James Mycroft is a troubled genius who has an obsession with forensic science. His neighbour and best friend Rachel Watts just wishes she could go back to the countryside but she finds herself being dragged into Mycroft’s dark and exciting world when he asks her for help in solving a murder. What starts out as an innocent investigation into the death of a friend begins to turn into something much more dangerous.
The concept of this book is rather compelling. The Sherlock Holmes links were really fun and it was interesting to see the Holmes and Watson relationship taking a new form and direction.
Rachel, the narrator, was quite a bland character; her family and her longing to leave the city didn’t resonate like Mycroft’s backstory and personality did. As a result, the scenes with Mycroft were much more engaging and the scenes without him seemed flat and boring in comparison.
That being said, the majority of the novel was built around the investigation that they embark on. This was actually really fascinating especially when they were discussing the forensics of the murder and the inferences they could make from it. This was where the novel was at its strongest, as it was generally fast paced and explored Mycroft and Watts’ relationship both in solving cases and as friends.
The twists in the story were well executed and unexpected, reminiscent of Arthur Conan Doyle himself. Overall this novel was enjoyable to read but its narrator weighed the story down and prevented it from having more of an effect on the reader.
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