The Moor

Review of Book 4 in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes Mystery Series

Before reading The Moor, the fourth installment of the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes mystery series, I highly recommend you read The Hound of the Baskervilles. Sherlock Homes (this time with his young wife, Mary Russell) finds himself in the same moor where The Hound of the Baskervilles took place. Once again, a hound is prowling the moor and a big paw print is found near a dead body. Holmes and Russell investigate while they are staying with Holmes’ friend, Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould. Baskerville Hall is now in the hands of an American businessman, Mr. Ketteridge. Sir Henry Baskerville has died, and his remaining daughter moved out of the estate.

To solve this case, Holmes and Russell go on separate excursions to determine the mysterious happenings of the moor. When Russell comes home from such trips, another dead body is discovered making it even more imperative that Holmes and Russell discover the truth behind the killings.

I thought this novel was intelligent, reflective, and clever. Like in the original novel, the presence of the hound is purely performative, masking a more sinister plot. In order to uncover such plot, Russell has to read through many of Baring-Gould’s own published books that has the clues she is looking for to solve the case. The novel also deals with the constant struggle of technological advancement and to what extent it can benefit our society and when it can be harmful.

Next Novel in Series: O Jerusalem

Next Books to Review: Naughty in Nice (Book 5 of Royal Spyness mystery series) and Vanished without a Trace (Love Inspired Suspense)

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