Sherlock Holmes and
his wife, Mary Russel, board a cruise ship to take them from India,
where they had their last case, to Japan. Watching the passengers
board, Holmes recognizes the Earl of Darby, who he believes is a
blackmailer. Later this presumption is borne out when a young woman
goes missing after the ship has sailed. Holmes believes that Darby
was blackmailing her, and she decided to take her own life when she
saw him on the ship.
Once in Japan, we
have extensive, well-researched, travel by Holmes and Mary through
rural Japan in the 1920s. During this trek the plot is revealed.
This is a very slow
paced mystery. In fact, the actual detective work doesn't start until
two-thirds of the way through the novel. I'm rather torn about this
because the shipboard details and the travels through rural Japan are
interesting and well written. However, if you're looking for fast
paced thriller or even a fast paced cozy mystery this isn't it.
The book is told
from Mary Russel's viewpoint which means that we see little of Holmes
deductive abilities. I admit I became rather tired of reading about
Mary's discomfort on the ship and in the travels in Japan. If you've
read the other novels in the series, you may find this one
interesting. I found it slow, and I couldn't get interested in the
rather sketchy portrayal of Holmes. What I love are his deductive
abilities and these were hardly in evidence.
I reviewed this book
for the Amazon Vine Program.
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