David Grann. The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession. New York: Doubleday, 2010. 352 pages.
Great non-fiction is just as suspenseful and revealing of the human condition as great fiction. With The Devil and Sherlock Holmes, David Grann gives the reader twelve intriguing pieces of great non-fiction.
The collection starts with a short introduction in which Grann lays out the thematic (though not topical) unity of the book: each of the pieces is, in some way, about sleuthing. Whether its investigating a murder, looking for a half-mythical sea creature, or seeking to recover lost memories, the people who move through these pages are all looking for something.
After the introduction comes the chapter which likely gave the book its title: an investigation into the death, under mysterious circumstances, of the world’s foremost Sherlock Holmes expert. If this were an episode of a TV police procedural, most viewers would dismiss it as ridiculously contrived: the expert, who was himself unraveling the mystery of a cache of lost Holmesiana, was found dead of an apparent suicide that would have baffled the Baker Street detective himself. Grann not only hooks the reader into the case; he gives the reader a glimpse into the world of Holmes devotees, a group that makes Trekkies look like they treat Star Trek with a casual irreverence. But Grann doesn’t make them into geeks or misfits; he instead communicates the enduring appeal of Holmes in an increasingly chaotic world in a way that might have you checking a few Arthur Conan Dolye books out of the library. I can’t think of any better testament to Grann’s skill or style as a writer.
Other stories are no less riveting. Some of the more gripping ones are the tale of Krystian Bala, a would-be philosopher and author whose novel was used as evidence at his trial for murder; walking with Kevin Shea, a firefighter who survived 9/11 but is still tormented by his inability to remember what he did on that day; and a ride-along with the sandhogs, subterranean construction workers who have been building water tunnels under the streets of New York for generations. Those are just a few of my personal favorites, but every story in this collections sheds light on something meaningful in an interesting way. The pieces are all brief, but deep.
The bottom line? This is an outstanding collection of non-fiction that will whet your appetite for more.
