Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Fateful Arrow

In Victor’s competent eighth Sherlock Holmes and the American Literati mystery (after 2021’s Sherlock Holmes and the Pandemic of Death), Holmes takes on celebrated American crime writer Anna Katharine Green (aka Mrs. Charles Rohlfs) as a client. It’s June 2, 1890, when a distraught Mrs. Rohlfs arrives at the door of 221B Baker Street. She has seen a beautiful young woman murdered—her heart pierced by an arrow—in the Battle of Hastings exhibit at the British Museum. Inspector Lestrade, who’s handling the case, scurries after someone he believes to be the most likely suspect, regardless of the lack of evidence or motive. It’s up to Holmes, Dr. Watson, and plucky Mrs. Rohlfs, who proves a worthy partner in detection, to uncover the truth as they amble through this convoluted melodrama. Illuminating footnotes and the observant quotes from Mrs. Rohlfs that head each chapter add some sparkle. Those seeking stylistic elegance or a fast-paced plot will have to look elsewhere. (Oct.)