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The Sherlockian Audiobook
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(3.00) - 4,554 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Hurtling from present day New York to Victorian London, The Sherlockian weaves the history of Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle into an inspired and entertaining double mystery that proves to be anything but "elementary."
In December 1893, Sherlock Holmes-adoring Londoners eagerly opened their Strand magazines, anticipating the detective's next adventure, only to find the unthinkable: his creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, had killed their hero off. London spiraled into mourning-crowds sported black armbands in grief-and railed against Conan Doyle as his assassin.
Then in 1901, just as abruptly as Conan Doyle had "murdered" Holmes in "The Final Problem," he resurrected him. Though the writer kept detailed diaries of his days and work, Conan Doyle never explained this sudden change of heart. After his death, one of his journals from the interim period was discovered to be missing, and in the decades since, has never been found.... Or has it?
When literary researcher Harold White is inducted into the preeminent Sherlock Holmes enthusiast society, The Baker Street Irregulars, he never imagines he's about to be thrust onto the hunt for the holy grail of Holmes-ophiles: the missing diary. But when the world's leading Doylean scholar is found murdered in his hotel room, it is Harold-using wisdom and methods gleaned from countless detective stories-who takes up the search, both for the diary and for the killer.
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"The Sherlockian is a very good piece of historical detective fiction. The book follows two parallel stories (one in the present day and another involving Conan Doyle during Sherlock Holmes' hiatus). I thought the story involving Doyle was much better than the present day story following a Sherlockian looking for Doyle's lost diary. In my opinion, Moore develops Conan Doyle much better than Harold, the present day protagonist. The ending was a little anti-climatic but the book was solid throughout. I do wonder what the Arthur Conan Doyle estate thinks of the book as it does not paint Arthur Conan Doyle or his descendants in a very positive light."
— John (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“A well-written, fast-paced, and completely engaging homage to legacy of Arthur Conan Doyle.”
— Scott Turow, #1 New York Times bestselling author -
“It must be said of Graham Moore that he has his methods. Ingenious and amusing ones, too. You will enjoy their elucidation even if you are not a committed Sherlockian. The game’s afoot!”
— Christopher Hitchens, #1 New York Times bestselling author -
“Ambitious…The mystery is gripping, and Moore has a feel for the transitional nature of Conan Doyle’s era.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Thanks to the sly self-awareness that keeps The Sherlockian smart and agile, it’s possible to enjoy this book’s laughable affectations and still be seduced by them…The Sherlockian manages to make a journey from the ridiculous…to the sublime. And it is anchored by Mr. Moore’s self-evident love of the rules that shape good mystery fiction.”
— New York Times -
“Moore is well-steeped in Holmes lore but savvy enough as a writer to keep the reader’s interest with the parallel, and eventually intersecting, plots.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“[An] exemplary weaving of historical fact and fiction.”
— Seattle Times -
“The tales of Conan Doyle and White, told in alternating chapters, make up The Sherlockian, Graham Moore’s entertaining debut novel. Both mysteries are well crafted, with gratifying and amusing nods toward the conflation of Conan Doyle and his most famous literary creation…exemplary weaving of historical fact and fiction…This is a novel clearly written with great affection, not just for Conan Doyle and Holmes, but their twenty-first-century fans as well.”
— Associated Press -
“The problem with Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories is that there aren’t enough of them. Fans try to fill the gap with spin-offs, some of which work better than others. This engaging riff on the familiar themes by first-novelist Moore is one of the best…Moore spins his tale in prose that shifts easily from exposition to pathos to sly comedy…Mystery fans should love the mix of historical fiction and contemporary puzzle-solving. And Sherlockians? Try keeping them away.”
— Booklist (starred review)
Awards
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Selected for the January 2011 Indie Next List
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A New York Times bestseller
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An Amazon Best Book of the Month, December 2010
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A 2011 Barry Award Nominee for Best First Novel
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A 2011 Anthony Award Nominee for Best First Novel
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A Los Angeles Times bestseller
The Sherlockian Listener Reviews
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" Two plots that link together and are not confusing. Both keep the reader interested. "
— Katie, 2/18/2014 -
" Not really worth the time to write a review... or to read for that matter. "
— Lauren, 2/12/2014 -
" Contemporary story involving Sherlock "scholar" solving mystery with puzzle about Conan Doyle based in fact turned out not to be gimicky and quite entertaining. "
— Dorinda, 2/10/2014 -
" I enjoyed this book. It was a different type read for me as I really haven't read any Sherlock Holmes and I assume this is in that style. Two mysteries went on in this book. One in 2010 and one in 1900. They went every other chapter so it was easy to keep them straight. I liked the thought process of they mysteries and would definitely recommend the book. "
— Janet, 1/30/2014 -
" I am a sucker for a mystery, and what's better than a mystery attempting to be solved by a punch of people who long to be Sherlock Holmes but are not. While a review of some of the more famous Sherlock stories would help in catching clues in this book (or be like the rest of us and watch the new BBC series), it's not necessary to simply enjoy a very well-written, fast-based, enjoyable whodunnit. "
