The Sherlockian

Title: The Sherlockian
Original Title: The Sherlockian
Author: Graham Moore
Publisher:  Twelve Publishing (2012)
ISBN: 9781455509065
Pages: 1422 pages
Original Published Date: 2010
Literary Awards: Barry Award Nominee for Best First Novel (2011), Anthony Award Nominee for Best First Novel (2011)



From synopsys:
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.

***

A nice and tidy detective stories, one set on the turnover of 19th century and the other on the present time, although one must remember that this is a fiction and not real history - even if the characters and SOME of the fact are real.

The first story was about Arthur Conan Doyle and his friend Bram Stoker tried to investigate the murder of three suffragette girls. It was good, although in my opinion tried to diminished police's role completely to explain SH latter behaviour. One thing I couldn't reason was how in the world would that man seduced -not just one, but two- very liberal, well educated, had sufficient money (and had tendencies to be anarchy) women into marriage, put them in shitty motel and then killed them??!? I mean come on.... they fight for the equal right to vote in year 1900, then they met a handsome man and just threw themself to him? Not even tell their comarades? Doubtful!

The second story was just about a 'hidden treasure chased' with some complication added. It was good, but nothing special. spoiler [even Sarah betrayal in the middle and her back to the hero's side in the end]. Intermediate! And also, I do not like the ending concering the Diary. It was an artefact, or in his words "the holy grail of Holmes". So Harold White, who gave you the right to do what you did to it?

For a reader like me who love Sherlock -but not to the extent of such of Sherlockian- it's still fun to learn bits of facts about the creator, i.e, the great hiatus period, his family, his friends (do you know that ACD and Oscar Wilde was once friends?), his works beside being a writer (he was an army doctor -like Watson- and then a politician too); It also fun to read how ACD got his idea for SH stories, like the idea of how he resurrected SH from his death (again, it just fiction, not necessarily a real fact!!)

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/709333314