The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – The Back-to-Front Murder by Tim Major
Synopsis:
May 1898: Sherlock Holmes investigates a murder stolen from a writer’s research.
Abigail Moone presents an unusual problem at Baker Street. She is a writer of mystery stories under a male pseudonym, and gets her ideas following real people and imagining how she might kill them and get away with it. It’s made her very successful, until her latest “victim” dies, apparently of the poison method she meticulously planned in her notebook. Abigail insists she is not responsible, and that someone is trying to frame her for his death. With the evidence stacking up against her, she begs Holmes to prove her innocence…
Review:
Abigail Moone is a smart and determined woman. She is convinced that a copycat killer stole her story idea for a murder and acted it out. As Sherlock and Watson investigate, it seems nearly impossible that someone could have stolen the notebook at just the right time and murdered someone randomly. Either she’s a good actress as well as writer, or something more complex is going on.
The Back-to-Front Murder is a fun and unique Holmes mystery. I loved the suspense and confusion about Abigail’s involvement. I love being surprised by a mystery, and this one definitely kept me guessing until the final reveal. I hope to see more Sherlock stories from Tim Major, as he has a nice grasp of the characters and weaves a complex, unpredictable plot.