The Dark Water: The Strange Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes

The Dark Water by Pirie is a very gripping and interesting book, larded over with all the trappings of a Gothic tale. There are ancient curses, witchcraft, a kind of werewolf, and an adversary for Dr. Bell and Doyle who seems almost diabolical. True in a way to the official Sherlock Holmes canon, Pirie drives forward relentlessly through Dr. Bell's investigations -- at times focusing on major issues, and at times spending an entire day tracking down seemingly minor details. And as in the original Sherlock Holmes stories, Doyle -- who here plays a version of the faithful sidekick Watson -- is continually bewildered by Dr. Bell's approach. And Bell often refuses to explain anything, leaving Doyle totally in the dark. Dunwich is the setting -- a small and cursed sea town. We are reminded of "The Sunken Cathedral" by Claude Debussey -- the old notion that one still hears the bells of the submerged cathedral is included in The Dark Water. One is also reminded of H.P. Lovecraft's Dunwich -- another cursed town with misanthropy abundant at every hand. The plot seems very fresh, and with bizarre characters who are nonetheless convincingly drawn. Some of the least likely characters provide case-breaking small details that snap Bell's investigations into a larger picture. One example is a boy of about eight who is very disturbed, and seems to delight in tormenting or killing birds. Doyle is repelled by him, and finds him just a total distraction, but later in the novel Dr. Bell interrogates him and gleans a crucial bit of fact. The writer is so skillful, one never really quite knows which of the townsmen are working with the evil villain Cream, and which are just as they seem -- innocent passers by. This was for me a page-turner. I could not put it down and went through the book in 48 hours. It is not for the squeamish-- the murders are abundant and often are very gory affairs. Hardly a single Gothic trapping is neglected -- the brooding storm, the twisted characters, the witches and superstitions, the unending tone of sheer fear or terror. Doyle is like the Dr. Watson of the original Sherlock Holmes -- overly sentimental, chivalrous toward women, indignant at any slight of the least passer-by, and finally, truly brave and a stalwart partner to Bell, although . . . . not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Quite a fine piece of work. I hope to seek out other novels by this author.

The Dark Water: The Strange Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes is a unique mystery novel, set in the Victorian countryside, and featuring Sherlock Holmes' creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Holmes' inspirational figure Dr. Joseph Bell as the protagonists. A grisly trail of seemingly unrelated murders entangles the two, and their hunt for the killer eventually leads them to a cliffside village and a breathtaking, cataclysmic struggle with a terrible nemesis from Doyle's past. Tightly written, drawing heavily upon author David Pirie's familiarity with both Sherlock Holmes canon and Doyle's biography, The Dark Water is an enthralling literary work from cover to cover. Also highly recommended for mystery genre enthusiasts are Pirie's previous Arthur Conan Doyle novels, "The Patient's Eyes" and "The Night Calls".

I am an avid reader of Holmes, and started reading Pirie's books several years ago. He has wonderfully blended the non-fiction elements of Conan Doyle and Dr Bell with the fiction of a "Holmes" kind of world where mysteries abound, and a bad man is murdering relentlessy across England. I am facinated in Dr Bell, who was in fact Doyle's inspiration for Holmes, and wish there were more details about his career available. Of course this is fiction, but many of the places of interest and events were based on fact (look up the town by the sea they visit, it was real!). You must read the first books in the series, however, or this book will not have the same powerful significance. It is a non-stop nail biter, I read it in hours. Also, for true Holmes fantatics, you will love the way Pirie blends in many details from several Holmes stories into his books. I like trying to recall which story they were from. I can't wait for the next book!

David Pirie's "The Dark Water" is the latest installment in the adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle and his mentor, Joseph Bell, after whom, many believe, Doyle modeled his great fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes. The year is 1883, and Thomas Neill Cream, once a friend of Doyle's, has shown himself to be a diabolical and sadistic fiend. Cream is a handsome, charming, and well spoken sociopath. He adopts a variety of aliases and presents a normal face to the world when it suits his purposes, but when his mask is lifted, he savagely kills and tortures men and women alike, sometimes just for sport. Cream sees himself as a man of destiny, and he celebrates murder as an act of glory and freedom. In Pirie's previous novel, Cream committed a heinous crime that caused Doyle great suffering. By no means is Cream finished making mischief; he threatens to inflict even greater harm on both Doyle and Bell, whom he considers his archenemies. Since Cream is careful to leave few clues behind, Bell is determined to apprehend him using his formidable intellect and famous methods of scientific deduction. "The Dark Water" is a complex and chilling tale in which Doyle and Bell track Cream to Dunwich, a forbidding place that is slowly sinking into the sea. Here, a legendary witch was driven to her death back in the seventeenth century. Superstitious townspeople still believe in some of the old legends, such as the existence of a "howling man" who comes back periodically from the dead to terrify anyone who sees and hears him. "The Dark Water" is a richly textured and atmospheric story with superb descriptive writing and a variety of colorful characters, including Oliver Jefford, a wealthy gambler and fop who suddenly disappears, his concerned sister, Charlotte, who comes to town to search for him, and Dr. James Bulweather, the local doctor who may know more than he is willing to reveal. There is a juicy section in the book that will delight cryptographers; Bell must find the key to an unbreakable code in order to solve a baffling mystery. Pirie wisely humanizes Doyle and Bell, who both make crucial errors for which they pay dearly. Doyle at one point is furious at Bell for being too rational and lacking compassion. Bell responds, "Concern is never sufficient. I have to follow the line of reason." Reason, alas, has its limitations. Pirie's themes include the ways in which superstition and gossip can harm a community, the terrible consequences of secrets and lies, the fallibility of even the most astute individual, and the necessity of balancing both feelings and logic when dealing with our fellow human beings. Pirie is a master at building suspense to an almost unbearable level until he reaches his nerve-wracking conclusion. Readers who love authentic Victorian mysteries with courageous heroes and a larger than life villain will find "The Dark Water" deliciously frightening and thoroughly engrossing.