Just Finished Reading: The Infernal Device by Michael Kurland (FP: 1979) [259pp] 

It was an opportunity that was hard to turn down. American journalist Benjamin Barret would be at the test of Turkey’s latest weapon of war – a submersible that would be the envy of the world. But just as the sea trials began off the exotic city of Constantinople, tragedy struck, and a huge explosion sent the craft to the bottom. Still dazed by the day's events, Benjamin is arrested for murder and espionage, and it sentenced to death. With no friends and with his own embassy now against him he is forced to face his own demise until an unlikely saviour makes his appearance. Professor James Moriarty is there to make Barret an offer he simply can’t refuse – if the journalist consents to give the professor two years of his life in his service – no questions asked, then he will ensure Barret's captivity comes to an end and this he is spirited out of the country. With no other option he says yes and awaits his salvation. Back in London and now working for the professor Barret is given a special task suitable for one with his skill set. He is to use his journalist contacts and experience to help Moriarty to track down a very dangerous man indeed – a rogue Russian agent committed to one vision, to force the British Empire to engage Russia in all-out war. To do that he must goad the British into action by creating an atrocity that simply cannot be ignored. Only one problem stands in the way of Moriarty – his long time enemy and self-proclaimed nemesis: Sherlock Holmes. 

I’ve been looking into and slowly accumulating what I’m calling ‘Sherlock Holmes Adjacent’ (SHA) works for a while now but have delayed reading any of them until I finished re-reading the original works. This is the first one. One of the things that surprised me from my recent re-reads is just how little Moriarty is mentioned in the Sherlock stories despite him being built up as Holmes’ arch-enemy. Rather amusingly, there’s a comment – from Moriarty to Holmes – in this novel on that point exactly where Moriarty chides Holmes on his fixation with the Professor as some kind of ‘Napoleon of Crime’ despite being nothing of the sort. This is summed up by the quote: He who has one enemy will meet him everywhere.  In fact, Moriarty in this world is Sherlocks mirror-image as a ‘consulting criminal’ advising (though not controlling) criminals in their nefarious endeavours merely as a means of gaining money to continue his scientific research.  

Well written, full of interesting characters (including a more than adequate rendition of Holmes himself) and with a delightful slant on the genre, this was a fun read from beginning to end. I understand that there are four more books in the series, and I’ll be searching them out. Recommended to all Holmes fans. More SHA works to come – modern, strange and Classic.