Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
Bantam (2006), Edition: First Edition, Hardcover, 368 pages
Description
Kate Martinelli has seen her share of peculiar things as a San Francisco cop, but never anything quite like this: an ornate Victorian sitting room straight out of a Sherlock Holmes story--complete with violin, tobacco-filled Persian slipper, and gunshots in the wallpaper that spell out the initials of the late queen. Philip Gilbert was a true Holmes fanatic, from his antiquated d©♭cor to his vintage wardrobe. And no mere fan of fiction's great detective, but a leading expert with a collection of priceless memorabilia--a collection some would kill for. And perhaps someone did: In his collection is a century-old manuscript purportedly written by Holmes himself--a manuscript that eerily echoes details of Gilbert's own murder. Now, with the help of her partner, Al Hawkin, Kate must follow the convoluted trail of a killer--one who may have trained at the feet of the greatest mind of all times.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member MrsLee
In this story, Laurie King introduces the tale of what Sherlock Holmes was up to in San Francisco while Mary Russell was doing her thing. In doing so, Kate Martinelli must read the story to find clues to a modern crime which she must solve.
Laurie King obviously had an agenda to get across in
Laurie King obviously had an agenda to get across in
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writing this, which was a big turn off for me. I like my mysteries to be for the sake of the mystery, not to solve social issues. That being said, had it been any other author, I probably wouldn't have finished it, but I was able to finish this. Not my favorite by far, and not one I will be purchasing, but the story within the story which told about Sherlock in San Francisco was fun to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member Joycepa
In this, the fifth in the Kate Martinelli series, King connects that series, set in present-day San Francisco, with her Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series.
Devotees of the Conan Doyle stories of Sherlock Holmes form clubs or societies, where members dress in period costumes and meet for various
While there is a great deal of involvement and information about modern Sherlockians, there is no need to read the original Sherlock Holmes stories, as all the involvement is peripheral to the stories themselves. But it is a fascinating look into the world of those devotees who throw themselves with amazing enthusiasm into the Victorian world of Holmes. It enhances the police procedural part of the story.
In addition, there is a subplot involving the death of a young gay soldier in the post World War I area in that same area, that lends spice and interest to the main plot.
Those are, in my opinion, the good parts of the book. However, I have never really taken to the Mattinelli series because to me Martinelli and her partner lee have never come across as a real lesbian couple. while I think that King is very sympathetic to her characters, she is not empathetic--they are too politically correct, too stiff, too perfect.
In this book, they are now the perfect lesbian family, since Lee has had a daughter who is now 3 years old. The child is so perfect as to be nauseating. And a number of stock lesbian characters show up as well--the minister who is a political activist, the radical. I have known people like that rather well, and none of them are as politically correct as these are; to me, they come across as stereotypes, not as real people.
And the end of the book wraps up the modern and 1920s eras into a nice, sentimental package. My problem is that I am anything but a sentimentalist, and I do not think that King handled this part of the story well at all. It's just too pat.
When Martinelli does her police work, she’s good. But her private life smacks of good intentions rather than reality.
Devotees of the Conan Doyle stories of Sherlock Holmes form clubs or societies, where members dress in period costumes and meet for various
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social occasions. Some go to extreme lengths in what becomes nearly full-time role-playing. Philip Gilbert was one such. When he is found murdered in an old gun emplacement on the Marin headlands, Martinelli and her partner Al Hawkins follow a set of puzzling clues that include the possibility of an unpublished, original story by Conan Doyle.While there is a great deal of involvement and information about modern Sherlockians, there is no need to read the original Sherlock Holmes stories, as all the involvement is peripheral to the stories themselves. But it is a fascinating look into the world of those devotees who throw themselves with amazing enthusiasm into the Victorian world of Holmes. It enhances the police procedural part of the story.
In addition, there is a subplot involving the death of a young gay soldier in the post World War I area in that same area, that lends spice and interest to the main plot.
Those are, in my opinion, the good parts of the book. However, I have never really taken to the Mattinelli series because to me Martinelli and her partner lee have never come across as a real lesbian couple. while I think that King is very sympathetic to her characters, she is not empathetic--they are too politically correct, too stiff, too perfect.
In this book, they are now the perfect lesbian family, since Lee has had a daughter who is now 3 years old. The child is so perfect as to be nauseating. And a number of stock lesbian characters show up as well--the minister who is a political activist, the radical. I have known people like that rather well, and none of them are as politically correct as these are; to me, they come across as stereotypes, not as real people.
