The Devil’s Due (A Sherlock Holmes Adventure, Book 3)
The Devil’s Due (A Sherlock Holmes Adventure, Book 3) book cover

The Devil’s Due (A Sherlock Holmes Adventure, Book 3)

Kindle Edition

Price
$12.49
Publisher
HarperCollins
Publication Date

Description

Bonnie MacBird is a produced screenwriter and playwright as well as an accomplished stage actor and writing teacher. She holds degrees from Stanford in music and film, and when she’s not writing Sherlock Holmes, moonlights as a theatre director and audiobook reader. She divides her time between Los Angeles and London. Visit her at www.macbird.com. --This text refers to the paperback edition. ‘One of the best Sherlock Holmes novels of recent memory, at least as entertaining as Anthony Horowitz’s The House of Silk … MacBird’s artistry will keep readers eagerly turning the pages just to see how she orchestrates the big reveal.’―MICHAEL DIRDA, Washington Post ‘Gets a definite recommendation from me. MacBird is sure-footed with atmosphere and voices, there’s lots of action and a solid mystery, but no shortage of real tenderness between Holmes and Watson, and the conclusion is as satisfying as anything Conan Doyle wrote. If you’re looking for a Sherlockian Christmas present for someone, introduce them to Bonnie MacBird’s series.’― Sherlock Holmes Journal ‘Bonnie MacBird's best Holmes novel so far and cements her as one of the best pastiche authors out there … This did not disappoint. Get it as soon as you can.‘― Doylockian ‘An extraordinary mystery … worthy of Holmes and Watson’s adventures!’― Leslie S. Klinger ‘A rich stew of Holmesian tropes and lore which romps along.’― Shots ‘Loose-limbed, prodigiously inventive, plotted with infernal logic’― Kirkus ‘A Sherlockian thrill-ride … the characters ring steel-true and will deight mystery readers, Holmes devotees and newcomers alike.’―Dana Cameron, author of the Emma Fielding Mysteries ‘Bonnie MacBird at the top of her game!.’―Curtis Armstrong, author of Revenge of the Nerd; A Plum Assignment ‘Gorgeously crafted and marvellously entertaining!’―Hank Phillippi Ryan, author of The Murder List --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Features & Highlights

  • After
  • Art in the Blood
  • and
  • Unquiet Spirits
  • , Holmes and Watson are back in the third of Bonnie MacBird’s critically acclaimed Sherlock Holmes Adventures, written in the tradition of Conan Doyle himself.
  • It’s 1890 and the newly famous Sherlock Holmes faces his worst adversary to date – a diabolical villain bent on destroying some of London’s most admired public figures in particularly gruesome ways. A further puzzle is that suicide closely attends each of the murders. As he tracks the killer through vast and seething London, Holmes finds himself battling both an envious Scotland Yard and a critical press as he follows a complex trail from performers to princes, anarchists to aesthetes. But when his brother Mycroft disappears, apparently the victim of murder, even those loyal to Holmes begin to wonder how close to the flames he has travelled. Has Sherlock Holmes himself made a deal with the devil?

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(382)
★★★★
25%
(159)
★★★
15%
(96)
★★
7%
(45)
-7%
(-45)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Sherlock & Holmes fans will love this book!

The Devils Due is my favorite of Bonnie MacBird's novels. She exquisitely draws for us the friendship and partnership between Holmes and Watson, and we recognize them immedately. We also jump into the story on the first page and colloborate with her characters 'til the last. The mystery is populated with new and unusual people, some you'd like to see in future stories, others so laissezfaire you just want to shake them awake and some downright terrifying. MacBird shows us just how well Sherlock Holmes is at differentiating justice within the maelstrom. As well as defining the horrors of his and our times. It's a book that beautifly transends the genre and I hope will be enjoyed by everyone. Holmes' clarity is a beacon of sanity through troubled times.
8 people found this helpful
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A step down from the first two in this series

