Jeanne Reviews: Art in the Blood: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure by Bonnie MacBird

Please welcome Jeanne of the BPL back to the blog today as the game is afoot .....

Art in the Blood:  A Sherlock Holmes Adventure by Bonnie MacBird

As the book opens, Dr. John Watson is rushing to 222B Baker Street at the behest of Mrs. Hudson.  He finds Sherlock Holmes in a near-stupor, having fallen back into some old habits while being left to his own devices.  With his wife Mary away, Watson takes it upon himself to try to revive Holmes by getting him interested in a new case. Fortunately, an intriguing one soon presents itself in the form of a letter from a Frenchwoman, asking Holmes for help in locating her missing son. Normally, such a missive wouldn’t evoke much interest, but this one is not only written in disappearing ink, but there’s a second, hidden message enclosed as well. It soon becomes obvious that this case may have international implications beyond that of a domestic situation, including art theft, child labor, and even murder.

I’m rather fond of the Great Detective and have read a number of “newly discovered manuscripts” involving Holmes and Watson.  Some are mediocre at best; others are rather good, and a few I have enjoyed thoroughly, such as Nicholas Meyer’s The Seven-Per-Cent Solution. Bonnie MacBird’s entry definitely falls into the “enjoyable” category, even if I find her Holmes to be pricklier than some versions.  Watson is seen to be intelligent and compassionate, eager to solve the mysteries because he cares about the people involved, while Holmes is more interested in the intellectual challenge. 

MacBird does a good job of evoking the time period and the descriptions of art and art collectors are interesting.  At one point, Holmes and Watson go undercover to infiltrate a stately home where stolen art works are supposed to reside, and MacBride gives us a glimpse of the preparations as each studies his role. 

A second book in the series, Unquiet Spirits, is equally well done. In fact, I read that one first and reviewed it at the Bookblog of the Bristol Public Library, finding it intriguing enough to seek out the first.  MacBird’s books can be somewhat dark and gritty, rather than prim Victorian melodramas.  For Sherlock aficionados, I would call it a mix of Meyer and Anthony Horowitz’s House ofSilk.