And the end of the book wraps up the modern and 1920s eras into a nice, sentimental package. My problem is that I am anything but a sentimentalist, and I do not think that King handled this part of the story well at all. It's just too pat.
When Martinelli does her police work, she’s good. But her private life smacks of good intentions rather than reality.
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LibraryThing member Kathy89
San Francisco detectives are called to an eccentric Sherlock Holmes fan's murder. Mystery revolves around a missing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle short story. I was disappointed in this book.
LibraryThing member mandolin82
The most recent by my favorite detective writer. The usual enjoyable read, this based in modern San Francisco and with the victim a Sherlock Holmes fanatic. Not one of her best, but still lots of fun.
LibraryThing member punxsygal
The fifth book in the Kate Martinelli series. The body of Philip Gilbert is found in a former gun emplacement across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. Gilbert proved to be a true Sherlock Holmes fanatic down to the details of his home with gas lamps and antiques. He also had a large
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collection of Holmes memorabilia--perhaps one that some would kill for. Included in that collection is a old manuscript with details that echo the details of Gilbert's own murder. With her partner, Al Hawkin, Kate must follow the trail of the killer. An interesting tale within a tale style of book leading the detectives to the murderer. Show Less
LibraryThing member kpapenfus
Compared to previous Kate Martinelli novels, this one was lacking. The story within the story was excellent- very compelling. The modern portion felt like a very rickety infrastructure thrown together in order to showcase the pro-lesbian sentiment that popped up throughout the book. The part that
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detailed the friends that Lee invited over for the inpromptu dinner party felt more like an Oscar acceptance speach with all the name dropping, and the emotional tone was as if King inserted and entire 3 pages with Kate's precincts morning roll call. The end effect is that I finished the book a week ago, and not only can I not remember who the murder was, I don't even remember who got killed. I gave it 3 stars because the Holmes story within the story was possibly the best that King has written. Show Less
LibraryThing member krsball
One of my favorite mystery authors. I love this series.
LibraryThing member AlmaB
Ms. King's writing is excellent as always. Personally I would have loved the book to be 10 times as long and focus exclusively on Kate and Lee's personal life. But just because that's a personal fantasy of mine it would be unfair to judge the book negatively because the author followed her usual
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modus operandi and actually included a mystery and focused on the plot. Anyone who has been following the series knows Ms. King titillates her readers with poignant but alas brief glimpses into the characters private lives and she focuses on the plot. I can't wait for the next entry in the Martinelli saga. Kudos and my heartfelt thanks to the author. Show Less
LibraryThing member cbjorke
A whodunnit by an author who is new to me, The Art of Detection, is set in San Francisco in 2004 and 1924. The book is from the middle of a series featuring SF police detective Kate Martinelli.
King cleverly intertwines a "lost" Sherlock Holmes short story, purportedly written by Arthur Conan Doyle
King has written another series of books, set in the 1920s which are centered around a character, Mary Russell, who is apprenticed in the art of detection to the retired Sherlock Holmes, who is living the life of a beekeeper in Sussex. This is actually where Doyle leaves Holmes after unsuccessfully killing Holmes in a battle with his nemesis, Professor Moriarity, at Reichenbach Falls in The Adventure of the Final Problem.
His fans would not let Doyle stop writing Holmes stories and Doyle was forced to bring the character back to life, rather like Mr. Spock in the movie Search for Spock. This begs the irrelevant question, is Spock Sherlock Holmes?
Appropriately, the novel and the short story both deal with issues of homosexuality, gays in the military and same sex marriage. What else is there to write about in San Francisco in 2004? Fortunately, King did not choose to make Sherlock Holmes gay in her "lost" story. The gay issues are dealt with in a tasteful an inoffensive way.
King has done her Sherlock Holmes research and there is much Holmes and Doyle trivia to be gleaned in The Art of Detection. Did you know that Doyle never had Holmes say "Elementary my dear Watson" or smoke a calabash pipe?
There are two fictional murders to solve in The Art of Detection, separated by 80 years. Who committed them? Don't ask don't tell.
King cleverly intertwines a "lost" Sherlock Holmes short story, purportedly written by Arthur Conan Doyle
Show More
while visiting San Fransisco in the '20s into the story of the murder, in 2004, of a collector of Sherlockia and member of a Sherlock Holmes themed dinner club. The Sherlock Holmes story, prominently featured in the liner notes, is what drew me to this book. It is also a major clue to the 2004 murder.King has written another series of books, set in the 1920s which are centered around a character, Mary Russell, who is apprenticed in the art of detection to the retired Sherlock Holmes, who is living the life of a beekeeper in Sussex. This is actually where Doyle leaves Holmes after unsuccessfully killing Holmes in a battle with his nemesis, Professor Moriarity, at Reichenbach Falls in The Adventure of the Final Problem.
