Published by Tor Books on June 23, 2020
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Historical, Mystery, Crime
Pages: 432
Format: eBook, ARC
Source: Publisher
I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains . . . “
What if Sherlock Holmes were an angel? What if he and and Dr. Watson were both hiding secrets that make living in an alternate 1880s London difficult?
In an alternate 1880s London, angels inhabit every public building, and paranormal creatures—including vampires, werewolves, and hellhounds—share the streets with humans in a tenuous truce. There is a mythos built around angels and other paranormal creatures, reminiscent but not exactly the same as the traditional creatures we know. These creatures, who but for their paranormal abilities seem human in nature, suffer discrimination under the Registration Act, which requires them to identify themselves to the government, but which it difficult to get certain jobs. As a result, many choose not to register themselves despite legal consequences.
As private investigator, Crow acts as the self-proclaimed Angel of London. (Why he’s not attached to a specific building is one of the mysteries of this book.) Civilians and police alike come to him for aid in deciphering mysteries and crimes. His new flatmate, Dr. J.H. Doyle, a former military doctor and the POV character, provides another perspective to cases. The book is made up of nine parts, each of which I’m guessing includes a Sherlock Holmes case retold. (I’m not certain since The Hound of the Baskervilles retelling was the only one that I recognized.) I enjoyed reading the stories that I didn’t recognize, but THotB retelling so closely follows the original that the story lost its charm for me. The strong parallels to the original text may be due to the book’s origins as a Sherlock Holmes wingfic, a sub-genre of fan fiction in which one or more characters has wings (source: Author’s Note). These stories are interconnected by the common thread of Doyle’s struggles adapting to life after the war and the mystery of the “Jack the Ripper” serial killings.
The style of writing has an a older feel appropriate for a Sherlock Holmes retelling. While this book is a retelling, it includes a contemporary examination of women’s roles in a patriarchal society. The difficulties of life as a women are shown through one of the main characters, the case of Jack the Ripper (who Doyle speculates, based on observations of the crime scenes, has something against women), the vampires’ matriarchal system, and the mistreatment of women. The book also explores human nature through the crimes committed, through Crow and Doyle’s relationship and through their conversations—as an Angel, Crow cannot empathize with human emotions and behavior, but he is curious about humans. His commentary provides an outside perspective on human nature.
There are a few things that I wish the book explored in more depth: the mythos, especially the nature of angels and vampires (What role do the Fallen play in this world? What are the negative consequences of getting marked by a vampire?), the bad blood between Crow and Moriarity (what history do these two characters have?), the second serial killer (do they ever catch this person?).
I recommend this book to readers who enjoy urban fantasy / crime novels with a historical setting. I would not recommend this book if you’re looking for an original work. As the author mentions, this book started as a Sherlock Holmes fan fiction, and from what I can tell, the cases closely parallel the original stories.
Rating PG-13
Some language, sexual harassment, talk of rape. Some violence and descriptions of murder/crime scenes.
Biases
I read this book because I’ve heard great things about the author’s work with The Goblin Emperor.
Let’s Chat
Have you written fan fiction or a retelling?
Have you read any Sherlock Holmes, or watched one of the shows? What’s your favorite case or show?
Lindsi says
I haven’t heard of this one! I watched various Sherlock Holmes adaptions over the years, and they’re usually enjoyable. As far as reading, there was one with a female Sherlock, which was an interesting twist. The title is on the tip of my tongue… I remember listening to the audio and enjoying it. A Study in Scarlet Women! Have you read it?
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
Crystal (Kester) says
I haven’t read A Study in Scarlet Women. I’ll check it out. Thanks for sharing, Lindsi!