The Plot
In 1893, Sherlock Holmes and Henry James come to America together to solve the mystery of the 1885 death of Clover Adams, wife of the esteemed historian Henry Adams — member of the Adams family that has given the United States two Presidents. Clover’s suicide appears to be more than it at first seemed; the suspected foul play may involve matters of national importance.
Holmes is currently on his Great Hiatus — his three-year absence after Reichenbach Falls during which time the people of London believe him to be deceased. Holmes has faked his own death because, through his powers of ratiocination, the great detective has come to the conclusion that he is a fictional character.
This leads to serious complications for James — for if his esteemed fellow investigator is merely a work of fiction, what does that make him? And what can the master storyteller do to fight against the sinister power — possibly named Moriarty — that may or may not be controlling them from the shadows?
Review by Ian Thirkettle
I have finished reading The Fifth Heart by Dan Simmons. On a list of favourite authors Dan Simmons is going to be high on the list, mainly because he writes in so many genres. I have read his books in science fiction, horror, thriller and historic – all of which I have enjoyed.
Simmons has a skill it taking an historic event and weaving a story around it. A previous book by Simmons is The Crook Factory. This is based on a photo of Eenest Hemmingway and leads to a fictionalised story about Hemmingway’s counter espionage during second world war.
But back to The Fifth Heart. The story revolves around British / American writer Henry James and his relationship with the American literature and political set. The story starts with James in Paris mourning his sisters death. He is approached by a man who he recognises as Sherlock Holmes. This is during the time when Holmes is in hiding after the incident at the Reichenbach falls. Holmes had been commissioned to investigate the apparent suicide of Clover Adams, an American socialite. Holmes needed James to introduce him to American society, and with this meeting the game was afoot.
A lot of the historic situations that support the story are true. I spent a lot of time on Wikipedia reading the backgrounds of the characters and the history is truly fascinating. I liked the way that you are never sure if Holmes is real or an impersonator.
All in all a good read and interesting story which I highly recommend. I also recommend exploring all the rabbit holes that are introduced.
The Fifth Heart by Dan Simmons is available from Amazon
The City Adventurers love reading about mystery, so we’ve started our own book club.