by Donald Thomas
Pegasus, 2013. 345 pgs. Mystery
Sherlock Holmes is back, as we knew he would be, in the service of Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, trying to bring to ground a truly wicked man. Rawdon "Hunter" Moran is a crack shot, a gambler, a ladies' man who uses up the ladies and then discards them to terrible fates. When one of his conquests kills herself he is brought before a kangaroo court of his peers and as he leaves, is branded with a 666 mark on his arm by the husband of the dead woman. He swears revenge, and it is not long in coming. With various sabotages he helps a Zulu force overwhelm an entire British armored column, causes the death of a young French nobleman and subsequently of those who were guarding him. When his killings reach British shores, Sherlock Holmes is on the case. Dr. Watson's narrative is deliberate but suspenseful--even scary at times. Sherlock Holmes' relentless pursuit of Hunter Moran leads them to a frightening showdown in foggy seas, and a hasty-feeling but ultimately satisfying ending. Not Conan Doyle's Sherlock, by any means, but a creditable substitute if you've already read the masterworks.
LW
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