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A review by thebeardedpoet
The Devil's Due by Bonnie MacBird
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.