On a cold November morning, a young American actress visits 221B Baker Street, desperate for Sherlock Holmes to protect her from the threats of a mysterious, menacing man who has recently appeared in her life. Holmes agrees to help, even though he has just promised the Prime Minister to solve the murder of John D. Rockefeller’s security agent before the incident can derail an upcoming … British-American summit. To find the agent’s killer―and help the young actress―Holmes will need all his talents for both deduction and deception. But when another lovely woman, this one from Holmes’s past, reappears and clues to the murder point to the late Professor Moriarty, the famously analytical detective must also look inward. Can Holmes prevent chaos on both sides of the Atlantic and unmask his newest client’s shadowy antagonist? For Holmes and Watson, this is the case that will change everything.
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To say I am a fan of the Sherlock Holmes trope would be an understatement. When I find new stories that are every bit as good as Conan Doyle’s I don’t just read them… I devour them. THE LAST MORIARTY is one of those books.
The writing is excellent and has the feel of the original tales I have long enjoyed. There are any number of other writers who have taken pen to the task of keeping Sherlock Holmes fresh and new, but few have succeeded as seamlessly.
As the formula dictates, the story is related by Dr. John Watson who explains that this tale took place after the “death” of Holmes at Reichenbach Falls at a time few knew of his resurrection. Holmes implored Watson to never tell this tale, but the good doctor wrote it and stipulated that it not be published until the twenty-first century.
Charles Veley has used historical figures to add a certain realism to the first story of Sherlock and Lucy. Who is Lucy James, you ask? Finding out is part of the overall charm of the narrative. You will be led down dark alleys and garden paths on the road to your discovery. The question provides a tantalizing undercurrent to death and destruction in and around London. Join Holmes, Watson, and, of course, Lestrade as they team up to save the city and, perhaps, even the stability of nations.
Now that I have discovered this series, there is no doubt I will be reading all of them.
The Last Moriarty Earns 5+/5 Classic Conundrums…Engaging Favorite!
I am a big fan of Doyle’s adept detective, Sherlock Holmes, along with many of the reimagined versions. Case in Point: Charles Veley’s Sherlock Holmes & Lucy James series is one destined to be one of my “Surprise Finds of 2021.” With its well-written narrative and dialogue in a Doyle-like style, clever premise, rich characters, exciting mystery, and all-the-way-to-the-end engaging intrigue, it is all from Watson’s first-person perspective. Immediately grabbing my attention with an early morning rousting by Sherlock’s brother Mycroft and a clandestine visit to the morgue to inspect a suicide, but with Sherlock’s consummate skill he explains the young man was murdered. After further insights that prove his worth and back and forth debate with the highly positioned British officials also in attendance, there is a massive explosion that, as the Prime Minister described, created a “zone of danger.” Whew! And that’s just the first two chapters! What occurs after that is a clever, complex, and totally engaging mystery with international implications, an actress with a shocking revelation, and although Moriarty’s death at Reichenbach and subsequent arrests and conviction of his colleagues causing his powerful organization to be unceremoniously dismantled, one of his infamous assassins has escaped from prison. Not much to fear when Holmes is on the case! Veley has his own writing style, but fans of Doyle’s will be thrilled with how he maintains the familiar personalities, connections, and investigative style, yet adds his own twist and turns, real-life figures, and a new relationship of which Doyle never “conceived,” pun intended. There are several full-length adventures and short stories to keep this fan totally engaged!
Who is “The Last Moriarty”?
Suitable for middle school – adult
No sex
No harsh language
Some action sequences include violence, but you see far worse on TV.
Like the original Holmes stories, this one is written from Watson’s point of view. It also includes explanations of how and why “The Hound of the Baskervilles” was written after Holmes supposedly died at Reichenbach Falls. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the original author, had always maintained that “Hound” was supposed to have taken place before Holmes’s last encounter with his nemesis, Moriarty. I appreciate author Charles Veley’s attention to this detail.
Plot no spoilers:
Surprising Watson, Holmes has reappeared years after his supposed death, and he asks Watson to keep it a secret that he is still alive. He has rejoined his old friend because he is aware of a plot to assassinate several well-known American millionaires who have come to England to make a deal that will undermine the political plans of power-hungry Germans.
Holmes reveals who their opponent is: a ruthless criminal, whom they had encountered before and who is related to Moriarty.
Soon thereafter, they meet Lucy James, a young performer. Guess who her daddy is.
The game is afoot!
At first I thought the story might be disappointingly slow, but I was wrong, once the introduction and set up is completed, the book is a page turner.
Recommended.
Many have tried to bring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation, Sherlock Holmes, back to life after Doyle’s death. Some have succeeded, some have not. In The Last Moriarity, author Charles Veley has succeeded.
The story takes place shortly after Holmes’ return from the dead following the incident at Riechenbach Falls in which both Holmes and his nemesis, Professor James Moriarity, were apparently killed. You may remember Conan Doyle had meant Holmes to stay dead, but later resurrected the detective at the demand of his readers.
Written in the classic Holmesian style, The Last Moriarity is narrated by Dr. John Watson. But publication of this case file was, at Watson’s request, withheld until the 21st century. To tell you why would be a spoiler.
At the entry point for this story, only a handful of people know Holmes is still alive and has been in hiding from Moriarity’s vengeful gang. Holmes is recruited by his brother, Mycroft, an intelligence operative, to over see security for a secret meeting between British government officials and three of the richest men in American, a meeting that could seal an alliance between the U.S. and the U.K. and change the balance of power in Europe. Of course, someone wants the prevent the meeting from taking place.
Velley’s story brings together all the classic elements of a Holmesian mystery: a threatened government secret; a criminal mastermind (though not James Moriarity because he’s still dead); and not one, but two beautiful women. Velley does a superb job of imitating Conan Doyle’s writing style, and the use of the “lost manuscript” device allows The Last Moriarity to fit seamlessly into the canon of Sherlock Holmes case files.
The Last Moriarity is a wonderful addition to the lore of Sherlock Holmes, and must read for any Holmes fan.
I’ve become a Sherlock Holmes fan despite not having read many of the originals. This is the first of 25 books in the Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James series. What I loved most about the book was its inclusion of “real” people in the story. The likes of J.P. Morgan, Teddy Roosevelt, and John D. Rockefeller figure prominently in the plot along with the “usual” suspects, if you will–Sherlock, Dr. Watson, Mycroft, etc. J.P. Morgan and Rockefeller arrive separately from the US on their yachts for a special meeting, and the story takes off from there.
Though the plot is not as intricate as the Sherlock tales by Anthony Horowitz, it is still entertaining, and I highly recommend it.
Doesn’t seem to be available as an e-reader book only paperback and hard copy.