The Final Problem

Two murders, a storm-isolated hotel, and Hollywood gossip propel this irresistible homage to golden-age detective fiction from Pérez-Riverte (the Captain Alatriste novels). Debonair Shakespearian actor Osmond Basil has made a career of playing Sherlock Holmes in a series of successful films. The downside is that the 60-something thespian has been typecast out of the complex villain roles he longs to play. While vacationing at a luxury resort on the Greek island of Ukatos in 1960, Basil becomes stranded with a handful of other guests in the middle of a raging storm. When British vacationer Edith Mander is found hanged from a beach cabana, Basil quickly deduces that she died not by suicide but by murder, and reluctantly takes up the job of finding her killer. He’s assisted by Paco Foxa, a dashing Spanish mystery novelist who serves as Basil’s Dr. Watson, helping him navigate a series of red herrings as they interview their fellow guests, including an opera diva. Pérez-Riverte delights in the plot’s meta conceit without letting it overwhelm the ingenious core mystery. This is a gift to whodunit fans. Agent: Howard Morhaim, Howard Morhaim Literary. (Feb.)