"WINTER AT DEATH'S HOTEL," by Kenneth Cameron, Sourcebooks Landmark, $14.99, 354 pages (f)
Mrs. Arthur Conan Doyle has some cache in her world simply because her husband and his Sherlock Holmes' character is well-known.
But she is also a woman living at a time when women were discounted for gender.
So although Louisa Doyle is bright and curious, particularly when she realizes she saw the woman found brutally murdered in a New York alley just hours before her death, her impressions and theories are dismissed by her husband and the police in "Winter at Death's Hotel" by Kenneth Cameron.
She pushes doggedly on, despite growing antagonism on the part of the officers charged with verifying the details of the "copper-haired lady of the pavement."
She takes some personal risks as she tries to follow her instincts and prevent the victim from simply being erased from existence.
The book is interesting and immediately immerses the reader in the tale of murder and of life before motorcars were common.
The story is rich in detail, yet moves quite quickly along with attention to the character, her gender, her "place" in a society that grants few privileges to women. There's a real sense of proper dignity in Doyle's decisions and choices.
Her husband, though loving, is a typical male of the late 19th century, is quite sure that his wife is incapable of following clues and piecing together information that spells out a dangerous story. He's kind of boorish much of the time.
The novel is well written and fairly well researched, but there's some crudity and frequent profanities, especially in reference to victim’s work as a prostitute, that take away from the book's charm, especially in the police squad room and newsroom of The New York Express.
It's also pretty earthy in language and content, perhaps too much so for conservative readers. There's also a sexual turn that is disturbing, which makes it hard to keep reading.
It's a shame, really, because the concept of a female Sherlock Holmes is a worthy one, and this story starts out with true promise.
Sharon Haddock is a professional writer with more than 35 years experience, 17 at the Deseret News. Her personal blog is at sharonhaddock.blogspot.com.
Email: haddoc@deseretnews.com