A SLIGHT TRICK OF THE MIND, Mitch Cullin

(originally posted on January 11, 2005)

I was going to save my comments for later--and I expect I'll have lots more to say in a few months' time--but I can't rein in my enthusiasm and awe for this book. Yes, it's a novel about Sherlock Holmes, but it's oh so much more than that, delving into weighty subjects as fading memory, unrequited love and painful grief with aplomb and insight. Beautiful writing and a deft touch elevates this book a long way past pastiche into something wholly of its own kind. Look for it in April, and remember it when all the hype stays with Michael Chabon and Caleb Carr.