— Ann, 1/29/2014 -
" Really good read. Lots of back-and-forth action between Holmes & the modern-day "Sherlockian" solving murders & mysteries. "
— Sara, 1/26/2014 -
" Historical fiction is always very hit or miss with me. I think that stories like this often have a hard time sealing the deal. The main plot was an interesting mystery with Sherlock Holmes-like twists and turns, but the most interesting portion of the book was the Arthur Conan Doyle/Bram Stoker side plot. It moved along nicely but the ending was a bit disappointing. "
— Bill, 1/22/2014 -
" a delightful homage to arthur conan doyle, his works, his times, and his creation, sherlock holmes. "
— Niks, 1/19/2014 -
" I really liked this book. It was interesting to see how the parallels between modern and ACD's time were made, and it's fun to read about a bunch of Sherlock nerds (but I'm not that nutso over him). A very fun book that I highly recommend for anyone who is a fan of Sherlock Holmes. "
— Amy, 1/8/2014 -
" Loved story shifts from historic to modern. "
— Nancy, 11/14/2013 -
" A fun read by a new author. It wasn't especially polished, but I found my self really cheering on the modern hero. And most i=of all, it made me want to re-read all those Sherlock Holmes tales I first read in high school! "
— Anne, 11/13/2013 -
" I love me some Sherlock Holmes, but this was meh. "
— Tina, 11/12/2013 -
" Enjoyable, two-time-track novel, running the modern mystery plot of a modern American amateur sleuth/ Holmes enthusiast, alongside a historical fiction of Conan Doyle & Bram Stoker investigating a series of deaths. Minor sociological boo-boos, clearly a first novel, but, hey - I couldn't do it! "
— L, 11/7/2013 -
" clever dual century plot lines- I enjoyed it! "
— Linda, 11/5/2013 -
" I'd say more like 3.5, to be honest. I liked it, but it never really hooked me so much that I didn't want to stop reading. Still, interesting story. "
— Megan, 10/27/2013 -
" I'm not sure that the ending was exactly what I wanted it to be. However, this made me anxious for some free time so that I can reread some of Doyle's stories. (I haven't tackled the annotated versions of many of them.) "
— Kristy, 10/3/2013 -
" A little predictable and I guess my enjoyment for this book suffered since I just the exquisite House of Silk. In comparison, this book seemed like a badly written fan fiction of Sir Artur Conan Doyle and Bram Stoker. "
— Christian, 7/10/2013 -
" What a fun book! Goes back and forth between 1900 and 2010. Keeps you guessing to the end! "
— Kelly, 5/12/2013 -
" I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was both erudite and well written, a fast read, entertaining, but still thoughtful. I liked the Arthur Conan Doyle sections the best--where the doctor finally learns to respect his creation! "
— Sarah, 10/10/2012 -
" This book was ok. Nothing exciting ever happened. For awhile, I kept anticipating some new development to the case, some dazzling character to appear, but it never happened. The plot plodded along. "
— Yeva, 8/9/2012 -
" Two parallel stories, one featuring Arthur Conan Doyle, and one featuring a Baker Street Irregular, both trying to solve murders. Both are successful and both are character changing events for each one. "
— Leigh, 7/11/2012 -
" a super story - I was shocked at how much of it is historical and how well he blended that in with the fiction. Harold was a geek that you could actually route for and the friendship between Doyle and Bram Stoker was a great one. "
— Jenne, 1/16/2012 -
" i really liked the parts with acd and bram stoker being detectives. the modern day detectives were kind of blehh. i also liked acd's misogyny being challenged and him coming to a greater realization about women-- wish that was real life! "
— Sarah, 6/21/2011 -
" great idea-- sir arthur conan doyle as a character, interwoven past- and present-day plots, plentiful literary references-- but sadly dull execution. i recommend reading the original "sherlock holmes" stories instead, which i am now doing. "
— Cat, 5/22/2011 -
" I am a big Sherlock fan but never knew about the Sherlockians, the book was really interesting just in that it explored the world of hard-core Sherlock fans. The story was really fun too, I like how it was structured and it kept me interested. "
— Jessica, 5/19/2011 -
" A cool twist on a murder mystery with two stories one hundred years apart in one book. "
— Jeff, 5/18/2011 -
" A terrific historical novel that is really two stories in one. <br/>It alternates between the present search for Arthur Conan Doyle's lost diary to what <br/>happened in the 1900's during this period. <br/>I even enjoyed the author's notes at the end. <br/>Best book of the year so far. "
— Linda, 5/13/2011 -
" Really good, but not amazing. Smart, but maybe could have been a touch smarter. Ok, to be fair, I had very high expectations. Entertaining and fun to read. "
— Lacy, 5/4/2011 -
" Entertaining, characters were a little thin. "
— Mike, 4/27/2011
About Graham Moore
Graham Moore is the New York Times bestselling author of The Sherlockian and the Academy Award–winning screenwriter of The Imitation Game, which also won a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Moore was born in Chicago, received a BA in religious history from Columbia University, and now lives in Los Angeles.
About the Narrators
Steven Crossley, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, has built a career on both sides of the Atlantic as an actor and audiobook narrator, for which he has won more than a dozen AudioFile Earphones Awards and been a nominee for the prestigious Audie Award. He is a member of the internationally renowned theater company Complicite and has appeared in numerous theater, television, film, and radio dramas.
James Langton, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, trained as an actor at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and later as a musician at the Guildhall School in London. He has worked in radio, film, and television, also appearing in theater in England and on Broadway. He is also a professional musician who led the internationally renowned Pasadena Roof Orchestra from 1996 to 2002.