The Devil’s Due: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure
Author: Bonnie Macbird
Published by: Collins Crime Club, Harper Collins
Pages: 365
Format: Paperback
My Rating ★★★★★
London, 1890. A freezing November.
As anarchists terrorize the city, a series of gruesome murders strikes deeper into its heart. Leading philanthropists are being slaughtered in alphabetical order, all members of a secret club, the Luminarians. And with each victim, a loved one mysteriously dies as well.
Hampered by a new head of Scotland Yard, a vengeful journalist and a beautiful socialite with her own agenda, Sherlock Holmes and John Watson attempt to close in on the killer.
As the murders continue, the letter “H” climbs closer to the top of the list – and then Mycroft Holmes disappears. Must Sherlock Holmes himself cross to the dark side to take down this devil? Even John Watson, the man who knows him best, can only watch and wonder…
My thoughts:
Thank you to Tandem Collective who sent me out a copy of the book and invited me to take part in the online readalong in exchange for an honest review.
After Art in the Blood and Unquiet Spirits, Holmes and Watson are back in the third of Bonnie MacBird’s critically acclaimed Sherlock Holmes Adventures, written in the tradition of Conan Doyle himself. It’s 1890 and the newly famous Sherlock Holmes faces his worst enemy to date – a terrible villain bent on destroying some of London’s most admired public figures in particularly gruesome ways.
As he tracks the killer through a particularly busy and cold, rainy London, Holmes finds himself battling both an envious Scotland Yard and a critical press as he follows a complicated trail of crime scenes. But when his brother Mycroft disappears, apparently the victim of murder, even those close to Holmes begin to wonder how close to the flames he has travelled.
Despite this being the third book in MacBird’s series, the story works perfectly as a standalone. The author does a remarkable job in resurrecting Sherlock, this is a great mystery with Sherlock facing a worthy adversary in this complex story of secrets, corruption and murder.
The narrative is delivered by Watson, a man who has greatly missed being in the thick of city life and the range of London's social circles, from the elite to the poorest. The author does a great job with her characterisation of Watson. Finally, we see an intelligent physician with a deep and loyal affection for his friend, a love of adventure, and someone who is physically and intellectually strong. Holmes and Watson are in perfect form and a new character, Heffie O’Malley, makes a wonderful addition.
The novel races along at a thrilling pace, and while her writing style is her own, the voices of all the characters naturally ring true to Victorian London and the world of Conan-Doyle. It’s clear MacBird has done her research. I haven't read the first two books in this series but I can't wait to buy them now.
The Devil's Due is one of those rare books that I simply couldn’t put down. As a result, I ended up speeding through it at a quicker rate than planned for the readalong. Sorry, not sorry Harper Collins!
I haven't read a story this rich in texture and detail in a long time, yet it moved with great speed. Never a dull moment; there were so many fun elements that made this stand out from the classic series of mysteries. The mystery was complex and clever, which I appreciated, and the ending was great. If you are looking for a Holmes adventure that pays a fitting tribute to Arthur Conan Doyle then Bonnie MacBird is the only author you need to read.
Overall reaction:
