The Reichenback Problem by Martin Allison Booth - REVIEWED

About the Book:
 Arthur Conan Doyle is on the run from his own fame. Taking a much-needed holiday, Doyle escapes to a picturesque village in Switzerland nestled beneath the imposing Reichenbach Falls. There he hopes to find anonymity, but even in this beautiful rural setting, peace eludes him when he finds himself immediately recognized and involved in the investigation of a mysterious death of a fellow traveler.

All too soon, Doyle’s somewhat unwilling, gentle probing into the case causes the finger of suspicion to turn towards him. But can the creator of the famous detective actually do the sleuthing himself? As Doyle learns more and more about the famous character he penned, he finds he is less like Sherlock and more like his sidekick, Watson. Can the “sidekick” see enough of the picture to solve the case for once?

My Thoughts:

“But this was no fiction.  This was harsh, cold, pitiless reality.”  (p. 311)

Martin Allison Booth has created a brilliant piece of fiction that places another, rather infamous author, Arthur Conan Doyle, in the center of a murder mystery!  Truly, the idea of using Arthur Conan Doyle as the main character works really well in this story, because the character is frequently expected to behave and think like his fictional creation, Sherlock Holmes!  Some of the townsfolk even go as far as to try to ….well, contact Holmes!  Isn’t that wild? 

No matter, this is a plot line that builds in intensity until it appears that Doyle may in fact become a victim!  The language reflects the thoughtful and provoking word pictures that made Doyle so well-known, and it is evident that Martin Booth has been a life-long fan of both the author and his work.  No, he doesn’t mimic his work in any way, but the flavor of the thought process that was used to create the Sherlock Holmes character is indeed present and powerful!  Really, it’s very brilliant!  And at one point, you really aren’t sure who the title “villain” belongs too!  I love it when that happens!

So be prepared to sit down and leave reality for a while!  You will be drawn in and held captive from start to finish.  I am very pleased to learn that this is the first in a trilogy, so I will be able to spend more time with Arthur Conan Doyle and his exciting mysteries!  I’m going to be hopeful that  I will be able to meet his family in future installments! 

Martin Allison Booth – I want to sign up for the job of Number One Fan!! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this!! 

About the Author:

After a successful career at the BBC and ITV, as a script writer, editor and then Commissioning executive, Martin Allison Booth worked for OFCOM before training as an Anglican priest. He has been a fan of Sherlock Holmes since childhood.