With Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle prefigured some forensic techniques that wouldn’t be used for decades. E. O. Heinrich did it in real life. He pioneered a nonexistent field of criminology through innovation, imagination and dogged methodologies.
Over time, book reviewers (and dedicated readers) get better and better at guessing whether or not they will like a book. Descriptions, genres, author history, even cover art all play a factor in deciding if one should devote several hours to a book.
One of the Belvedere’s residents is going through her normal daily routine when she notices a “missing” poster outside of her building. Unlike most of us, she becomes intrigued by the disappearance. Then, when his body is found on the roof of her hotel, she becomes obsessed.
January 6 has come to be known as Sherlock Holmes’s birthday. Considering Holmes’s line of work, the “Epiphany” is as fitting a day as any other.
Some books just beg to be read by the fire or with a snow-filled window nearby. Here are a few of my favorite winter reads.