His fans would not let Doyle stop writing Holmes stories and Doyle was forced to bring the character back to life, rather like Mr. Spock in the movie Search for Spock. This begs the irrelevant question, is Spock Sherlock Holmes?
Appropriately, the novel and the short story both deal with issues of homosexuality, gays in the military and same sex marriage. What else is there to write about in San Francisco in 2004? Fortunately, King did not choose to make Sherlock Holmes gay in her "lost" story. The gay issues are dealt with in a tasteful an inoffensive way.
King has done her Sherlock Holmes research and there is much Holmes and Doyle trivia to be gleaned in The Art of Detection. Did you know that Doyle never had Holmes say "Elementary my dear Watson" or smoke a calabash pipe?
There are two fictional murders to solve in The Art of Detection, separated by 80 years. Who committed them? Don't ask don't tell.
Show Less
LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
I loved the way Ms. King ties her two series together in this novel. It's subtle, and really only meaningful for readers of her Sherlock Holmes series, but still fun nevertheless. This novel deals in a big way with gay and lesbian relationships and the public view of those relationships.
LibraryThing member hoosgracie
I am a big fan of King's Russell/Holmes mysteries, but have generally not found the Martinelli mysteries to my taste (I'm not a big fan of police procedurals). Since this one combines the two, it was recommended to me to read it.
Overall, I enjoyed the story - especially the Sherlock Holmes short
Overall, I enjoyed the story - especially the Sherlock Holmes short
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story within - and the dynamics of the Sherlockian group. Recommended if you're a fan of the Russell/Holmes books since it ties in with those. Show Less
LibraryThing member Literate.Ninja
To be perfectly honest, I didn't read the whole thing. I checked this one out from the library solely for the purpose of reading the snippet from the Mary Russell series that was jammed in the middle of this one. Perhaps if I did read the Kate Martinelli books, I would understand a little better
That said... the bit from the Sherlock Holmes/ Mary Russell series was quite enjoyable and everything I've come to expect from that series and from King.
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why the author chose to do something like that. However, at this time, much as I enjoyed King's other series, I have no immediate plans to jump into the Martinelli series, so I just found it to be kind of a hassle.That said... the bit from the Sherlock Holmes/ Mary Russell series was quite enjoyable and everything I've come to expect from that series and from King.
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LibraryThing member jlapac
This is the latest in a series of books about Kate Martinelli, a San Francisco homicide detective. She and her partner Al are investigating the murder of a local collector and dealer of Sherlockiana memorabilia, (ephemera and
collectibles associated with the fictional character Sherlock
Holmes.)
which is interesting as well. I was surprised at the ending,
which was great, because I dislike it when I can guess the
murderer’s identity too early in the plot. There are a lot of
interesting characters and scenes in this book. There is a
lot of background on Sherlock Holmes and his fans, which
is interesting as well.
collectibles associated with the fictional character Sherlock
Holmes.)
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Within the novel there is a complete short story,which is interesting as well. I was surprised at the ending,
which was great, because I dislike it when I can guess the
murderer’s identity too early in the plot. There are a lot of
interesting characters and scenes in this book. There is a
lot of background on Sherlock Holmes and his fans, which
is interesting as well.
Show Less
LibraryThing member sumariotter
This was the most enjoyable Kate Martinelli book I've read yet. Kate Martinelli is an out lesbian cop in San Francisco. It always surprised me that the author is not a lesbian--nonetheless it's a well-written series. I was a little annoyed at first that this book involves a Sherlock Holmes fan
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club--I mean she's already written a whole series about Holmes--is she completely obsessed?! But it is an engaging mystery and I even enjoyed the "story within a story" technique though I don't usually like that. It was also nice to finally read a book in the series in which Kate's personal life is going really well, defying the stereotype that you can't be a cop/detective and have any kind of satisfying home life. Show Less
LibraryThing member wardemote
As a fan of both Laurie King's mystery series, I appreciated this delicate cross-over novel. Nothing is overdone, nothing given away to ruin the distinction between the two sets. A fanatic Holmes fan, Philip Gilbert, has a manuscript, possibly written by Conan Doyle, possibly by the allegedly
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fictional Sherlock Holmes himself. The text is certainly one someone for which is willing to commit murder. Show Less
LibraryThing member PerpetualRevision
A story that combines devotion to the memory of Sherlock Holmes with the struggle for lesbian and gay rights... how could I not love it?!
