Tag: mystery

Book Review: An Ancient Sword Draws The Attention Of Sherlock Holmes

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Sherlock Holmes and the Sacred Sword by Frank Thomas misses the mark when it comes to emulating the talents of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was first published in 1980, and Thomas is not likely one of the better-known pastiche authors who has made an effort to add something to the Sherlock Holmes legend. After reading this book, there is little reason that he should be counted among the better contributors.

The story starts off with a man being brought to 221 B Baker Street where he dies in the presence of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. That and a rather peculiar burglary draws the duo into the search for an ancient sword that was said to have belonged to Mohammed. An old enemy who leads a criminal Chinese enterprise also plans to ensnare Holmes and Watson as they travel the world and end up in Egypt where a lethal confrontation will take place.

Thomas is not necessarily as bad writer. He just seems to draw more inspiration from the Basil Rathbone films than Doyle’s original works. I enjoy the Basil Rathbone films, but they also seem to take some artistic liberties when it comes to the mannerisms of Doyle’s creations. Thomas probably would have done better with applying his talents to his own characters and literary world more than trying to indulge himself within the landscape created by Doyle. There were some moments where the story sort of dragged, but that’s usually the risk when trying to write something that takes place in the Victorian Era.

It was an interesting challenge to get through this novel even though it is not that long. Frank Thomas is likely a competent enough writer in his own right, but the decision to bring his pen to 221 B Baker Street just didn’t seem that well thought out.

It’s time to return to the world of Vince Flynn’s creation, Mitch Rapp. Flynn has been deceased for some time, but Kyle Mills has kept the Mitch Rapp series going for the past few years. Oath of Loyalty is next my port of call on the lengthy literary voyage.

Book Review: Inspector Vera Stanhope Sets A Trap

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves was first published in 1999 and was quite a solid introduction of Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope to the extensive gallery of fictional detectives. There has been a very successful British television series based on the series created by Cleeves. Obviously, Cleeves has enjoyed great success and recognition for her contribution to the mystery genre. Now that I have completed my first read of a Cleeves novel, time for me to weigh in.

Vera Stanhope is brought in to investigate the death of woman who was part of a group environmental study. There had already been a suicide, but the death of Grace Fulwell was certainly murder. Vera is having to dig through years of secrets to arrive at the truth quickly because another death soon occurs.

This novel has a few unusual features such as Vera really is not introduced to the reader or the other characters properly until about two hundred pages in. There are a couple of glimpses in the earlier scenes, but Cleeves spent an inordinate time really setting up the supporting characters. She also does a third person narrative but focused on a certain character through portions of the book. I was sort of excited when I got to Vera’s take which occurred in the last few chapters of the novel. Also, this novel turned out to contain 535 pages, so it’s a big one.

Cleeves is a little overly fond of exposition, especially in the early chapters, which at times slows the plot down a bit. She does have a distinctive enough prose style where I appreciated the care she puts in descriptions of the environment and the characters. Cleeves also divides the novel into portions where the main supporting characters receive a chance to shine a bit before Vera has her section which garners the reader’s attention. This method reminded me a little of George R.R. Martin’s style of storytelling in the Song of Ice and Fire series, and Cleeves does it quite well.

A curmudgeonly middle-aged female detective isn’t exactly as fresh one would think, but Vera Stanhope is still an interesting enough protagonist. I ended up anxiously looking forward to the moment when Vera gets more involved in the story, and I was not disappointed when that finally happened.

I also noticed that there is a certain eloquence in Cleeves’ prose that is hard to describe. It reminded me somewhat of the stylings of the mid-twentieth century authors such as Agatha Christie or Dorothy L. Sayers.

Overall, I can see why Cleeves has the following that she does, and I do plan to revisit her works in the not-so-distant future. From what I have noticed, she has quite a catalog that will take some time to get through. Either way, this is my first trip into her literary universe, but it is not to be my last.

The seasons are getting warmer, but it’s still a few days before Spring officially arrives. Therefore, it still seems fitting to dive into The Chill by Scott Carson.

Book Review: Someone Has Been Skinning Something More Than Big Game

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Trophy Hunt by C.J. Box is the fourth thriller to feature game warden Joe Pickett and turns out to be pretty good but not groundbreaking. The novel was first published in 2004.

Joe Pickett finds the mutilated corpse of a moose and learns of some ranchers having similar discoveries among their cattle. Two men are killed and inflicted with similar gruesome wounds which prompts the local law enforcement in Wyoming to form a task force. Pickett is a somewhat controversial inclusion in this, but his instincts and experience with unexpected murder investigations manage to help them land on the proper solution.

I like Joe Pickett because he’s not a disheveled alcoholic or a social misfit. I don’t mind characters like that, but the trope gets a little overused by many crime writers. Pickett is a bit of an odd one out in today’s detective fiction for being quite conventional. He is a loving husband and father, and his wife, Marybeth, supports him and worries about him when he’s the midst of a misadventure. He has two daughters who are depicted quite charmingly as well. Pickett is a character who is easy to root for because he remains steadfast in the midst of often tragic challenges. His family has already endured a pretty serious tragedy so early in the series.

Anyway, there are some pretty decent twists in the story. The other thing I appreciate about Pickett is that he sometimes makes mistakes during an investigation, and Box is not afraid to show that his protagonist is not an experienced detective. Indeed, Pickett seems to be a reluctant detective at times. Some of these elements does make Pickett a bit more endearing and relatable.

Box is not really an extraordinary writer, but he is competent. I am still reading the earlier entries in this series, so I look forward to seeing how the characters and plots evolve. Basically, Box is good enough to keep me interested enough to try out some more Pickett novels.

I have watched some of the television series, but it’s now time to meet the print version of Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope in the first novel, The Crow Trap, by Ann Cleeves.