Harper Perennial Moriarty

A REVIEW OF ‘MORIARTY’ by ANTHONY HOROWITZWhat if – when Sherlock Holmes and his arch nemesis Moriarty plunged to their ‘deaths’ into the Reichenbach Falls – the Baker Street detective was not the only one to survive? It is this fascinating premise which forms the basis of ‘Moriarty’, a novel that takes place during the so-called ‘great hiatus’ when Holmes continued to fake his death whilst rounding up more evil doers. Thus, here we have a Sherlock novel minus Sherlock. That ‘Moriarty’ (being the tale of a supposedly-dead villain, minus the star of the series) works so well is a testament to Anthony Horowitz’s panache and creativity. As his previous ‘House of Silk’ succeeded as a Dr Watson-penned tale that could NOT have been told in the fictional writer’s lifetime, so its sequel (albeit in the loosest of terms) scores a hit by being something other than just another Sherlock Holmes homage.The central plot of the novel revolves around the attempts of Inspector Athelney Jones (he of ‘The Sign of [the] Four’) and American Pinkerton agent, Frederick Chase (also the story’s narrator) to prevent the ‘deceased’ Moriarty from joining forces with the loathsome gang leader, Clarence Devereux. Devereux has just arrived in London, looking to expand a criminal fraternity responsible for countless atrocities in the United States. In their efforts to avoid this hellish union, Jones and Chase become embroiled in a series of sub-plots featuring pubescent throat-slitters, child kidnappings, bombings and murders galore.From this list of crimes, you will gather that ‘Moriarty’ is set in a far grimmer version of Victorian London than the one created by Arthur Conan Doyle. Indeed, Horowitz is quite willing to convey the more seedy and gruesome side of late-19th century urban life. One murder scene (in which an entire household is eliminated) is particularly grisly and is clearly catering for a 2014 audience. Whether this adds anything to the immortal world created by ACD, I’m not sure.Despite its rather bleak realism, ‘Moriarty’ scores on two levels. Firstly, Clarence Devereux is a truly memorable villain. Handicapped by crippling agoraphobia, he nevertheless orchestrates a catalogue of pitiless crimes whilst hiding behind a mask of respectability and political immunity. Should the novel ever be filmed, it is hard to imagine anyone other than Toby Jones playing this squat, damaged demagogue.Secondly, ‘Moriarty’ offers a jaw-dropping twist towards its finale that ultimately rewrites the tale that the reader has been engrossed in. Although not truly original (the best of the quartet of original Holmes novels ‘The Valley of Fear’ contains a similarly effective bombshell, not to mention Agatha Christie’s ‘orReg rAoCydk’), I was definitely caught off guard by the sudden and brutal revelation.Thus, whilst it cannot be classed in the same bullet-proof vein as the finest of the original Sherlockian canon of 56 short stories and 4 novels, ‘Moriarty’ is a worthy side dish to the main course. Will Anthony Horowitz continue to pen yarns in the series? Could he come up with a 3rd new spin? Now that’s surely a two pipe problem.Barty’s Score: 8.5/10

WOW, WOW, WOW!I bought another (female) author's book (a 'new' Agatha Christie) and was so disappointed that I didn't have much faith in yet another author writing a 'new' Sherlock Holmes book: boy, was I wrong!! I was well and truly gripped from the very first page, so much so that I found myself reluctant to switch the bedside light off, even though it was nearly 2 am - I literally didn't want the book to end - and if there had been another 20 chapters, it still wouldn't have been enough. I've been a fan of Anthony Horowitz's work for many years and so shouldn't really have been surprised it is as good as it is, and I pray he is commissioned to write more of these Sherlock Holmes books, because if anyone can bring the man himself to 'life' on the written page, he can. I did figure out the 'twist' but only because I've been reading whodunits and crime fiction for over 50 years, but anyone new to the genre will have no problem in being shocked at the outcome. Don't even hesitate - buy it.

I was recommended this book and told it was superior to the “House of Silk”. It was in fact very poor in my opinion. Since the book is called “Moriarty” you expect him to appear sooner rather than later. When it was strange that a third of the book had passed and he did not appear or you were not quite aware of the malefactor, it was then obvious that this then had to be the observer ie Chase. The attempted elevation of Jones to that of Holmes as the consulting detective was I admit mildly entertaining if only to see how much he had learned. The twist was obviously coming but it was a shock to read of the execution of Jones who I felted had not deserved such an exit, however the summary by Moriarty was quite astonishing, Holmes has said he was at least his intellectual equal, yet the Moriarty of this tale is an imbecile. The twist was similar to that in the book the “Darkness”, a bit of Scandanavian noir in the dispatching of the main detective. This then was a let down after the magnificent book the house of silk. Still the book promotes controversy and as such it has merit but I could only give it three stars, very disappointed

This is a splendid Sherlock Holmes story, albeit without Sherlock. Horowitz starts it just after Holmes and Moriarty have disappeared over the Reichenbach Falls. Moriarty's body has been recovered, and Scotland Yard detective Athelney Jones and Pinkerton investigator Frederick Chase find a secret message in his jacket which sends them off to London to combat American mobsters. To begin with I thought Athelney Jones was Sherlock in disguise, but he isn't. Horowitz replicates Conan Doyle's style beautifully, and evokes a grim, menacing London, including a dramatic scene below Smithfield Market. But he takes some liberties with language to make it very accessible to a 21st century reader. The novel also comes with a short story featuring Sherlock at the end, when the world's greatest consulting detective solves the bizarre theft of three naff figurines of Queen Victoria.

I loved Horowitz' writing in the Diamond Brothers and Alex Rider stories bought for my daughter and the House of Silk was excellent taking me back to my teenage years with Sherlock Holmes but this didn't have the right voice and the plot was just unbelievable in so many places. I almost didn't bother finishing it - unheard of for me! The Abernetty's at the end was almost the best bit. Very sad. I thought I might be on to a new series of Holmes novels but I guess that this series stopped after no. 2 says it all. Buy House of Silk - don't buy Moriarty.