The Fifth Heart

Dan Simmons

2015 • 672 pages

Ratings5

Average rating3.2

In 1893, Sherlock Holmes and Henry James come to America together to solve the mystery of the 1885 death of Clover Adams, wife of the esteemed historian Henry Adams -- member of the Adams family that has given the United States two Presidents. Clover's suicide appears to be more than it at first seemed; the suspected foul play may involve matters of national importance. Holmes is currently on his Great Hiatus -- his three-year absence after Reichenbach Falls during which time the people of London believe him to be deceased. Holmes has faked his own death because, through his powers of ratiocination, the great detective has come to the conclusion that he is a fictional character. This leads to serious complications for James -- for if his esteemed fellow investigator is merely a work of fiction, what does that make him? And what can the master storyteller do to fight against the sinister power -- possibly named Moriarty -- that may or may not be controlling them from the shadows?

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Hannah Morgan-Lewis

An interesting premise - Sherlock Holmes and Henry James investigate the murder of Clover Adams, a figure in American literary circles. I enjoyed most of this book. The writing flowed well and it was quite exciting in parts. However, I think the second half went off the rails a little bit and I found it a bit of a slog. The main two mysteries were if Sherlock Holmes was real and who killed Clover Adams, but these two mysteries got derailed somewhat by the potential assassination which I found a bit muddled. Not keen on the magic Native American explanation for Sherlock either. Overall, it was a bit gimmicky at times; I think it needed a bit of editing and just a bit more restraint as it felt as if the author had thrown the kitchen sink at it and the solutions to the mysteries were a little bit of a let down. 3 stars is a bit harsh, however, it was more of a 3 and half stars book.

May 25, 2015

Jeff

A very uneven book and it took me reading more than halfway through it before it caused some interest to grow. The best parts were those involving Sherlock Holmes and I will admit I did not guess the perpetrator's identity until it was revealed.

May 8, 2015