Book Synopsis:
Two adversaries. One deadly alliance. Together, can they unlock the truth?
Sherlock Holmes and his faithful friend, Dr John Watson, have been hired by actor George Reynolds to help him solve a puzzle. George wants them to find out why the audience who comes to see him perform every night are the same people, only wearing disguises. Is something sinister going on and, if so, what?
Meanwhile, Holmes’ archenemy, Professor James Moriarty is having problems of his own. Implicated in the murder of a gang leader, Moriarty and his second, Moran, must go on the run from the police in order to find out who is behind the set-up.
But their investigation puts them in the way of Holmes and Watson and it’s not long before all four realise that they are being targeted by the same person. With lives on the line, not just their own, they must form an uneasy alliance in order to unmask the true villain. With clues leading them to a hotel in Switzerland and a conspiracy far greater than any of them expected, who can be trusted – and will anyone of them survive?
My Review:
Holmes and Moriarty is a fun, gripping read that is a must read for any Sherlock Holmes fan.
Although the story focuses on Holmes and Moriarty it is told from the point of view of their friends Watson and Moran. Out of the two I much preferred Watson who seemed an altogether much more likable chap to the easily offended Moran. Watson seemed calm and collected when helping with the case whereas Moran just seemed to want to fight everyone. Neither of the two men seemed to like or trust each other much which made for some interesting, though often amusing, situations in the story.
I though the book was a bit of a slow burn as it does start out very slowly as we learn more about George’s quite bizarre situation but soon gathers pace to become very gripping indeed. Moriarty has long been my favourite Sherlock Holmes villain so I loved watching the two of them work together for a change. It was fascinating to see their minds work together as the try to solve the mystery. There were lots of surprising twists that kept me guessing along with some quite horrific moments which I will remember for a while. Without giving much away this is definitely not a book to read if you are scared of Spiders!
Overall I really enjoyed this book and I’m really hoping that there might be a sequel as I’d love to see Moriarty and Holms working together again. I thought the ending was brilliant and I really enjoyed watching everything come together at the end to a very satisfying conclusion. More please!
About The Author:
Gareth Rubin is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Turnglass. His other books include Liberation Square, a thriller set in Soviet occupied London, and The Winter Agent, a thriller set in Paris in 1944. He lives in London and writes about social affairs, travel and the arts for British newspapers.
Over The Rainbow Blog 