The Sherlockian

The Sherlockian (2010) by Graham Moore. Part romance, part mystery novel, "The Sherlockian" is something truly original. The action takes place in alternating chapters, half set in the 1890s, half set in 2010. In each time frame, a murder has taken place, and in each time frame, it falls to our protagonist to solve the murder in Holmesian fashion. The "first" murder takes place in 2010, at a meeting of the Baker Street Irregulars -- Sherlock Holmes buffs all, who are puzzled by a murder in their midst. Solving it falls to young Harold White, the newest member of the group, with the help of Sarah -- a journalist, or so she says. The other murder takes place in 1893, and the man who must solve it is Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. The book alternates back and forth, back and forth, between Harold and Arthur, until both solve their respective mysteries and the story lines artfully merge. This is truly a marvelous book. Grade: A-