Upon opening the deceased’s home she is astounded at the recreation of an 1880s Victorian home but not just any place, but 221 B Baker Street- the abode of Sherlock Holmes! The late Philip Gilbert was obsessed with the fictional sleuth. He collected artifacts of all sorts concerning the detective or his creator, Conan Doyle, even to emulating Holmes’ dress and mannerisms. One entire floor of his house was as authentic as possible with gas lighting and a stoneware sink while upstairs the 21st century reigned.

Gilbert had few friends. His closest associates were fellow Holmes devotees who met in costume for dinner every month to talk of Doyle or even Dickens and steep themselves in the past for a few hours and to examine the latest additions to Gilbert’s prodigious collection. He hinted at a great discovery at their last meeting one that could change the perceptions of Doyle and Holmes. It was a short story that might have been written when Doyle visited San Francisco in the 1920s.

Kate and her partner, Leonora, have a young daughter and many friends with equally non-traditional families who live in the belief that a family is made up of people who love one another and care for each other. The city on the bay has a long history of such relationships and this becomes a key issue as Kate investigates Gilbert’s death.

Laurie King, who also writes the Mary Russell series in which a young American heiress marries Sherlock Holmes, does an excellent job of recreating the Holmesian canon and this is no exception. Embedded in the tale of Martinelli’s search for a murderer is a short story which exudes verisimilitude. The characters, the descriptions, the behaviors, all are what one expects only the subject matter is out of the ordinary. But is it?

King succeeds in creating a fresh plot and recreating familiar characters in this first rate tale with a “what if” at its heart. I voraciously read anything King writes - the Martinelli series, the Mary Russell series and her outstanding stand alone novels are among my favorites. If you appreciate good writing and research and have a mind open to possibilities you can never go wrong with Laurie King.

--Jane Davis