LibraryThing member joeldinda
I spent a year stationed at Fort Baker, so much of the story takes place on familiar terrain; every now and then there was be an "I remember that" moment while I read. On the other hand, there's a factual error in the embedded "short story"--Fort Cronkhite didn't exist until 1937 --that annoys me.
But gosh this one's fun, if a bit odd. I'm gonna miss Kate Martinelli and her friends.
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It's hard to think most readers would care, though.But gosh this one's fun, if a bit odd. I'm gonna miss Kate Martinelli and her friends.
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LibraryThing member leslie.98
It was fun to watch how King combined her fondness for Sherlock Holmes with her modern detective series.
LibraryThing member ritaer
Kate and her partner are confronted with the body of a man who centered his life on books and memorabilia associated with Sherlock Holmes. His body was found inside a disused gun emplacement in Marin, but evidence suggests that he died elsewhere. Investigation reveals an eerie resemblance to the
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events of a manuscript purported to be a previously unknown Holmes tale. Where does fiction end and reality begin? Show Less
LibraryThing member tsmom1219
The very happy ending boosted this to five stars. I love this series.
LibraryThing member kmartin802
Kate Martenelli, an 18-year veteran of the San Francisco Homicide Department, has worked on a number of odd cases in her career. This one might be the oddest.
It begins when she and her partner Al Hawkins are sent to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area to see a body. The GGNRA is a crazy quilt
Their first stop is a visit to his home in San Francisco where they discover that he was a very devoted fan of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle. His home recreates Sherlock Holmes's rooms including gas lighting and bullet holes in the wall patterned to look like VR for Victoria Regina. Gilbert was a noted collector and also wrote books on Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle. It is possible that he was murdered over possession of a typed manuscript that may have been written by Conan Doyle while he was visiting San Franciso in the 1920s.
The manuscript is included in this book and tells the story of an investigation conducted by a nameless narrator. The story concerns a missing person, transvestites, prostitutes, a murder, and the 1920s version of "don't ask, don't tell." If it is authentic, it could be worth more than $1 million at auction.
As Kate and Al dig into Philip's life, they learn a lot about the obsessions of collectors and devotees of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle. They also learn that Gilbert had few friends beyond the nine other people who were part of his dinner club. They are all more than casual fans too and they are all potential suspects for his murder.
This was a great story. I liked Kate's relationship with her partner Lee and their daughter Nora. There was a great deal of contrast between gay life in San Francisco in 2004 as opposed to the 1920s. Though there are still some holdovers to old attitudes.
The narration was well done. I especially enjoyed Robert Ian Mackenzie's narration of the long-long and newly discovered story that is the centerpiece of this book. Alyssa Bresnahan did an excellent job with the characters in the contemporary story.
Now I want to go back and read the earlier Kate Martinelli stories.
It begins when she and her partner Al Hawkins are sent to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area to see a body. The GGNRA is a crazy quilt
Show More
of jurisdictions, but it looks like a body dump and not a murder scene, and the victim Philip Gilbert was a resident of San Francisco. Their first stop is a visit to his home in San Francisco where they discover that he was a very devoted fan of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle. His home recreates Sherlock Holmes's rooms including gas lighting and bullet holes in the wall patterned to look like VR for Victoria Regina. Gilbert was a noted collector and also wrote books on Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle. It is possible that he was murdered over possession of a typed manuscript that may have been written by Conan Doyle while he was visiting San Franciso in the 1920s.
The manuscript is included in this book and tells the story of an investigation conducted by a nameless narrator. The story concerns a missing person, transvestites, prostitutes, a murder, and the 1920s version of "don't ask, don't tell." If it is authentic, it could be worth more than $1 million at auction.
As Kate and Al dig into Philip's life, they learn a lot about the obsessions of collectors and devotees of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle. They also learn that Gilbert had few friends beyond the nine other people who were part of his dinner club. They are all more than casual fans too and they are all potential suspects for his murder.
This was a great story. I liked Kate's relationship with her partner Lee and their daughter Nora. There was a great deal of contrast between gay life in San Francisco in 2004 as opposed to the 1920s. Though there are still some holdovers to old attitudes.
The narration was well done. I especially enjoyed Robert Ian Mackenzie's narration of the long-long and newly discovered story that is the centerpiece of this book. Alyssa Bresnahan did an excellent job with the characters in the contemporary story.
