The Last Sherlock Holmes Story - Michael Dibdin

[denn034]

This book makes the fictional Sherlock Holmes the Ripper!

[DVV]

A very likely theory, Denn. Sherlock is a maniac. A misogynist. A cocain addict.

[Felidos]

I just wanted to resurrect this old post to say that I loved this book Entertaining, funny, and mildly depressing- good times!

Word of advice: if you want to read it, get the one that is 192 pages, NOT the one that is 55 pages (the little one is edited down for English language learners, "level 3," so not exactly the same thing).

[Critteranne]

I'm going to re-resurrect this. I read this shortly after it came out -- when I was in high school. I really don't remember what I thought of the ending at the time. Even then, I knew it was controversial. I guess I just accepted it as I read it -- although I preferred the version of Holmes in The Seven Percent Solution.

I read it again a few months ago, and was surprised by something I'd forgotten. Watson was on cocaine for a long portion near the end of the book! OK, he used the cocaine to keep up with Holmes, but then that made me wonder... Didn't that make him an unreliable narrator? Did Dibdin want us to first say "Holy cow! Sherlock Holmes was the Ripper!" and then step back and think "But wait... Watson was high as a kite for much of this book. What if he was paranoid? What if he was delusional? Holy cow squared!" Did Didbin pull the biggest trick on us all? First, he angered scores of Holmes fan by revealing him to be the Ripper. But then he left clues that perhaps the narrator was insane.

Or was I reading too much into the fact that Watson himself was a little crazed by then (as reflected by his narrative)?

[RavenDarkendale]

I read this some time ago, and still have the book on my Sherlock Holmes bookshelf. Worst Holmes book I ever read!