Hugh C. Weir (1884–1934)

With this story collection, Weir asks the question, "What would Sherlock Holmes have been like if he was female? And American?"

The answer, of course, is *awesome*.

Miss Madelyn Mack, finding herself at loose ends after finishing college, decides to set herself up as a private detective in New York City, and is so good at it that she quickly ends up both rich and famous. She soon acquires a friend, partner, and chronicler in Nora Noraker, another independent career woman, and together, they show more fight crime! Madelyn; for all her eccentricities of dress and affect, complete disregard for propriety and politeness, and tendency to overdose on cola and stay up for three nights listening to her vast collection of phonograph records; is a far more practical and more well-adjusted person than Holmes, *and* a better detective. And she's quite willing to point that out to anyone who tries to make the comparison, much to Nora's occasional chagrin!

That sounds like it's some modern pastiche trying to put a preachy feminist slant on Holmes, but it's actually more-or-less contemporary: the stories were published between 1909 and 1914, and were popular enough that Weir moved on to writing film scripts for Madelyn. And it's not preachy feminist: it's just a well-done portrait of two women who are living their own lives, for themselves.

That said, it's not a perfect book: it's still very much an artifact of its times, which means that there's some use of racist tropes that might feel painful, and the writing is a style you can either tolerate or can't. And the mystery plots are more workmanlike than anything.

Still, it's a fun read, Madelyn and Nora instantly shot up my list of favorite characters of all time, and I freely recommend it to anyone who like Holmes.

I have a much longer discussion of Madelyn & Nora on my journal: http://melannen.dreamwidth.org/76635.html, including where to download ebook copies free, as it is out of copyright. show less