The Devil and Sherlock Holmes
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'Some of the best of those lengthy, beautifully constructed, highly improbable real life reports that only get published in the New Yorker'
--GQ magazine
--GQ magazine
Product Description
As Sherlock Holmes once conceded to Dr. Watson, 'If we could fly out of that window hand in hand, hover over this great city, gently remove the roofs and peep in at the queer things which are going on, the strange coincidences, the planning, the cross-purposes, the wonderful chain of events, working through generations and leading to the most outre results, it would make all fiction with its conventionalities and foreseen conclusions most stale and unprofitable.' And with such a spirit for investigation and discovery does David Grann set out in The Devil and Sherlock Holmes to unravel the truth of twelve great, real-life mysteries. Although Holmes is the subject of just one of the mesmerizing true stories in this collection, all twelve contain elements of intrigue. Many of the protagonists are sleuths: a Polish detective trying to determine whether an author planted clues to a real murder in his post-modern novel; an arson investigator racing to prove whether a man about to be executed is innocent; a legendary French con man questioning whether he is the one who is suddenly being conned; and scientists stalking a sea monster. Unlike the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, these tales are all true. The protagonists are mortal and pieces of the puzzle often elude them. Some of the characters are driven to deception and murder. Others go mad. But ultimately the stories contained in The Devil and Sherlock Holmes shed light on the human condition, and why some people on this earth devote themselves to good and others to evil. As Holmes put it, 'Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent'.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Read the stories individually for maximum effect,
By
This review is from: The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness and Obsession (Paperback)
The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness and Obsession comes from the pen of David Grann, author of The Lost City of Z. I had really enjoyed this true life tale of swashbuckling adventure in the Amazon so I was pleased to receive an ARC copy of his newest book. Sherlock Holmes noted that "life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent". Grann has taken that mantra to heart and presents a collection of true tales which feature obsession, perverse behaviour and even murder.The collection starts with the apparent murder of the world's pre-eminent Sherlock Holmes scholar who is found dead following an obsessive quest for the missing archives of Arthur Conan Doyle. Grann progresses to arson detectives, an amnesiac guilt-ridden survivor of 9/11 and white supremist gangs. The scope is wide and far-reaching and Grann has clearly taken each story to heart, travelling to research and meet the characters involved. He even manages to make some pretty unsavoury characters seem sympathetic. Because each story is free-standing, this is an easy book to read in pieces. In fact, each of these essays has been previously published, with the majority appearing in The New Yorker Magazine (although they have been revied and updated for this edition). This explains perhaps why the collection of essays in one edition doesn't seem to gel quite right. They are fantastic stories, but are better suited to piecemeal reading, rather than a continuous read.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eclectic yet brilliant!,
This review is from: The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness and Obsession (Paperback)
I am really not sure why this book works so well. Everything is so jumbled up it's almost impossible to categorize it. Part murder mystery, part adventure story, with a little engineering daring do, thrown into the mix.Its perhaps because of the eclectic flavor that makes it so difficult to put down, the best way I can describe this is to compare it to a brilliant guest at a dinner party, as the wine goes down the conversation ebbs and flows, changes tack but improves because of it. Strangely the two stories I personally enjoyed most were if asked not my usual thing at all. The obsession of a squid hunter and the danger of a life as a sand hog far beneath the city streets of New York are hardly my usual fare, but they were intriguing. I really cannot recommend this book highly enough.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
fascinating,
By
This review is from: The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness and Obsession (Paperback)
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but it was really really interesting. As it is made up of a number of different 'articles' there were some that I had read previously but even so, as the writing is so good, it was nice to read them again. Highly recommended...
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