The Italian Secretary: A Further Adventure of Sherlock Holmes

"Come Watson, the games afoot" - Holmes and Watson are off to Scotland at the behest of Holmes's brother Mycroff to save the Queen. Caleb Carr's The Italian Secretary is a fun read that those who love period mysteries and the Sherlock Holmes stories will find hard to put down. While parts of Carr's uniqueness come through, he has mastered the rhythm and style of Arthur Conan Doyle enough to take one back to the old masterpieces. Take it in hand for a time of enjoyment escaping from the pace of modern life and pressure of the moment. But a warning - it does keep one on the edge of their seat.

It can be a daunting task to write a new adventure for one of the literary world's most beloved detectives of all time. The author is certain to open himself up to criticism and to be told that he is no Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. But the undertakers of this project knew that much to begin with, and since this work (and the others, all originally intended as short stories) was commissioned by the Conan Doyle Estate, the criticism of the novel should not be based upon the author not 'living up' to the standards of Conan Doyle. That was not the point - the point was to create a new adventure for a literary hero in the same vein, and Caleb Carr, who is a masterful storyteller of historical mysteries, has done a commendable job. "The Italian Secretary" is a mystery set within Holyroodhouse, the legendary palace of Mary, Queen of Scots, situated in Edinburgh, Scotland. The title comes from a story that had circulated through the ages, of an Italain secretary who influenced the queen and was violently killed within her private chambers in an effort to send a message to the Catholic ruler within a Protestant nation. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson find themselves drawn into this other-worldly mystery at Holyroodhouse through Holmes' brother, Mycroft, an agent and protector of Queen Victoria, with whom he shares a close and confidential relationship. When two young Scotsmen are found murdered within the castle grounds, rumors fast fly that it is the spirit of the Italian secretary seeking revenge for his hundred-years-old murder. Yet Watson and Holmes know that a supernatural explanation cannot be behind the truth, and set out to uncover the real murderous happenings in the royal palace, an adventure that finds them risking their own lives, and questioning their belief in the supernatural. While some criticisms of this book may naturally be founded in the fact that Conan Doyle did not like using the supernatural in detective stories; but perhaps the most popular of the Holmes' stories, "The Hound of the Baskervilles", involves the supernatural to a great length (and a debunking of that in the end). This same concept is applied to "The Italian Secretary" with aplomb and ease. Caleb Carr naturally captures the relationship and repartee between Watson and Holmes; the pacing and subtle twists of the mystery are in keeping with Conan Doyle's style, as are the revelations of clues that only Sherlock Holmes can perceive. Caleb Carr has certainly ascertained his place in the literary world with "The Alienist" series and further adds to his merit with "The Italian Secretary". Since it seems to be the mode in today's literature to take famous literary characters and create new stories for them, sometimes with disastrous effect, it is a joy to read an imagining from an author who is worthy of breathing new life into such a beloved character.

As a fan of "The Alienist" and "Angel of Darkness" I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Caleb Carr was asked to write a new chapter in the adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Who better than the author of the excellent "The Alienist?" I could not see Patricia Cornwell, et al, staying as true to Arthur Conan Doyle's character, narrative, style and tone. Add to this Carr's trademark attention to descriptive historical detail and ability to set a somber, creepy mood, and you have an excellent new adventure for Sherlock Holmes. Carr remains true to how Conan Doyle presented the dialogue/exchanges between Holmes and Watson and is deft at leading up to the climatic finale. Fans of both "The Alienist" and "Sherlock Holmes" will enjoy this. I will comment on the afterward, in which comparisons are made between Holmes and Carr's famous protagonist from "The Alienist," Dr. Lazlo Kriezler and how Watson would have done, had he been partnered with him instead of Holmes. There is also some speculation on how a partnership between Kriezler and Holmes would develop. Would they get along or contradict each other? Whose style and approach is more effective? Perhaps one day, Caleb Carr willing, we will read about an encounter between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Lazlo Kriezler. In the meantime, I highly recommend this book. It is an excellent read from one of the best authors around about the most famous detective in literary history.

I find the "unknown" adventures of Sherlock Holmes very interesting, and try to read them whenever I find a book about him. This latest effort, done by an experienced novelist whom I have read in the past, sends Holmes and Watson, at the request of Mycroft Holmes, to the Scottish residence of Queen Victoria to solve two grisly murders. The plot abounds with strange and mysterious characters, red herrings galore, and a rather garrolous Holmes. There's also the slightest hint of supernatural involvement, which makes it only all the more interesting. I hope Mr. Carr attempts further Holmes adventures, for they will be well worth reading.

So said Sherlock Holmes in The Yellow Face. Any indefinite doubt I had about Caleb Carr's ability to craft a credible and very enjoyable Sherlock Holmes adventure was dispelled in the first few pages. I have read and enjoyed Carr's earlier fiction, The Alienist and The Angel of Darkness. One of the hallmarks of both books was Carr's ability to create a seemingly auhentic picture of life in 19th-century New York. He also created a wonderful pair of characters in Dr. Lazlo Kreizler and his trusted comrade John Schuyler Moore. However, Carr faced two hurdles in writing the Italian Secretary. He had to recreate the atmosphere of Victorian-era Scotland, a region he was probably not as intimately familiar with as New York City. Further, while Kreizler and Moore sprung solely from Carr's imagination, here Carr had to find authentic voices for the esteemed Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, whose characterization by Arthur Conan Doyle must be fixed firmly in the imagination of anyone who has ever read the original Holmes tales. That is no easy task. I have read virtually all of Conan Doyle's work but admit that I cannot claim as much expertise as devoted Baker Street Irregulars or other followers of Holmes. However, this amateur thinks Carr has done a terrific job replicating their original voices. It sound like Holmes and Watson to me. The plot line is set out in detail in the product description and I won't go on at length about the plot or discuss any of the many twists and turns along the way. I did like the way Carr threw Sherlock's brother Mycroft into the story. Carr does an excellent job describing the petty sibling rivalries that must affect even the most accomplished of brothers. Carr does a very good job of revealing bits and pieces of the mystery every few pages. The story is fast-paced and the many twists and turns in the story left me continually wanting to read just one more chapter before I put the book down for the evening. For me, this is the mark of good adventure tale. In an afterword. Jon Lellenberg, the U.S. representative of the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, suggests that Carr write a new story in which Holmes and Watson meet up with Carr's Kreizler and Moore. I do hope Carr takes a stab at this. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote in "The Man With the Twisted Lip" that "a trusty comrade is always of use; and a chronicler still more so." Carr has done a marvelous job in chronicling the further adventures of Sherlock Holmes. This is a book that will be enjoyed by fans of both Carr and Conan-Doyle as well as by readers who simply like a fast-paced, well written yarn.