Now I want to go back and read the earlier Kate Martinelli stories.
Show Less
LibraryThing member kmartin802
Kate Martenelli, an 18-year veteran of the San Francisco Homicide Department, has worked on a number of odd cases in her career. This one might be the oddest.
It begins when she and her partner Al Hawkins are sent to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area to see a body. The GGNRA is a crazy quilt
Their first stop is a visit to his home in San Francisco where they discover that he was a very devoted fan of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle. His home recreates Sherlock Holmes's rooms including gas lighting and bullet holes in the wall patterned to look like VR for Victoria Regina. Gilbert was a noted collector and also wrote books on Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle. It is possible that he was murdered over possession of a typed manuscript that may have been written by Conan Doyle while he was visiting San Franciso in the 1920s.
The manuscript is included in this book and tells the story of an investigation conducted by a nameless narrator. The story concerns a missing person, transvestites, prostitutes, a murder, and the 1920s version of "don't ask, don't tell." If it is authentic, it could be worth more than $1 million at auction.
As Kate and Al dig into Philip's life, they learn a lot about the obsessions of collectors and devotees of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle. They also learn that Gilbert had few friends beyond the nine other people who were part of his dinner club. They are all more than casual fans too and they are all potential suspects for his murder.
This was a great story. I liked Kate's relationship with her partner Lee and their daughter Nora. There was a great deal of contrast between gay life in San Francisco in 2004 as opposed to the 1920s. Though there are still some holdovers to old attitudes.
The narration was well done. I especially enjoyed Robert Ian Mackenzie's narration of the long-long and newly discovered story that is the centerpiece of this book. Alyssa Bresnahan did an excellent job with the characters in the contemporary story.
Now I want to go back and read the earlier Kate Martinelli stories.
It begins when she and her partner Al Hawkins are sent to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area to see a body. The GGNRA is a crazy quilt
Show More
of jurisdictions, but it looks like a body dump and not a murder scene, and the victim Philip Gilbert was a resident of San Francisco. Their first stop is a visit to his home in San Francisco where they discover that he was a very devoted fan of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle. His home recreates Sherlock Holmes's rooms including gas lighting and bullet holes in the wall patterned to look like VR for Victoria Regina. Gilbert was a noted collector and also wrote books on Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle. It is possible that he was murdered over possession of a typed manuscript that may have been written by Conan Doyle while he was visiting San Franciso in the 1920s.
The manuscript is included in this book and tells the story of an investigation conducted by a nameless narrator. The story concerns a missing person, transvestites, prostitutes, a murder, and the 1920s version of "don't ask, don't tell." If it is authentic, it could be worth more than $1 million at auction.
As Kate and Al dig into Philip's life, they learn a lot about the obsessions of collectors and devotees of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle. They also learn that Gilbert had few friends beyond the nine other people who were part of his dinner club. They are all more than casual fans too and they are all potential suspects for his murder.
This was a great story. I liked Kate's relationship with her partner Lee and their daughter Nora. There was a great deal of contrast between gay life in San Francisco in 2004 as opposed to the 1920s. Though there are still some holdovers to old attitudes.
The narration was well done. I especially enjoyed Robert Ian Mackenzie's narration of the long-long and newly discovered story that is the centerpiece of this book. Alyssa Bresnahan did an excellent job with the characters in the contemporary story.
Now I want to go back and read the earlier Kate Martinelli stories.
Show Less
LibraryThing member saige.greenwitch
I absolutely LOVED this novel. Beginning a Sherlock Holmes story into the present day, connecting past and present was tantalizing. I have read this book a couple of times and will probably read it again and again. Definitely a MUST buy.
LibraryThing member parelle
This was admittedly my first 'Kate' book - I've been an avid reader of LRK's Mary Russell series for several years. That said, I did enjoy it, particularly the cameo crossover.
The murder itself, however, wasn't as satisifying as I would have liked - and reminded me remarkably of A Letter of Mary.
The murder itself, however, wasn't as satisifying as I would have liked - and reminded me remarkably of A Letter of Mary.
LibraryThing member leslie.98
It was fun to watch how King combined her fondness for Sherlock Holmes with her modern detective series.
Subjects
Awards
Lambda Literary Award (Winner — 2006)
Language
Original publication date
2006-06
Physical description
368 p.; 9.3 inches
ISBN
0553804537 / 9780553804539
Local notes
OCLC = 1763
Google Books
Google Books