The Fifth Heart

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.

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.