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cpjeanz's review against another edition
4.0
Bonnie and I just get each other. Each of her books are not only high quality, but FUN. While there's tons of darker themes, there's always that undercurrent of "the game's afoot Watson!". This was another great entry in the series.
Quick hits:
+ Sherlock and Watson as usual. Sherlock definitely went through the ringer in this one.
+ The story was incredibly complex with tons of moving pieces.
+ Mycroft is always a delight.
- I didn't feel I could truly figure out the culprit as this one was deep mystery.
I really enjoyed this one. I can't wait to get into the next one!
Quick hits:
+ Sherlock and Watson as usual. Sherlock definitely went through the ringer in this one.
+ The story was incredibly complex with tons of moving pieces.
+ Mycroft is always a delight.
- I didn't feel I could truly figure out the culprit as this one was deep mystery.
I really enjoyed this one. I can't wait to get into the next one!
isabellarobinson7's review
DNF at page 142 (39%)
Rating: NA
I really was enjoying The Devil’s Due. It wasn't bad for a non-canon Sherlock Holmes story, or any detective story for that matter. But perhaps therein lies the problem: Holmes could be swapped out for any other investigative officer and the story would hardly suffer. Yes, there is some things about Mycroft Holmes that obviously couldn't remain if Sherlock were removed, same goes for Dr. Watson, but with only minor tweaks made to character and place names (221b Baker St. is an exclusively Holmesian address) Bonnie MacBird's detective mystery could still function without its supposedly "main character".
To be honest, I decided to DNF The Devil’s Due because I realized I was only reading it to add to my Goodreads goal. That, and I was prioritizing Words of Radiance over literally everything else.
Rating: NA
I really was enjoying The Devil’s Due. It wasn't bad for a non-canon Sherlock Holmes story, or any detective story for that matter. But perhaps therein lies the problem: Holmes could be swapped out for any other investigative officer and the story would hardly suffer. Yes, there is some things about Mycroft Holmes that obviously couldn't remain if Sherlock were removed, same goes for Dr. Watson, but with only minor tweaks made to character and place names (221b Baker St. is an exclusively Holmesian address) Bonnie MacBird's detective mystery could still function without its supposedly "main character".
To be honest, I decided to DNF The Devil’s Due because I realized I was only reading it to add to my Goodreads goal. That, and I was prioritizing Words of Radiance over literally everything else.
annieb123's review against another edition
5.0
Originally published on my blog Nonstop Reader.
The Devil’s Due is the third Sherlock Holmes adventure by Bonnie MacBird. Released 22nd Oct 2019 by HarperCollins, it's 384 pages and available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. Presumably that feature will carry through to the release version of the ebook.
There are so many (SO many) Holmes and Watson pastiches/homages/alternate worlds, timelines, alternate interpretations, that it is difficult to sort the good stuff from the dross. I am a die-hard canon fan and have read the originals so many times I've worn out copies. That being said, there is a fair bit of good fiction being written today, and this series (and author) are consistently excellent, verging on superlative.
The writing, plotting, tension arc, characterizations, and descriptions are all well done; the author is adept at her craft. The tone of the book and the dialogue manage to feel like it could have been written contemporaneously with the canon; no mean feat. I was a little disappointed with the foreshadowing; it seemed a little heavy handed. I read the book thinking that the major plot twist which I expected couldn't be so obvious. Honestly, the book was so well written and entertaining otherwise that I didn't really mind much.
Holmes & Watson's foil, Billings, is suitably dense, objectionably racist, and obstructive enough to engender heartfelt boos and hisses whenever he shows up. Holmes' encounters and abuse at the hands of the media are evident in this adventure as well, so he and Watson find themselves up against an array of more or less active foes.
I enjoyed this story and I suspect that most Holmesians will find enough here to keep them entertained. The story is also written around a framework of real historical occurrences and the author provides a link in the book to annotations and historical notes which are well worth a read.
Five stars. Delightful to see Holmes and Watson in fighting form.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Devil’s Due is the third Sherlock Holmes adventure by Bonnie MacBird. Released 22nd Oct 2019 by HarperCollins, it's 384 pages and available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. Presumably that feature will carry through to the release version of the ebook.
There are so many (SO many) Holmes and Watson pastiches/homages/alternate worlds, timelines, alternate interpretations, that it is difficult to sort the good stuff from the dross. I am a die-hard canon fan and have read the originals so many times I've worn out copies. That being said, there is a fair bit of good fiction being written today, and this series (and author) are consistently excellent, verging on superlative.
The writing, plotting, tension arc, characterizations, and descriptions are all well done; the author is adept at her craft. The tone of the book and the dialogue manage to feel like it could have been written contemporaneously with the canon; no mean feat. I was a little disappointed with the foreshadowing; it seemed a little heavy handed. I read the book thinking that the major plot twist which I expected couldn't be so obvious. Honestly, the book was so well written and entertaining otherwise that I didn't really mind much.
