Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Holmes

Sherlock Holmes returns in this brilliantly conceived and written novel, and to make it even better, he is tackling the case of Jekyll and Hyde. First, a confession. If I have ever read an original Holmes story, I don't remember it. I have the complete Sherlock sitting on my TBR shelves, but I haven't had the motivation to pick it up. I, of course, have a general idea of who Holmes is and what he did since he is such an iconic figure. You would be hard-pressed, I think, to find someone who did not know about Holmes' logical reasoning skills. Does that make me qualified to assess how authentic this story is? Absolutely not. But damned if it didn't feel right. The relationship between Holmes and Watson seemed right on, with the one an show more eccentric keeping things relatively close to the chest and the other more formal doing a bit of clucking like a mother hen.

Just as Holmes as a character has permeated our culture so too has Dr. Jekyll and his alter ego Mr. Hyde. While combining two so very well known figures may seem kitsch, Estleman pulls it off admirably. Throughout the entire story, I never felt that either icon was treated carelessly. Actually I had no problem integrating this narrative into the original Jekyll and Hyde story. I felt it an interesting conceit to claim that Stevenson's story was based on real events but modified "to protect the innocent".

The story is wonderfully atmospheric with "the crackle of the fire and the staccato ticking of the clock atop the mantelpiece". And to my delight, the story included a bit of the darker side of Victorian London with a mention of Sherlock's cocaine and a quick trip to a burlesque show.

What surprised me most was how engrossed in the story I was despite the fact that the "mystery" was not really a mystery. After all, finding out that Hyde is Jekyll is not really a shocker, but the story didn't suffer from the familiarity. Despite knowing the outcome, I was engaged throughout, the journey to the truth being so much more exciting than the denouement. Following Holmes and Watson as they meticulously ferret out the truth was fascinating, in no small part because their investigation alternates between periods of intense excitement (girly shows, barroom brawls, carriage chases) and quiet contemplation (exactly how I picture Sherlock).

Whether you have read Sherlock or not, whether you have read Jekyll or not, I definitely recommend reading this one. It was a quick, intellectual, exciting read. And I hear there is another pastiche out there pairing Holmes with Dracula. I must have it. show less

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are brought into a case where a prominent physician, Dr. Jekyll, is being black mailed by an homely evil little man named Edward Hyde. Holmes looks into Mr. Hyde's life, but after Hyde commits murder he disappears. The great detective turns to investigating Dr. Jekyll's past and his studies. Jekyll has spent his life looking for a way to split the evil part of human nature from the good.

The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is universally known, so there is no real mystery in this novel. Estleman fills the space with action scenes. One scene in particular, a fast paced hansom cab race through the streets of London, was very exciting.

The characterization of Holmes and Watson was more in the vein of the show more Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce movies. I don't like when authors make Watson stupid and bumbling. This author made Watson dim, but an extremely loyal friend and Holmes was very kind to his less intelligent counterpart. show less

This is exactly the sort of crossover you expect it to be. I would only recommend this to people who have read both the original Stevenson book (as opposed to merely seen adaptations of the story) and some Holmes tales. The concept is kind of silly but the tone is pure Doyle. I enjoyed the novelty of reading a mystery in which I knew the answer long before Holmes did. A fun diversion.

Okay sort of pastiche, with the framework lifted wholesale from Stevenson's original novel and Holmes/Watson inserted into the narrative. A few anachronisms/americanisms (eg 'trash basket') but on the whole fairly it's good on 'tone' and language'. Not a lot of actual detecting, but then the same is true of Conan Doyle's stories, so no point in objecting on that account. With local colour ready-made, this is a reasonable addition to the many pastiches that have been published, even if it obviously lacks originality.