SHERLOCK HOLMES? Remember when you used to cozy-up to the fireplace and read a good book. Good books have been hard to find of late. Finally, I’ve found one perfect for the burning embers.
I’ve just finished “RETURN OF THE PHARAOH”. It was as if Conan Doyle had spoken to me, with even more humor. The pacing was great, and the detail engaging. I loved so much of it… from the belly dancing sequence to the tactile feel of the tombs and the tunnels, the Saturday Afternoon cinema cliffhanger style that paid off in the finale yet was built on beautiful language and a foundation of history.
The plot basically is that in 1910, Dr. John Watson travels to Egypt with his wife Juliet. Her tuberculosis has returned and her doctor recommends a stay at a sanitarium in a dry climate. But as she undergoes treatment, Dr. Watson bumps into an old friend–Sherlock Holmes, in disguise and on a case, An English Duke with a penchant for Egyptology has disappeared, leading to enquiries from his wife and Sherlock.
A beautiful literary voice, Nicholas Meyer’s writing style is up to form. The multi-talented Meyer is known for his best-selling novel The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, and for directing the films Time After Time, two of the Star Trek feature films, the 1983 television film The Day After and the 1999 HBO original film Vendetta. His use of language is wonderful, especially when woven with mystery and suspense. Incredibly visual, this is an adventure story as well as a mystery, with fear and suspense and a sense of a danger. Enjoy it. It is rare and fantastic.
Thanks, Nick, for the ride back in time with a sturdy hand on the tiller. I look forward to more.
-Neil Healy
