The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - The Instrument of Death
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3.8 • 4 Ratings
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
A brand-new Sherlock Holmes mystery from acclaimed Sherlockian author David Stuart Davies, featuring the sinister Dr Caligari
Sherlock Holmes has just uncovered the truth about the theft of a priceless ruby. The wealthy Lady Damury staged the theft and tried to frame her husband - but just as Holmes reveals the truth, Lady Damury is found murdered. Holmes deduces that this is no crime of passion, but the work of a ruthless killer with no connection to the jewel. With reports of a man in a strange, trance-like state, Holmes finds himself entangled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the sinister Dr Caligari...
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Davies's uneven ninth novel-length Sherlock Holmes pastiche (after 2016's The Ripper Legacy) pits the master sleuth against legendary criminal hypnotist Gustav Caligari, whose guilt is revealed from the outset. A sadist as a child, Caligari remains a sadist as an adult. After his attempts at murder almost land him in custody in Prague, he moves to London, where he recruits a stranger he encounters by chance, who calls himself Robert, to become his "instrument of death." Robert's first victim, Lady Sarah Damury, whom he strangles at Caligari's direction, turns out to have been connected with a stolen ruby case that Holmes is working on. The detective gets nowhere in his inquiries into Lady Sarah's death, and uncharacteristically adopts a passive approach in the hope that the killer will make a mistake he can capitalize on. That's not the only aspect of Davies's depiction of his lead that jars as the story works its way to a melodramatic conclusion that doesn't present Holmes in the best light. Davies deserves credit for trying something different, but readers will hope for better next time.
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