A review by jstilts
Unquiet Spirits: Whisky, Ghosts, Murder by Bonnie Macbird

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This is a great Holmes book - very witty, complex, full of character and incident.

MacBird writes Holmes and Watson ever so slightly leaning towards the Robert Downey Jr interpretation which gives the pace and energy and a wicked humour often missing from other post-Doyle Holmes novelists. This doesn't at all detract from the seriousness of the cases Holmes and Watson are investigating, with complex and downright nasty individuals under scrutiny with true danger ever present once the game is truly afoot. However there are a few laugh-out-loud moments, but none of them seem out of place nor out of character, indeed some of the humour is found in knowing Holmes and Watson's characters well enough to see what's coming.

MacBird is also not afraid to explore and develop the characters of Holmes and Watson more than Conan Doyle ever did, with Watson gaining some surprising insights into Holmes' youth.
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