The Adventures Of Inspector Lestrade (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
Sholto Lestrade was much smarter than Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson put together. At least, that is the premise of this delightful series of books—part detective novel and part historical fiction. For fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the revisionist version of the Holmes legend would be damnable heresy. Doyle himself makes an appearance as a hack writer, murder suspect, and questionable physician. If I were casting the part for a BBC series, it would be tremendously tempting to cast a younger Stephen Fry in the role with occasional cameos by his old comedy partner, Hugh Laurie, as “The Great Detective.” This mystery could just as easily have been entitled “The Struwwelpeter Murders” as the theme running through the recounted events are laboriously tied to a series of bizarre, sometimes macabre, children’s rhymes by Henrich Hoffman. (I’m told that a reference to these rhymes appeared about three years ago on an episode of Family Guy.) In an homage to the Jack the Ripper case, Lestrade keeps getting notes in doggerel that tie the murders to Der Struwwelpeter, a doggerel that allows Lestrade to interview the unbalanced poet, Algernon Charles Swinburne ("Death, if thou wilt, fain would I plead with thee: / Canst thou not spare, of all our hopes have built, / One shelter where our spirits fain would be / Death, if thou wilt?").As with Swinburne, some of the most delightful (and comic moments) in this mystery are tied to cameo appearances by well-known personalities of the time: General William Booth of the Salvation Army, Swinburne, Doyle, and others. And, as with any historical novel, some of the joy is found in the detail where public works projects have begun, reform efforts are taking place, and advances in technology (in this case, forensics) haven’t caught up with the institutions which need them. Most particularly, I enjoy the characterization of the literary efforts—not just Doyle’s The Strand, but the ridicule dumped on the Metropolitan Police by Punch and the news organs of the time.
In my never ending mission to read as many Sherlock Holmes pastiches as I can... we'll try this one!OK, not bad. Not great, but not bad. This is about Inspector Lestrade, Holmes' main contact at Scotland Yard. In this story, Lestrade is not a buffon, as Conan Doyle sometimes portrays him. I did enjoy the character.I had a tough time following some of the plot, but it got rolling in the end. And the Struwwelpeter plays a major role (see fertileplots entry about this). One very odd thing - there are two random sex scenes in this book. Not well done. Not appropriate. Do not fit with the story. No reason for them. Very odd.
What do You think about The Adventures Of Inspector Lestrade (2000)?
I stumbled on this one at the library. There was a lot in here that I appreciated - the irony was well done and very enjoyable. The appearances of real historical figures was fun and accurate, for the most part. I liked the twist on the classic vision of Holmes and Watson. But the violence was really over the top. Besides that, I couldn't believe how long it took Lestrade to solve these crimes. I had figured out the murderer after the second or third death. Instead it takes him to the very end, after 11 people are dead! I won't reread and I won't read more in the series.
—Cindy
Silly but very entertaining pastiche revolving around the much maligned inspector Lestrade from the Sherlock Holmes books, (who incidentally makes only 13 appearances in them) despite being featured as the buffoon in most adaptations. In this version Lestrade is clever but clumsy, walking into doors and having the occasional piece of military equipment run over his toes. There are notable appearances by Conan Doyle who keeps complaining about the lack of interest in his serious writings when all everyone wants to read about is Holmes, and Holmes and Watson themselves as well as a geriatric Tennyson. I read many of these years ago and was pleased to discover they are available digitally now so I can read the whole series.
—Andrew
