Graham Moore

The One Book, One City celebration for 2012 will culminate with a special appearance by GRAHAM MOORE, author of The Sherlockian, his debut novel and a New York Times bestseller sold in 16 countries and translated into 13 languages. A mystery about the life of Arthur Conan Doyle and the modern Sherlock ... (more)Holmes obsessives who devote their lives to the secrets in his books, it was called “sublime,” “clever” and “delightful” by the New York Times, and “savvy” and “entertaining” by the LA Times. Graham Moore is a novelist and screenwriter. He first learned to love mysteries as an eight year-old when he and his mother would pass a copy of Agatha Christie’s A Murder in Three Acts back and forth, reading to each other. From there, his love of mysteries grew even stronger, culminating in his own contribution to the world of Sherlockiana. Moore has served as a staff writer for a season on the ABC Family sitcom 10 Things I Hate About You, and recently sold a script about the life of legendary scientist Alan Turing to Warner Brothers. He was born in Chicago, received a B.A. in Religious History from Columbia University, and currently lives in Los Angeles. During the past two months patrons have read the book, seen the movies and learned some very entertaining and informative facts about the world of Sherlock Holmes at Crowell Public Library. Now everyone can meet the inspiration behind these programs.

The One Book, One City celebration continues in San Marino with a screening of The Hound of the Baskervilles, Thursday, February 2 at 10:00 a.m. in the Barth Community Room at Crowell Library. Starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee (1959, 87 min.) the story centers on a nobleman who is threatened ... (more)by a family curse on his newly inherited estate, and detective Sherlock Holmes is hired to investigate. The One Book, One City title for 2012 is The Sherlockian by first time novelist Graham Moore. The concept of One Book, One City originated in Seattle back in 1998 as an entertaining strategy to build community – imagining a huge book group consisting of friends and neighbors, discussing plots and characters, while promoting literacy. Past selections for San Marino’s One Book, One City event have included Iron River by T. Jefferson Parker, Flower Confidential by Amy Stewart, Samurai’s Garden, by Gail Tsukiyama and last year’s The Ragtime Kid by Larry Karp. More details on the One Book, One City programs will be announced in upcoming weeks, so readers are urged to check the Crowell Public Library website frequently: http://www.CrowellPublicLibrary.org

Booklist *Starred Review* 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. His book alternates ... (more)two stories and two centuries. The modern hero is twentysomething Harold White—mild, bookish, and smart. He’s just been initiated into the prestigious Baker Street Irregulars when a premier Holmes expert announces that he has found Conan Doyle’s long-lost 1900 diary. Then the expert is murdered. Maybe. The game is afoot, and so’s Harold. The hero of the alternate chapters is Conan Doyle himself, gleeful after sending that hawkshaw Holmes to his death at Reichenbach Falls and ready to write real literature. But murders intervene, and he and his friend Bram Stoker must investigate. All these gumshoes, past and present, use Holmes’ methods. Moore spins his tale in prose that shifts easily from exposition to pathos to sly comedy. It’s based on fact: in 2004, a premier Sherlockian was found dead after claiming he’d discovered Conan Doyle’s lost papers. Mystery fans should love the mix of historical fiction and contemporary puzzle-solving. And Sherlockians? Try keeping them away. --Don Crinklaw "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, author of Hitch-22 ) "What irresistible fun! As the literary intrigue deepens, with Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker, and some brainy Sherlock Holmes buffs as partners in crime, you don't have to be Holmes to deduce that The Sherlockian is a serpentine delight for anyone who loves mystery and historical suspense." (Rupert Holmes, Edgar-award winning creator of The Mystery of Edwin Drood )