The Man from Hell by Barrie Roberts is a short novel in the “Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” series by various authors. Holmes acted in-character, disappearing midway through the story and leaving Watson not to follow his advice in his place. Plus, there were extended narratives, written and spoken, filling in the background of what was happening now by supplying information from twenty years ago, in Australia. Watson’s voice was persuasive, the mystery sufficiently but not too complex, and Holmes got to fence with a villain.
That said, is it all right that I thought this book a little dull? It did “Sherlock Holmes” perhaps a bit too convincingly, being rather narratively straight-laced. Not that I want a story in which Sherlock Holmes is a woman, an alien, or a criminal (and believe me, I’ve read these), but I want the author to put a very slight spin on the language, or the setting, or the characters. Such a spin was not discernible. I read the last chapter with only the mildest engagement, glad, I suppose, that Holmes was recognizable, but sorry that he wasn’t more individual.
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