This is a shadow biography of Arthur Conan Doyle, tracing his life through the real life crimes that he was interested in or involved in. Part of the argument running through the book is that the rational, deductive methods that Sherlock Holmes used were the natural thinking processes that Conan Doyle used and applied to crimes that caught his attention. It is an interesting book with a lot of curious detail and the author makes the most of the evidence.
There is a notable weakness in the book however and that is the lack of direct evidence in a lot of cases, there are a lot “could have” and “must have” moments in the book. Peter Costello pushes the evidence to the limit, he does not overstep the mark, there is a little more argument and suggestion than substance. This is not to suggest that the book is flimsy or that Peter Costello has not done formidable research, he has, it is simply that direct evidence from Conan Doyle can be scarce.
Where there is a direct involvement the details are collected and the story is very effectively told, the case of George Edalji is told with great clarity and skill. The whole context for the episode is gone into and the additional details are fascinating. The same is true for the Oscar Slater case, the long tails of each case are followed up to the very recent past. Equally Conan Doyle’s championing of the spiritualist cause, something which evokes embarrassment rather than anything else in other writers, is treated with respect and candour. The intertwining of spiritualism and criminal activity is explored with care and there is a surprising amount of evidence brought to light. The great affection Peter Costello has for Arthur Conan Doyle both as the creator of the immortal Sherlock Holmes and as a man who was willing to work to fight injustice is clear and elevates the book. This is a worthy addition to the books about a great and honourable man.
