Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson by Lyndsay FayeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a Sherlock Holmes "pastiche" novel by Lyndsay Faye which pits Sherlock Holmes against Jack the Ripper. I was actually in the mood for a nonfiction treatment and got this by mistake. While the book is Faye's first novel, it has the blessing of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's heirs so I gave it a try. I was very well pleased. I am know Holmes fanatic or amateur ripperologies, so I am sure puritans in either camp may have nits to pick. I found it a well-narrated (Simon Vance Narrator). The text itself is from Watson's P.O.V. narrating as Holmes' "biographer" and I picture the Law-Downey pairing from the Guy Ritchie movies. The story has goods twists and turns with Holmes getting closer to the investigation then he wants - as a suspect, as a casualty and all too close on the trail. In an alternate reality, this historical novel brings key elements known as the extracted organs, , a leather apron, the quick work uncovered by a patrolling constable ( see here) and more all pointing to an inside job by the police in this imagined resolution.
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