagine? Sign his name rather than my own. My Mam speaks as if she’s Holmes’s mother, not mine. Gah!” Arthur tried to contain his sudden burst of anger.

“My greater work is ignored,” he continued. “Micah Clarke? The White Company? That charming little play I concocted with Mr. Barrie? Overlooked for a few morbid yarns. Worse still, he has become a waste of my time. If I have to concoct another of those tortuous plots—the bedroom door always locked from the inside, the dead man’s indecipherable final message, the whole thing told wrong end first so that no one can guess the obvious solution—it is a drain.” Arthur looked to his boots, showing his weariness in his bowed head. “To put it frankly, I hate him. And for my own sanity, I will soon see him dead.”

“How will you do it, then?” teased Hocking. “How does one go about killing the great Sherlock Holmes? Stab him in the heart? Slit his throat? Hang him by the neck?”

“A hanging! My, are those words a balm upon my mind. But no, no, it should be something grand—he is a hero, after all. I’ll give him one final case. And a villain. He’ll be in need of a proper villain this time around. A gentlemanly fight to the death; he sacrifices himself for the greater good, and both men perish. Something along those lines.” Benson pounded another snowball into being and lobbed it gently into the air. Arthur and Hocking watched its open-ended arc as it vanished into the sky.

“If you want to save on funeral expenses,” Hocking said with a chuckle, “you could always toss him off a cliff.” He looked to Arthur for a reaction but found no smile on his face. Instead Arthur curled his brow in the tight-faced frown he wore when he was in the midst of his deepest thinking.

He gazed at the jaws of the chasm below. He could hear the roar of the falling water and the violent crush it made at the mouth of the rock-speckled river. Arthur felt himself suddenly terrified. He imagined his own death on those stones. Being a medical man, Arthur was more than familiar with the frailty of the human body. A fall of this height… His corpse banging, slapping against the rocks all the way down… The dreadful cry caught in his mouth… Torn limb from limb on the crust of the earth, the wisps of grass stained with his blood… And now, in his thoughts, his own body vanished, replaced by someone leaner. Taller. A thin, underfed ribbon of a man, in a deerstalker cap and long coat. His hard face obliterated, once and for all, on a spike of gunmetal stone.

Murder.

Continues...

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Excerpted from The Sherlockian by Moore, Graham Copyright © 2010 by Moore, Graham. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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