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Published Dec 2014
304 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
Internationally bestselling author Anthony Horowitz's nail-biting new novel plunges us back into the dark and complex world of detective Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty—dubbed "the Napoleon of crime" by Holmes—in the aftermath of their fateful struggle at the Reichenbach Falls.
Days after the encounter at the Swiss waterfall, Pinkerton detective agent Frederick Chase arrives in Europe from New York. Moriarty's death has left an immediate, poisonous vacuum in the criminal underworld, and there is no shortage of candidates to take his place—including one particularly fiendish criminal mastermind.
Chase and Scotland Yard Inspector Athelney Jones, a devoted student of Holmes's methods of investigation and deduction originally introduced by Conan Doyle in "The Sign of Four", must forge a path through the darkest corners of England's capital—from the elegant squares of Mayfair to the shadowy wharfs and alleyways of the London Docks—in pursuit of this sinister figure, a man much feared but seldom seen, who is determined to stake his claim as Moriarty's successor.
A riveting, deeply atmospheric tale of murder and menace from one of the only writers to earn the seal of approval from Conan Doyle's estate, Moriarty breathes life into Holmes's dark and fascinating world.
"Starred Review. A stunning riff on the Holmes-Moriarty clash. It's full of allusions to the Holmes cannon that Sherlockians will congratulate themselves for spotting ...Horowitz spins his tale in pitch-perfect Watsonian prose... setting readers up for a finale that is truly jaw-dropping." - Booklist
"Starred Review. A tour de force quite unlike any other fruit from these densely plowed fields… canny Sherlock-ian Horowitz still has more tricks up his sleeve.… A rare treat, a mystery as original as it is enthralling." - Kirkus Reviews
"[M]eticulously researched and skillfully executed…. A fiendishly plotted exploit." - LJ Express
"In this skilfully executed follow on, Horowitz takes up the Conan Doyle baton and creates a suitably stylish and twisty detective story." - Sunday Mirror (UK)
"Thrilling and compelling, with a stunning twist, this is written as if Conan Doyle were at Horowitz's shoulder, and is—in my view—the finest crime novel of the year." - The Daily Mail (UK)
"Is there nothing Anthony Horowitz touches that doesn't turn to gold? ...He captures Conan Doyle's narrative technique to perfection. Gory murders, honest thieves, brilliant disguises, breathless chases and red herrings abound." - The Daily Express (UK)
"Though Horowitz dishes up the gore and violence with relish, he also offers all the tropes one might expect from a Holmes yarn, including baffling coded messages, impossible murders and clever red herrings... its plotting just as brilliantly gnarly but its tone more self-aware and laced with in-jokes." - Financial Times
"A page-turning novel for all ages that continues the story of Sherlock Holmes's greatest enemy…crammed with references to some of [Doyle's] best-loved stories." - The Independent (UK)
This information about Moriarty was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Anthony Horowitz is the author of the US bestselling Magpie Murders and The Word is Murder, and one of the most prolific and successful writers in the English language; he may have committed more (fictional) murders than any other living author. His novel Trigger Mortis features original material from Ian Fleming. His most recent Sherlock Holmes novel, Moriarty, is a reader favorite; and his bestselling Alex Rider series for young adults has sold more than 19 million copies worldwide. As a TV screenwriter, he created both Midsomer Murders and the BAFTA-winning Foyle's War on PBS. Horowitz regularly contributes to a wide variety of national newspapers and magazines, and in January 2014 was awarded an OBE.
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