Moriarty

Moriarty takes place in the aftermath of the famous confrontation between Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls. Set in London in 1891, the story centers on two investigators working to prevent a new criminal empire from rising in the wake of Moriarty's apparent death. Pinkerton detective Frederick Chase partners with Scotland Yard's Inspector Athelney Jones to track a dangerous American criminal mastermind who has arrived in London. The pair must navigate through a complex web of criminals and clues while racing against time to prevent London's underworld from falling into new and possibly more dangerous hands. The novel stands as both a tribute to Arthur Conan Doyle's original works and an independent crime thriller in its own right. The investigation unfolds across Victorian London's streets, from its elegant neighborhoods to its shadowy criminal haunts. Through its exploration of power vacuums and criminal empires, the book examines themes of identity, deception, and the true nature of evil in the criminal underworld.

Readers found the plot twist near the end either brilliant or frustrating, with many feeling misled by the marketing and book description. The novel has a 3.7/5 on Goodreads from 18,000+ ratings. Readers appreciated: - The authentic Victorian London atmosphere - Complex puzzle-like mystery elements - Smooth integration with Conan Doyle's original works - Fast pacing in the second half Common criticisms: - Slow first half - Limited connection to Sherlock Holmes despite the marketing - Some found the narrator unreliable in a way that felt unfair - Writing style doesn't match Conan Doyle's voice "The twist made me want to throw the book across the room, but I had to admire how skillfully it was crafted," noted one Amazon reviewer. Multiple readers mentioned feeling "tricked rather than surprised" by the ending. Amazon: 3.9/5 (2,800+ reviews) LibraryThing: 3.6/5 (500+ reviews)

The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz A new Sherlock Holmes mystery that matches the tone and style of Conan Doyle while exploring darker themes in Victorian London.

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution by Nicholas Meyer This Holmes pastiche brings Sigmund Freud into the narrative to help the detective face his nemesis Moriarty while dealing with cocaine addiction.

The Final Solution by Michael Chabon An elderly detective, implied to be Sherlock Holmes, comes out of retirement to solve one last case involving a missing parrot in 1944.

The String of Pearls by Thomas Preskett Prest This penny dreadful introduces Sweeney Todd and presents a dark Victorian London mystery with twists that mirror the atmosphere of Moriarty.

The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte A book dealer investigates a mystery involving rare manuscripts, leading to a complex web of literary intrigue and shadowy organizations.

🔍 Anthony Horowitz is one of the few writers officially authorized by the Conan Doyle Estate to write new Sherlock Holmes novels. ⚡ The book's protagonist, Inspector Athelney Jones, is a character who originally appeared in Conan Doyle's "The Sign of Four" as a somewhat incompetent detective. 🎬 Before writing Moriarty, Horowitz worked as a screenwriter for popular TV shows including "Foyle's War" and "Midsomer Murders," helping him master the art of mystery writing. 🗝️ The real Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland, where Holmes and Moriarty supposedly fell to their deaths, became a tourist attraction after Conan Doyle published "The Final Problem" in 1893. 📚 Moriarty was published in 2014 as a follow-up to The House of Silk (2011), Horowitz's first Holmes novel, though the two books tell completely separate stories.