Holmes & Watson's foil, Billings, is suitably dense, objectionably racist, and obstructive enough to engender heartfelt boos and hisses whenever he shows up. Holmes' encounters and abuse at the hands of the media are evident in this adventure as well, so he and Watson find themselves up against an array of more or less active foes.
I enjoyed this story and I suspect that most Holmesians will find enough here to keep them entertained. The story is also written around a framework of real historical occurrences and the author provides a link in the book to annotations and historical notes which are well worth a read.
Five stars. Delightful to see Holmes and Watson in fighting form.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
thebeardedpoet's review
4.0
About The Devil's Due by Bonnie MacBird . . . if I could, I'd probably give it 3 and half stars, but rounded up here. This is a very intelligent, well-researched and well-written pastiche of the Sherlock Holmes stories. If you like Holmes, you will definitely enjoy this novel where he hunts a serial killer who is alphabetically killing victims.
Interestingly the novel's themes relate to today as much as to Holmes' day: terrorism, abuse of political power and wealth, and misuses of the powers of the police and journalism. Some of Holmes' commentary on these issues could just as easily have been posted on social media this week.
The only thing that detracted from my enjoyment of the novel was a few chapters in the second half where the amount of atmospheric detail seemed slow down the action in the plot. In other words, at times the writing was too descriptive for my tastes, but that might not bother others.
Interestingly the novel's themes relate to today as much as to Holmes' day: terrorism, abuse of political power and wealth, and misuses of the powers of the police and journalism. Some of Holmes' commentary on these issues could just as easily have been posted on social media this week.
The only thing that detracted from my enjoyment of the novel was a few chapters in the second half where the amount of atmospheric detail seemed slow down the action in the plot. In other words, at times the writing was too descriptive for my tastes, but that might not bother others.
hauntthetale's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Drug use, and Police brutality
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Suicide and Torture
pvbobrien's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
jpiasci1's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
msgtdameron's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I read this work in the hopes that B. Macbird would come closer to Conan Doyle's style than in her first book. I was seriously disappointed. First, she puts words on paper that Dr. Watson NEVER would have brought up. For instance she has Watson call Holmes "manic" in multiple lines. One Doyle would have never had the doctor write that word at any point in any of Doyle's work. Even if Holmes was acting in a manic manor Watson would Never put that word to paper on any occasion, even stories that would NOT be published until well after both their deaths. This word would just never be used. Second, in some of Doyle's work Holmes is found in the seedy opium dens of London's docks and other shady locations or in his chair in his rooms. But this is always early in the story when Holmes is board and with out a case. Not near the end when the story is about to climax. Macbird has Holmes high as a kite near the end of this work and did the same in Art in the Blood, which I reviewed earlier.
Another non - Doyleien touch is Mycroft continues to hold a major place in her works whereas Doyle mentions Holmes brother and his position only occasionally. Macbird has made Mycroft a major character on a level with Lestrad. Doyle, again, never put such emphasis on Mycroft.
Finally the last stylistic thing she does is continue to put 21st Century problems and news stories and transplant them back to the 19th Century. In Art of the Blood, it's pedophilia, in this work it's Xenophobia and immigration with a touch of police brutality added in. In all honesty in the 1880's 1890's police men using excessive force is standard. SO the cries and disgust that Lestrad shows for these type of actions is just NOT how London in particular and the western world in general would think about policing. Also xenophobia while real in both England and the U.S. was not written about by Doyle. Even when his villain's are foreign he is careful to not be xenophobic about their actions and just keep the actions criminal not a definer of people from another land. Macbird use's this xenophobia to attack some of her prime characters in this work.
Ti finish, if you want a great rip roaring detective story this is a five star read. If you want a Holmes story from a modern author skip it. Macbird would do well to try to sell these stories to Hollywood for a Holmes movie or to CBS or BBC/ Sky if they ever try to reboot the modern Sherlock series.
Another non - Doyleien touch is Mycroft continues to hold a major place in her works whereas Doyle mentions Holmes brother and his position only occasionally. Macbird has made Mycroft a major character on a level with Lestrad. Doyle, again, never put such emphasis on Mycroft.
Finally the last stylistic thing she does is continue to put 21st Century problems and news stories and transplant them back to the 19th Century. In Art of the Blood, it's pedophilia, in this work it's Xenophobia and immigration with a touch of police brutality added in. In all honesty in the 1880's 1890's police men using excessive force is standard. SO the cries and disgust that Lestrad shows for these type of actions is just NOT how London in particular and the western world in general would think about policing. Also xenophobia while real in both England and the U.S. was not written about by Doyle. Even when his villain's are foreign he is careful to not be xenophobic about their actions and just keep the actions criminal not a definer of people from another land. Macbird use's this xenophobia to attack some of her prime characters in this work.
Ti finish, if you want a great rip roaring detective story this is a five star read. If you want a Holmes story from a modern author skip it. Macbird would do well to try to sell these stories to Hollywood for a Holmes movie or to CBS or BBC/ Sky if they ever try to reboot the modern Sherlock series.
swarmofbees's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0