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A review by ravenousbibliophile
The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr
2.0
Rating: 2.5/5
Blurb: A bit too elementary
This is my second (of hopefully four) Sherlock Holmes pastiche works this year, and I must confess that after reading "The Alienist" and "The Angel of Darkness" I thought no other author better suited to write a Sherlock Holmes story than Caleb Carr. If his previous works are any indication, then Carr certainly excels at the historical. The man can weave a brilliant tapestry of descriptions when it comes to cityscapes and personalities, not to mention the historical tidbits which one experiences as if walking through a museum with an exceedingly knowledgeable and passionate curator.
With a Sherlock Holmes story, he'd have old London to play with, along with the myriad and entertaining cast of the Baker Street irregulars and other bohemian denizens of London whose company Holmes is only too delighted to keep. Unfortunately, none of these things are present in this story. In fact that only thing present, which is consistent with Sherlock Holmes canon is the unscientific narrative voice and verve of Dr. John Watson whose narrative technique is often criticized by Holmes for lacking the cool and calculating viewpoint of the logician.
At the heart of any good mystery-story is the eponymous 'mystery'. And a good mystery is always backed up by an intriguing build-up. Here Carr delivers in spades. In fact he delivers an entire card-decks worth of build-up, replete with both evocative and pedestrian details which can get tedious very quickly. Unlike the Dr. Kreizler stories where the detailed descriptions played an essential part in building the city of New York as a character, here we find the same technique fall flat for the simple reason that much of the description is about nothing in particular.
Aside from Caleb Carr's involvement, what I also found intriguing (and even exciting) was the presence of Mycroft Holmes. Any collaboration featuring Mycroft has always been one to remember and I was looking forward to seeing his character as something more than a mere conduit for expository dialogue. Mycroft has proven himself to be more than just a corpulent misanthrope on more than one occasion.
Coming at last to the resolution of the mystery, well, it was as disappointing as it was predictable. And while many a mystery from the Sherlock Holmes canon are predictable, they are not disappointing. As I've mentioned before, Carr had old-London and Holmes' vast network of bohemians at his disposal, these were the elements that gave a Sherlock Holmes story it's zest and character. Instead, Carr chose to remove both London and the bohemians from the equation and cast our Consulting-Detective and his faithful companion as strangers in a strange Highland mystery.
Be that as it may, there is something to be said for a book that compels you to read it to the end. Even when things got tedious, the story kept getting just interesting enough for me to turn the next page, until I was too committed to quit. And so, for designing and executing this elaborate and verbose trap, Caleb Carr has my respect.
Blurb: A bit too elementary
This is my second (of hopefully four) Sherlock Holmes pastiche works this year, and I must confess that after reading "The Alienist" and "The Angel of Darkness" I thought no other author better suited to write a Sherlock Holmes story than Caleb Carr. If his previous works are any indication, then Carr certainly excels at the historical. The man can weave a brilliant tapestry of descriptions when it comes to cityscapes and personalities, not to mention the historical tidbits which one experiences as if walking through a museum with an exceedingly knowledgeable and passionate curator.
With a Sherlock Holmes story, he'd have old London to play with, along with the myriad and entertaining cast of the Baker Street irregulars and other bohemian denizens of London whose company Holmes is only too delighted to keep. Unfortunately, none of these things are present in this story. In fact that only thing present, which is consistent with Sherlock Holmes canon is the unscientific narrative voice and verve of Dr. John Watson whose narrative technique is often criticized by Holmes for lacking the cool and calculating viewpoint of the logician.
At the heart of any good mystery-story is the eponymous 'mystery'. And a good mystery is always backed up by an intriguing build-up. Here Carr delivers in spades. In fact he delivers an entire card-decks worth of build-up, replete with both evocative and pedestrian details which can get tedious very quickly. Unlike the Dr. Kreizler stories where the detailed descriptions played an essential part in building the city of New York as a character, here we find the same technique fall flat for the simple reason that much of the description is about nothing in particular.
Aside from Caleb Carr's involvement, what I also found intriguing (and even exciting) was the presence of Mycroft Holmes. Any collaboration featuring Mycroft has always been one to remember and I was looking forward to seeing his character as something more than a mere conduit for expository dialogue. Mycroft has proven himself to be more than just a corpulent misanthrope on more than one occasion.
Coming at last to the resolution of the mystery, well, it was as disappointing as it was predictable. And while many a mystery from the Sherlock Holmes canon are predictable, they are not disappointing. As I've mentioned before, Carr had old-London and Holmes' vast network of bohemians at his disposal, these were the elements that gave a Sherlock Holmes story it's zest and character. Instead, Carr chose to remove both London and the bohemians from the equation and cast our Consulting-Detective and his faithful companion as strangers in a strange Highland mystery.
Be that as it may, there is something to be said for a book that compels you to read it to the end. Even when things got tedious, the story kept getting just interesting enough for me to turn the next page, until I was too committed to quit. And so, for designing and executing this elaborate and verbose trap, Caleb Carr has my respect.