The Art in the Blood

Hello, it's me back again with another book review. I recently read and finished The Art in the Blood by Bonnie MacBird. It was, without giving too much away, a fangirl's dream. This novel read exactly like an original canon story, yes, you read that right, it read like an Arthur Conan Doyle story. Just as it says on the cover 'a Sherlock Holmes adventure'. It's true. This is exactly like a canon tale. It follows the same narrative and pattern, it's just longer than the average tale. I'm not going to go into too much detail because I don't want to ruin it for any potential readers but if you liked the canon stories or any adaptation of the Holmes universe, then you'll absolutely love this. All of these adapatations are evident in the voice of our reinstated characters. Love the Benedict Cumberbatch BBC adaptation with Martin Freeman? You can see the influence of that adaptation on this tale. More importantly, Mark Gatiss's Mycroft Holmes is so readable in this novel. It gives a whole new light to the original character which is a dream come true for me. If you don't already know, I love Mycroft.

My nails kinda match the cover!! HOW PRETTY!!

The cover is, of course, beautiful, simple and elegant. I love it. I also love the importance of art in the novel. The case of a stolen sculpture and a missing boy twist elegantly to craft this beautiful tale and the case, let me tell you, there is so much mystery in this novel. The case gets more complicated with each chapter and far more interesting. If you're anything like me, you're probably trying and failing at trying to work it all out and then realising you're better off as Doctor Watson because you're no Sherlock Holmes, you're not even close to figuring out who did it. I won't spoil it for you. And just to clarify I don't think Doctor Watson is your normal average guy, he's incredible, just not when you put him beside Sherlock but I should save that for a different post. Where was I? Oh yes! Well, it's safe to say that I didn't figure out the culprit of this novel BUT I prefer that because I love to be surprised. And surprised I was. 

We start with a cocaine ridden Sherlock Holmes, traumatised after the events of a Ripper case. Watson tries and fails to help him but takes him on a case to Paris after receiveing a letter from a French Singer (who is of course beautiful). They start working on the case of a missing boy and somehow navigate onto a case Mycroft has tried and failed to interest Sherlock in, a stolen sculpture. We go from London to Paris and back, then to Lancaster on a tale that encapsulates the Victorian and the modern, somehow sticking to the traditions while bringing in a contemporary feel to the characters - though they were already ahead of their time, weren't they? Trick question. They were.

It tells you on the back that this is 'a thrilling adventure in the style of the originals, Art in the Blood is a case that challenges Holmes' artistic nature and his friendship with Watson to the very limits.' Honestly, I couldn't put it better myself. The relationship between characters and Sherlock Holmes and art is at the centre and it makes this story so poignant. The whole narrative is so true to the original narrative that it helps you to relive the tales you once knew and loved. I cannot recommend this enough, if you're a fan of crime fiction or Sherlock Holmes, I'm pretty darn sure that you'll love this novel. Please check it out if you're interested. If not, maybe the next book will be more to your taste.

As ever, thank you for reading this post and visiting my blog. I appreciate it more than words can say and well, I just love to ramble on about books. See you in the next post.

Tiffani. x

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