Art in the Blood: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure

MacBird's less than compelling debut finds Sherlock Holmes setting fire to his Baker Street rooms in late 1888. The detective has been in a downward spiral since his involvement in the Jack Ripper case temporarily landed him in prison on charges of evidence tampering. Dr. Watson hopes a new case will restore his friend's equilibrium. Emmeline La Victorie, a French chanteuse, asks for Holmes's help in finding Emil, her 10-year-old son by the Earl of Pellingham, one of England's wealthiest peers. The earl and his wife raised Emil, with Emmeline permitted one annual visit. Now that arrangement has been canceled, and the singer fears the boy had been kidnapped. Though she's prepared to come to London, Holmes, who makes some uncharacteristic observations regarding beautiful French women, insists that Watson join him in traveling to France immediately. The author's efforts to portray the iconic character as more vulnerable, both emotionally and physically, fail to convince. Agent: Linda Langton, Langton's International Agency. (Sept.)