Exclusive interview with author Michael Robertson and a review of his fourth novel inspired by the adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Rating: Three Stars
By Gabrielle Pantera
“For Moriarty Returns a Letter, I had to do historical research, because that book follows a series of characters and a feud that spans generations, from the 1890s, when the first Sherlock Holmes story featuring Moriarty was published, to London during WWII, and finally to present day,” says author Michael Robertson.
Returns a Letter is the fourth book in the Baker Street Letters series. The other books are The Baker Street Translation, The Brothers of Baker Street, and The Baker Street Letters. The central conceit is that our hero, Reggie Heath, together with his brother Nigel, have leased Sherlock Holmes’ famous address at 221b Baker Street and as a condition of their lease must answer letters sent to the fictional detective.
This latest outing opens 1893 when a brave Pinkerton operative from America, undercover in London, is captured by a local crime lord named Redgil and, in a desperate attempt to save his own life, pretends to be Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes’ arch-enemy.
Fifty years later, the operative’s son, Capt. James Moriarty of the U.S. Army is in England to find out what happened to his father. He finds Redgil, who now goes by Redfern, and intends to confront him. Fast forward to 1998, Reggie Heath is engaged to Laura Rankin, who is being stalked by a crazy woman obsessed with Heath. A letter to Sherlock Holmes, which Heath answers, will change their lives.
Robertson excels at witty dialogue and the love story between Heath and Laura Rankin contains humor and the exploits of characters keeps the story moving along briskly. Robertson doesn’t try to make Heath into Holmes and Holmes fans will appreciate the clues from the original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle novels that Robertson incorporates. The situations seem realistic and the main characters likable.
Returns a Letter is the fourth book in the Baker Street Letters series. The other books are The Baker Street Translation, The Brothers of Baker Street, and The Baker Street Letters.
The original Sherlock Holmes was featured in four novels and 56 short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, starting in 1887. The character’s popularity exploded with the publication of a series of short stories in The Strand Magazine in 1891.
“I very much wanted to get a copy of the December 1893 issue of The Strand Magazine, in which The Final Problem was first published and the fictional Moriarty was introduced to the world,” says Robertson. “But, I couldn’t afford an actual copy. I contented myself with examining facsimiles online.”
As part of his research for writing the series, Robertson spent a lot of time in London, especially at trials at the Old Bailey. “That’s because my primary protagonist, Reggie Heath, is a barrister who acquires responsibility for the letters when he locates his new chambers in that building on Baker Street,” says Robertson.
Robertson was inspired to write the series by an article he read in 1979. “I was taking a screenwriting class and trying to come up with a story idea. I happened to read a newspaper article about the Abbey National Building society, a bank in the 200 block of Baker Street in London that was in the habit of receiving, and responding to, letters that people wrote, even then, to Sherlock Holmes.”
Robertson’s first book in the series, The Baker Street Letters, was optioned for television a couple of years ago, but it wasn’t produced.
Marcia Markland, at Thomas Dunne Books/Minotaur/St. Martin’s Press is Robertson’s editor. “There’s nothing challenging about working with my publisher except me delivering my manuscripts on time,” says Robertson. “They’re a breeze to work with…and very patient.”
Robertson met his publisher at the Maui Writer’s Conference in 2003. “I’m sorry to say that the conference no longer exists,” says Robertson. “It was a wonderful place for writers and publishers and agents to meet.”
Moriarty Returns a Letter, Baker Street Mystery (Book 4) by Michael Robertson. Hardcover, 272 pages, Publisher: Minotaur Books (January 28, 2014), Language: English. ISBN-13: 978-1250016461 $18.62
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