omelialibrarian's review
5.0
Listened to this as my first ever audio book and thoroughly enjoyed all the characters quirks throughout. I will be hunting down number 1 and 2 to read next!
hashtag_alison's review
1.0
I couldn’t finish it. I’m not a fan of sequels written by other people; I’m very picky about the voice matching and few authors who would write a work piggybacking off another’s famous piece have the talent to do that. In my opinion. And I was right this time. I was almost offended that this guy thought he was as smart as Doyle. I found the book pandering and subpar. He did an atrocious job of matching the voice, writing for the time period, and doing the character of Moriaty justice. Don’t even look at the cover of this book if you can help it. Atrocious.
sadouglas's review
4.0
The big list of Stuff I Like includes Doctor Who, David Bowie, historical fiction, seventies telly and classic crime novels (a combination of all of these in one would be the perfect product for me). So I'm inclined to be attracted to things like John Gardener's 'Moriarty', the third and final book in a series which tracks the career of Sherlock Holmes' nemesis after he (allegedly) survived his encounter with the Great detective at the Reichenbach Falls.
Don't be put off by the fact this is the end of the series, btw. The first two books were written in the 1970s and the main connections between those and this book are explained by the author's preface. It's enough to know that Moriarty is back in London after a spell in the States and is looking to take his criminal empire back from one Sir Jack Idell ('Idle Jack') who has taken his place as London crime Kingpin.
Having read one of Gardner's Bond books and finding it...unassuming at best, I picked up this book cheaply in an excellent remainder bookshop just outside Manchester, attracted by the subject matter far more than the writer. And I'm glad I did. It's the sort of book I find myself gobbling up greedily, delaying putting the kids to bed to finish the chapter, walking slowly to the shops so I can read another couple of pages on the way, hiding in the bedroom to read just a little more. The writing is assured and never descends to pastiche and Gardner has clearly done his research (even including a glossary at the end).
What sets this apart form many other Holmes' sequels I've read (apart from the almost complete absence of Holmes!) is the set of characters who inhabit the book like very slightly shop-soiled Dickensian figures. Armies of punishers and dippers, lurkers and cracksmen create a backdrop against which Moriarty and his Praetorian Guard plot and scheme against Idle Jack and his minions, and in which disfigurement, torture and death seem a commonplace, even if love and humour also flourish in the most unlikely of places. It's a wonderfully immersive book, and an easy one to get lost in, as all good books should be.
Don't be put off by the fact this is the end of the series, btw. The first two books were written in the 1970s and the main connections between those and this book are explained by the author's preface. It's enough to know that Moriarty is back in London after a spell in the States and is looking to take his criminal empire back from one Sir Jack Idell ('Idle Jack') who has taken his place as London crime Kingpin.
Having read one of Gardner's Bond books and finding it...unassuming at best, I picked up this book cheaply in an excellent remainder bookshop just outside Manchester, attracted by the subject matter far more than the writer. And I'm glad I did. It's the sort of book I find myself gobbling up greedily, delaying putting the kids to bed to finish the chapter, walking slowly to the shops so I can read another couple of pages on the way, hiding in the bedroom to read just a little more. The writing is assured and never descends to pastiche and Gardner has clearly done his research (even including a glossary at the end).
What sets this apart form many other Holmes' sequels I've read (apart from the almost complete absence of Holmes!) is the set of characters who inhabit the book like very slightly shop-soiled Dickensian figures. Armies of punishers and dippers, lurkers and cracksmen create a backdrop against which Moriarty and his Praetorian Guard plot and scheme against Idle Jack and his minions, and in which disfigurement, torture and death seem a commonplace, even if love and humour also flourish in the most unlikely of places. It's a wonderfully immersive book, and an easy one to get lost in, as all good books should be.
iain_gibson's review
2.0
Readable, not not something I'd recommend. The novel didn't really capture the sense of Holmesian Victorian London that I was hoping for and it seemed to rely too heavily on a mixture of fan-ish interpretations of the inconsistencies in Conan-Doyle's short stories and an ill-conceived notion that quoting lyrics from the popular songs of the day would somehow create a sense of authentic atmosphere. As a piece of fan-fiction, it's a decent enough attempt; as a professional novel I felt it fell far short of expectations.
vesper1931's review
3.0
1900 Moriarty has returned from America to take back his criminal network. But first he must contend with the new kingpin, Sir Jack Idell, and find the traitor in his midst.
Overall an entertaining historical thriller
Overall an entertaining historical thriller
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