I usually don't read two from the same series back to back, but I didn't feel like trying to decide which audiobook to listen to next, so just went with #2 in MacBird's Sherlock Holmes Adventures. It was an enjoyable follow-up to Art in the Blood.
Unquiet Spirits is a fast-paced, multi-layered mystery. Of course, all three pieces of the plot are connected. They almost always are in mysteries. I loved the atmosphere of the haunted Scottish castle and liked learning the details of the whiskey industry at the time. Holmes investigation brings him to the home of the McLarens in Scotland. The McLarens are not a nice family, though they make excellent whiskey. They don't like each other, not even the married couples. They are spiteful and put ambition over just about anything else. They want Holmes to investigate a situation for them, but don't want him to expose any of their other secrets. Holmes of course has...
It's not often that I say this, but what originally drew me to Art in the Blood was the cover. It's simple and stylish and while it doesn't scream "Holmes" it does give us the era with the top hat and walking stick. Add in that I love a god Holmes pastiche and I was hooked.
The conceit here is that an old, unpublished adventure written by Watson has been discovered and the author is simply sharing it with us, reconstructing any pieces that time has faded. I don't know that MacBird accomplishes the task of writing in the vein of Conan Doyle. It doesn't feel Victorian. Touches of modern language sneak in and to be honest, I'm not sure that anyone else can work with a character so brilliant, addicted, prone to depression, gifted as Holmes without pushing him over one edge or the other in their attempt to send him out on new cases. But I enjoy Holmes in...
The Mysterious Mr. Quin is a collection of short mystery stories, by they're a slight departure from Christie's norm. Mr. Satterthwaite, is upper class, single, a man who loves his comforts and is rich enough to afford them. He enjoys life's dramas, watching rather than participating. Satterthwaite is both the main character and the sidekick. It's his reasoning and actions that solve the mysteries, but it's Harley Quin who mysteriously show up at just the right time, asks just the right questions. Mr. Quin is a touch supernatural, he seems to intercede on the behalf of the dead, those whose mysteries still need solved.
These stories are not typical Christie. They're more romantic, with love often triumphing. They're a little dreamy, the plots don't have the precision of Poirot, but the conclusions do seem logical. It's a good collection, but not necessarily what I'm looking for when I'm picking up a Christie.
And I have to say I like this Harley Quin better...
