The devil and Sherlock Holmes : tales of murder, madness, and obsession /
Grann, David
The devil and Sherlock Holmes : tales of murder, madness, and obsession / by David Grann. - First edition - 335 pages 24 cm.
"Any truth is better than indefinite doubt". Mysterious circumstances -- Trial by fire -- The chameleon -- True crime -- Which way did he run -- "A strange enigma is man!". The squid hunter -- City of water -- The old man and the gun -- Stealing time -- "All that was monstrous and inconceivably wicked in the universe". The brand -- Crimetown U.S.A. -- Giving the "devil" his due.
The catchy title is misleading because this collection of 12 previously published articles by New Yorker staff writer Grann (who also wrote The Lost City of Z, 2009) has only one story that has anything to do with Holmes. Readers expecting true crime may also be disappointed because Granns work here ranges from several actual crime cases through articles that have only a nod toward mystery, as in Life is Strange. However, Granns in-depth reporting and vivid writing make this worthwhile reading for lovers of good journalism. The Holmes story, Mysterious Circumstances, traces the fate of a foremost Holmes scholar, about to bid on a lost archive of Arthur Conan Doyles, found garroted to death, surrounded by Sherlock Holmes mysteries. Another story, The Chameleon, examines a master imposters life. Perhaps the most gripping is Which Way Did He Run? in which the only firefighter of Engine Company 40 to survive the World Trade Center bombing, an amnesia victim, tries to piece together whether he acted as a hero or as a coward.
9780385517928
2009042230
Collection of Articles.
David Grann (New York Staff Writer)
PN4874.G672 / A25 2010
081
The devil and Sherlock Holmes : tales of murder, madness, and obsession / by David Grann. - First edition - 335 pages 24 cm.
"Any truth is better than indefinite doubt". Mysterious circumstances -- Trial by fire -- The chameleon -- True crime -- Which way did he run -- "A strange enigma is man!". The squid hunter -- City of water -- The old man and the gun -- Stealing time -- "All that was monstrous and inconceivably wicked in the universe". The brand -- Crimetown U.S.A. -- Giving the "devil" his due.
The catchy title is misleading because this collection of 12 previously published articles by New Yorker staff writer Grann (who also wrote The Lost City of Z, 2009) has only one story that has anything to do with Holmes. Readers expecting true crime may also be disappointed because Granns work here ranges from several actual crime cases through articles that have only a nod toward mystery, as in Life is Strange. However, Granns in-depth reporting and vivid writing make this worthwhile reading for lovers of good journalism. The Holmes story, Mysterious Circumstances, traces the fate of a foremost Holmes scholar, about to bid on a lost archive of Arthur Conan Doyles, found garroted to death, surrounded by Sherlock Holmes mysteries. Another story, The Chameleon, examines a master imposters life. Perhaps the most gripping is Which Way Did He Run? in which the only firefighter of Engine Company 40 to survive the World Trade Center bombing, an amnesia victim, tries to piece together whether he acted as a hero or as a coward.
9780385517928
2009042230
Collection of Articles.
David Grann (New York Staff Writer)
PN4874.G672 / A25 2010
081