Just plain fun for anyone who is a Holmes/Watson fan. And who isn’t???
Nicholas Meyer has been getting quicker with his editing of Dr John H Watson’s journals, with three coming out in the last four years. Which is all to the good, since each of the previous books that I’ve read has been a treat, and Sherlock Holmes and the Real Thing is a treat too.
As with the previous books, readers get a brief explanation up-front of how Meyer came into possession of this latest of Watson’s journals, after which we dive into the case. And although the matter of Lady Glendenning’s missing tenant doesn’t look like much of a puzzle at first, the mystery keeps gaining levels of complexity – and a dead body – as events proceed. Holmes finds clues others have missed, learns about the expensive and brutal world of art (or maybe “Art”, with a capital “A”) from Mycroft, and wears wonderful disguises. Watson does his usual double duty, both as a stater of the obvious, and an advisor on women – while also falling for one of said women. Other familiar faces – Lestrade, Gregson, even a grown-up Wiggins – also make appearances. And at the end, of course, Holmes figures it all out. So, overall, The Real Thing feels true to those earlier Watson journals 😊, the ones edited by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
I’ve also always had a bit of a thing for art-world mysteries (Aaron Elkins’ Chris Norgren and Alix London series, Derek Wilson’s Tim Lacy books), so I especially enjoyed the setting for The Real Thing. And I appreciated the asides on what is really “art” vs. “fake”, and why – if you can’t tell the difference – does it matter? Which is a conversation my husband and I often have in a different context, as we head off to listen to a good cover band.
All-in-all, though, The Real Thing is a quick-reading and fun Holmes and Watson pastiche, and I definitely recommend it for anyone who enjoys the classic Holmes stories. And who doesn’t? I was sad to read, in the afterword, that Meyer thinks this may be his last journal to edit, and I very much hope that isn’t the case. But if it is, he has gone out on a good one. And my thanks to Penzler Publishers/Mysterious Press and NetGalley for my review copy.
Buy (not in e-book in the UK, at least as of now; discountable at Kobo): Amazon US | Amazon Canada | Kobo US | Kobo Canada