This latest pastiche from Bonnie MacBird is 3-star material . Okay but hindered by:
1. Shallow characterization of the antagonists. The new Chief Commissioner of police is simply too much of a thug to be believable. The 'bedeviling' journalist that trails through the entire book is simply revealed at the very end as working for police (What?! - no explanation at all)
2. The book is freighted with hand-wringing and hyperventilating about modern problems (immigrants and the prejudices around them) and the anachronism of modern sensibilities makes for some wooden declamations by Holmes and others.
3. The book could be shorter and would be better for it. There are too many tangential episodes and long descriptions that do not contribute to the plot, pace, or atmosphere of the book. What was it Hemmingway said? --"kill your darlings." Fire and sword editing would make the book better. For example: The episode (and its lingering trail) of Holmes and his wrists is simply too unbelievable, makes the characterization of the villain even more shallow and 2-dimensional, and plays no role is the unfolding of the story.
5 people found this helpful
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Welcome Back, Mr. Holmes

We can always use another worthwhile addition to the "expanded cannon" of Sherlock Holmes novels and stories. The Devil's Due is a quite satisfactory addition to the genre. The Watson and Holmes characters come across believably, and MacBird does well with the whole Watson-not-quite-keeping-up-with-Holmes thing, which plays particularly well in the denouement. At the center of this book are two intertwining narratives: one of a killer who seems to be working through the alphabet, killing philanthropists with dark secrets in their past, the other of a new Chief Commissioner of police who appears to be a budding fascist.

This is good Holmes, but not great Holmes. MacBird doesn't really bring anything new to the series. Do I want to read more Holmes writing be MacBird? Yes. Will I be waiting anxiously for it to appear? No. It's a pleasure I'll partake of when it comes along.

Thak you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free electronic ARC for review purposes; the opinions are my own.
4 people found this helpful
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A friend and a fan

To be transparent, I am a friend of Ms. MacBird’s, having also worked with her as an actor, director and producer of her theatrical works. Her grasp of character, dramatic form and tension, humor and culture is superbly rendered in this Sherlock tome. I am proud but not surprised of the excellent, clever and fun movement in pace and style and the specificity in language and tone. I end my gush with the excitement that the afoot game will soon continue and a hearty thanks for the great read!
3 people found this helpful
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A very complicated mystery with a satisfactory ending.

I really enjoyed this book even though I did figure out who the bad people were early on. There were quite a few more murders than usual along with other deaths related to them. I especially enjoyed the Goodwin brothers; they were so different and funny. What was incredible was how Titus became chief of police; what happened to his predecessor? I am looking forward to the next book!
2 people found this helpful
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As good as the Originals

If you want Sherlock Holmes, past the Mastery of Doyle ..,then look no further than this Author. Sheer lunatic elegance!
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Twists and Turns Abound

I really enjoy how Mrs. MacBird is able to tease the reader with clues, then give some and obscure others. Her work is elegantly done without overwhelming the reader with articulation that would still be rarely used, even given the time period. Other authors seem to force this into the story, as if to appear brilliant, which detracts from the story. While there is grand verbiage within this book, it is used very well.

This brings me to how precisely engineered the plot and subplots are. There is a greater expansion of characters than usual, but still, one is able to easily follow the skeins to his or her own stories.

Finally, the subtle hints of humor here and there acts like the glue that binds the books nicely together. This is used sparingly, and to masterful effect - right when one needs it the most. I'm so thankful to have chanced reading her earlier work, and have gained great stories and an amazing author. I look forward to reading the next few!
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Better than Conan Doyle

What a triumph!
The plotting, writing, and social context are superb, better done than Arthur Conan Doyle's original

The characterization of Watson is absolutely perfect.
Holmes is not quite as arrogantly appealing as Basil Rathbone, but approaches those heights.

Enjoy!!!
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Detail Doesn’t Create Suspense

The cardboard characters of this novel sleepwalk through a contrived plot to a predictable ending. Not once was it believable that Mycroft could be a serial murderer, performing murders in such an obvious order. The villans were not sublime as much as they were simply slime. Further, no amount of vacuous detail that signified nothing counterweights the lack of dynamic tension between characters. Reference the Sherlock Tv series for examples on how to flesh out character. This book is very lightweight.

I read several of the 5 star reviews and it seemed the acolytes were mesmerized by the fact that the main character is ‘Sherlock Holmes’. Remember that this author did not create the Holmes nor Watson characters and has mountains of other people’s work to build their own impressions upon. The author’s contribution will, for the most part, be in the creation of the villain(s) and in this book the villains were nothing special. Perhaps the author should create their own heroes?
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This author never disappoints

True to the original character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Bonnie MacBord never disappoints with her sharp character development and twisting plots.