Holmes Entangled

In a curious world where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes coexist, the former is best known for his spiritualist beliefs, while the latter is a retired detective hiding from the world under a series of false identities. But when a strange vision leads Conan Doyle to find Holmes — despite his new assumed persona — it kicks off not only one of the most dangerous cases of Holmes’s career but one of the most peculiar.

Needless to say, this is not your typical Holmes novel. Mythic storytelling mixes with the mysteries of quantum mechanics to deliver a threefold story-in-a-story-in-a-story (a la Frankenstein) wherein authors and their creations coexist. It’s an intriguing way to reimagine the familiar Holmes canon, with the added touch of having Sherlock as your narrator.

Admittedly, I don’t think I enjoyed this novel as much as I could have, given that title betrays the major plot arc. Had McAlpine not telegraphed the involvement of quantum entanglement, the central mystery would’ve felt less obvious.

That being said, this experimental style made the story itself feel like Holmes’s most honest and real case ever, even if the end result was somewhat unsatisfying.