It's been a while since I have read any of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories--I know I read quite a few of them back in the the 70's. I thought Carr did a pretty decent job of portraying Holmes in the vein of Doyle and overall I did like this take on the great detective.
The story starts out when Holmes is cryptically summoned by his brother Mycroft to Scotland to look into the deaths of two men who were working on the restoration of Holyroodhouse, the ancient palace of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland.
Mycroft feels that the killings may be linked to a possible assassination attempt on Queen Victoria by Scottish nationalists. But when Holmes and Watson get to Holyrood, another reason for the murders is soon disclosed which is tied to the murder of David Rizzio, the titular Italian Private Secretary of Mary who was murdered by her jealous husband Darnley in the 16th century. Was Rizzio's spirit haunting Holyrood or did other factors play into the deaths?
Overall, not a bad Holmes pastiche which I would mildly recommend.
The story starts out when Holmes is cryptically summoned by his brother Mycroft to Scotland to look into the deaths of two men who were working on the restoration of Holyroodhouse, the ancient palace of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland.
Mycroft feels that the killings may be linked to a possible assassination attempt on Queen Victoria by Scottish nationalists. But when Holmes and Watson get to Holyrood, another reason for the murders is soon disclosed which is tied to the murder of David Rizzio, the titular Italian Private Secretary of Mary who was murdered by her jealous husband Darnley in the 16th century. Was Rizzio's spirit haunting Holyrood or did other factors play into the deaths?
Overall, not a bad Holmes pastiche which I would mildly recommend.
