The Infernal Device and Others

This volume contains two novels and a novelette, all of which are readable, entertaining, and seem thoroughly researched—I appreciate the details.

I'd say the second novel, “Death by Gaslight”, is the best of them, being a particularly complex and exciting story. It includes a revival of the Hellfire Club, which also featured in a 1966 television episode of “The Avengers”. And, come to think of it, the style of these stories is not too far removed from that of “The Avengers”: improbable villains commit improbable crimes, tackled by eccentric investigators in a rather light-hearted manner.

I admit that I haven't read the original Sherlock Holmes stories (perhaps I'll get around to them someday?), and it's not at all essential to have done so: these stories can be read and enjoyed on their own. Furthermore, as I'm not a Holmes devotee, it doesn't particularly bother me that Kurland makes Moriarty the hero, frequently outwitting Holmes, who suffers from an anti-Moriarty obsession.

I might give a higher rating if I were a particular fan of this kind of fiction. But I mostly read sf and fantasy, so this is not exactly my kind of thing.