![]() He questions the servants too gently, he doesn’t brood in the way Watson always finds so disturbing, he fails to chide the doctor for his inability to make sense of all that he has observed, he offers no philosophical insights into human behavior, and he doesn’t express smug elation when he reveals what happened. Holmes himself lacks the sharp wit, intellectual arrogance, and emotional detachment that made Conan Doyle’s character enigmatic and compelling. Instead, they are flat characters in a somewhat efficient if not engaging plot. The words and the physical references are correct, but the subtle nuances that would make Holmes, Watson, and the rest live again in the imagination are missing. It’s as though Greenwood grasps the vocabulary, but not the grammar. Conan Doyle (who, I understand, was not familiar with London) evoked London’s foggy nights and murky underworld so vividly that the city feels tangible and real - so much so that people still look for 221B Baker Street. The cabs roll along the streets of London, accompanied by mundane detail about how they are hailed and how expensive they are. ![]() The train trip confirms a clue, but Holmes is not aboard to make chilling observations, such as how easily crime can be committed and hidden among the peaceful farmhouses of the countryside. The brash young inspector is bland, without a distinctive personality. Here, they serve as utilitarian devices that lack the evocative charm that Conan Doyle gave them. There are more Holmes elements than in any one Conan Doyle story - indeed, there are too many. Hudson, references to a previous case, Holmes in disguise, a train trip, ancillary puzzles, the Baker Street Irregulars, and (of course) a vainglorious Scotland Yard inspector. Greenwood draws on as many Holmes canon elements as possible, including Mrs. Only Holmes could make sense of so many random clues. The clues are odd and apparently unconnected: a white thread, deliberately damaged books, ugly trousers, uncurled hair, and the very elusiveness of the victim. On the day of Lady Caroline’s wedding, her only dowry, the famous Thistle of Scotland amethyst, is stolen from her hair - in front of a room full of family, guests, and servants. The outline of the mystery, which involves an impoverished earl, a contracted marriage, and a valuable historic gem, is pure Holmes. Greenwood has made a valiant if not entirely successful attempt to give new life to the great Victorian detective. ![]() It’s been many years since I read the Sherlock Holmes canon, so I may not be the best qualified to judge the worthiness of Sherlock Holmes and the Thistle of Scotland as a pastiche. Sherlock Holmes and the Thistle of Scotland by L.
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