Sherlock Holmes

by William Meikle

[kentholloway]

Okay. Let's get one thing clear. I'm a HUGE Sherlock Holmes fan. Always have been. As a matter of fact, besides being an author myself, I am also a forensic death investigator. The inspiration for that chosen profession? Sherlock Holmes, of course (I've been doing this job a whole lot longer than CSI ever thought of being on the air). No, for me...though I love shows like Monk, Psych, the Mentalist, and Castle...Sherlock Holmes, to me, is the quintessential detective. So, whenever I see new material about him by modern day authors, I'm a bit skeptical. I'm even MORE wary when the material being written carries with it more of a paranormal feel. After all, though Doyle was an immense spiritualist, his most famous creation never showed the slightest hint of belief in anything paranormal. Still, there have been some pretty decent stories out there involving "weird" Sherlock Holmes tales...and I believed that if anyone was capable of pulling one off, it would be William Meikle.

I can tell you right now...I was not wrong in my own deductions on tht account. Another disclaimer should go here...I'm a huge fan of William Meikle's as well. His Midnight Eye Files novels ranks among my top 10 favorite book series of all times, as a matter of fact. So it really isn't a surprise to me how much I enjoyed Sherlock Holmes: Revenant. But what is a surprise is just HOW much I enjoyed it. To be honest, I couldn't put the book down. Finished it in two sittings. Devoured it. And I'm a notoriously slow reader.

I'm not going to go into detail in regards to what this book is about. You can see the product description to get a clue on that. What I will say is this: Meikle truly captured the feel of a Sherlock Holmes story. His Watson narration seemed so fluid. So authentic. Yes, there were a few touches to the narration that was distinctly Meikle, but for the most part, I had a difficult time telling myself that Doyle himself wasn't penning this supernatural tale. Second, the mystery was fantastic. The villain in the story (I won't give it away here) was up to something sinister to say the least. You, the reader soon become privy to some new informtion and think the evil plot is going in one direction until you discover a new branch along the road of the story, which completely throws your theories out the window. As it unfolds, you soon discover that even the red herrings in the story had their express purposes (two-fold purposes, in fact...one to lead Holmes and the law in the wrong direction and another purpose known only to the villain). It was simply brilliant. The third thing I loved about this book is how it ties in so flawlessly to another William Meikle masterpiece...The Concordances of the Red Serpent (which actually makes an appearance in this story, by the way). You see, Meikle has his own mythos he uses...certain key players and elements that seem to appear in a number of his stories. The Seton clan (as seen in the Concordances story) is an example of this mythos. Quite frankly, I love it when an author does this. It's like finding little Easter eggs everywhere...though in the case of Revenant, the Seton clan appearance is far from an Easter Egg. It's intregral to the plot! And it works so beautifully and seamlessly.

Here's the thing...take a chance on this book. Get it. If you're a fan of great mysteries, I guarantee you will be thoroughly pleased. If you like a touch of the supernatural in your mysteries, you are going to absolutely love it. If you're a Sherlock Holmes fan, just read with an open mind...you're going to love it too. In a literary world of mediocrity, William Meikle stands out as an author of almost arcane talents. I couldn't recommend Revenant enough!