Sherlock Holmes And The Twelve Thefts of Christmas by Tim Major
Publisher - Titan
Published - Out Now
Price - £8.99 paperback £6.99 Kindle eBook
Sherlock Holmes’s discovery of a mysterious musical score initiates a devious Christmas challenge set by Irene Adler, with clues that are all variations on the theme of ‘theft without theft', such as a statue missing from a museum found hidden in the room it was taken from.
In the snowy London lead-up to Christmas, Holmes’s preoccupation with the "Adler Variations" risks him neglecting the case of his new client, Norwegian arctic explorer Fridtjof Nansen, who has received a series of threats in the form of animal carcasses left on his doorstep. Could they really be gifts from a strange spirit that has pursued Nansen since the completion of his expedition to cross Greenland? And might this case somehow be related to Irene Adler’s great game?
I think it’s the range of stories that help make Sherlock Holmes work. You have the quasi horror feeling with the Hound of the Baskervilles, the dramatic tension of the Final Problem and then we have the intriguing battle of wits that is A Scandal in Bohemia where Holmes meets Irene Adler which unusually hints at some form of meeting of minds and just a touch of hearts. It’s such a huge playbox of stories you can go from light to dark and as it’s Christmas I’ve treated myself to a seasonal selection box where Holmes and Watson find themselves up against Ms Adler for a rematch.
Watson visits his friend to find him distracted. A mysterious ticket to a performance which Holmes knows is not from who it is supposed to be sets up a train of clues to mysterious thefts that aren’t quite what they seem. From the British Museum to a graveyards to drained rivers and puzzled explorers Holmes is being tested but is this a simple battle of wits or is a bigger game at work?
I think think is feels the kind of relaxing Holmes read you want when you’re feeling a little unsure what day it is and too much food. Sit back and watch Holmes and Watson rush around Victorian London and get involved in all sorts of strange mysteries. Major has created a selection box of unusual crimes and each needs Holmes to work through a solution. Some are elaborate and some are playful. Adler is here more initially a mischievous equal to Holmes and we find these two enjoy playing games for one another. Which can be read in many ways and Major lets the reader decide if this is logic or something more tender at work. I liked the idea that Adler works to Holmes’ weaknesses to make the tasks more evenly matched. Major also has a good key role for Mary Watson who proves a very capable investigator too and shows Watson she understands people better than both men.
The drawback is the tale perhaps lacks a final dramatic conclusion. The initial sense this all leads to something big feels a little lost but we do have the biggest mystery - an arctic explorer and a strange myth getting a very decent resolution which runs through the novel but for me the framing device feels to run out of steam a little in the final acts. Fun is still had but at a relaxed pace rather than a hurtling run. At this time of year though I am less interested in running!
A fine Holmes tale for a comfy chair with a cuppa and some tasty cakes, chocolates or biscuits (all three can be taken at once). The brain will get a little run out and you may finally be ready to remember the day of the week afterwards. A lot of fun!
