In Progress: Moriarty (Completed)

HarperCollins

The second half of Moriarty progressed much like the first, slowly building to an unforeseen climax, taking unexpected twists and turns that, confidentially, make very little sense.  (I do not have a nose for mysteries, not like either Sherlock Holmes or Athelney Jones, so I could not positively decipher the clues.)  For the most part, readers are left in the dark as Frederick Chase continues to recount his journey with Inspector Athelney Jones as they attempt to locate and unmask Clarence Devereux.

Some clues, of course, don’t always add up:  who is Perry, and who does he really work for?  Why does Clarence Devereux believe Jonathan Pilgrim works for Moriarty?  And who has begun targeting Devereux’s criminal network?

Honestly, I feel as if I was left with more questions than answers.  I was justifiably intrigued by the premise of the novel and, even after reaching the latter chapters of Horowitz’s book, I was still hooked.  However, I frustrated by the pace of Moriarty.  To go through a majority of the novel - twenty-two chapters, to be precise - without answers, without suitable explanations for these questions I and Frederick Chase have, I was curious and, confidentially, a little frustrated.

By the time I reached the final chapter (or the final two chapters, I should say), I desperately needed closure.  Periodically, I even lost interest in the story development.  With so many unanswered questions, so many twists that seemed to develop into nothing, I was not the most avid reader.

However, I was struck speechless by the sudden turn of events in the concluding pages.  I mean, Moriarty hits a climax that stopped me short.  It's like a sudden punch in the stomach.  Although the narrator alludes to future events, future tragedy, I didn't expect events to unfold as they did.  More to the point, I didn't expect the "grand reveal" at the end to produce such an impact.

I can't emphasize enough how I was completely and utterly flabbergasted by the conclusion of Moriarty.  The novel has, thus far, taken some very dark turns, but not like I experienced at the end.  I mean, I suppose it makes sense why the author proceeded as he did.  He managed to create a truly brilliant, truly terrifying villain.

Honestly, those two chapters made all the difference.  They created an entirely different tone for the novel by completely inverting my understanding of the novel and my understanding of the dynamic between Sherlock Holmes and Professor James Moriarty.  In fact, I might even be so bold to say that those final two chapters made the entire book worth reading.