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A review by yokorie
The Devil's Due by Bonnie Macbird
4.0
5/5
It's been a few years since I read the first two, but Sherlock Holmes pastiches are incredibly forgiving in that you really can just jump right into them so long as you have the absolute basics: 1) Sherlock solves mysteries, and 2), he does so with his companion, Dr. John Watson.
Still, for a mystery subgenre that spans over 120 years of work at this point, MacBird's books are fresh and interesting. It's rare for me to finish a book so quickly, though my ability to do so in this case is helped along by MacBird's ability to craft a story that moves so smoothly and so quickly that it's hard to justify a reason to put it down. I plowed through the last 80 pages holding my breath, content to curl up for as long as it took to get to the back cover. Again, a true feat for my ADHD and I, which isn't opposed to setting a book down with less than 50 pages to go as my mind wanders to something else. The only criticism I truly have is one I have for any Holmes story: solving the mystery yourself before the end is difficult, if not impossible, because Sherlock always reveals something he discovered but didn't share with Watson/ the audience, until the last possible minute. I think most of the fun of mysteries allows you to flex those mental muscles yourself, but again, that's hardly MacBird's fault.
However, I do worry in my haste to read that I missed a few loose ends that may have been wrapped up and I was left wondering about the next day. Either that, or MacBird is leaving them for the next book, which I have already reserved from the library.
It's been a few years since I read the first two, but Sherlock Holmes pastiches are incredibly forgiving in that you really can just jump right into them so long as you have the absolute basics: 1) Sherlock solves mysteries, and 2), he does so with his companion, Dr. John Watson.
Still, for a mystery subgenre that spans over 120 years of work at this point, MacBird's books are fresh and interesting. It's rare for me to finish a book so quickly, though my ability to do so in this case is helped along by MacBird's ability to craft a story that moves so smoothly and so quickly that it's hard to justify a reason to put it down. I plowed through the last 80 pages holding my breath, content to curl up for as long as it took to get to the back cover. Again, a true feat for my ADHD and I, which isn't opposed to setting a book down with less than 50 pages to go as my mind wanders to something else. The only criticism I truly have is one I have for any Holmes story: solving the mystery yourself before the end is difficult, if not impossible, because Sherlock always reveals something he discovered but didn't share with Watson/ the audience, until the last possible minute. I think most of the fun of mysteries allows you to flex those mental muscles yourself, but again, that's hardly MacBird's fault.
However, I do worry in my haste to read that I missed a few loose ends that may have been wrapped up and I was left wondering about the next day. Either that, or MacBird is leaving them for the next book, which I have already reserved from the library.