“From the very first page, Bonnie MacBird’s story grips and intrigues as she takes the reader from the glamour of Mayfair to the docklands of East London… The Devil’s Due is a thrilling and engaging ride that is difficult to put down.”
— Emma Clarendon, Love London Love Culture
Read the full review here.
From Crime Reads, 3 January, 2020
“Bonnie MacBird’s excellent series of classically-styled pastiches continued with The Devil’s Due, plunging the reader back into her world of immaculate London atmosphere and beautifully pitched Holmes-Watson banter.”
From Here’s to Happy Endings Blog
The plot of MacBird’s novel takes us deep into prime Holmes territory. Unlike the TV show, she doesn’t try to modernize the character or his world. The year is 1890, and Holmes finds himself on the hunt for a brand new adversary – one who has a particular penchant for assassinating politicians and other high-profile public figures. As a point of intrigue, each murder is followed by a seemingly unconnected high profile suicide. Holmes, of course, is not a great believer in coincidence. Holmes’ suspicions run contrary to the beliefs of both the press and the police, and he finds himself in conflict with both of them as he pursues his own line of investigation. Just when Holmes thinks he might be making progress, the stakes are raised considerably – Mycroft, his own brother, suddenly disappears. Is he the latest victim of the murderer – and how does the ‘Devil’ of the book’s title play into all of this? That would be giving away too much, so you’ll have to buy it if you want to find out more!
Reviews of the book from other trusted sources have thus far been positive. MacBird has been praised for convincingly replicating the style of Conan Doyle: not an easy task by anyone’s measure. As well as appropriating Conan Doyle’s use of language, she’s also managed to infuse her text with the humor and lighter moments that made the original Holmes books such a joy to read. The warm friendship between Holmes and Watson is as evident here as it is anywhere in the original novels, and the scale and ingenuity of the mystery is worthy of being associated with the ‘franchise,’ if one can use that term to describe it. We suspect that if Conan Doyle were still alive today, he would approve of the book.
From THE DOYLOCKIAN, by Alistair Duncan
Review: The Devil’s Due by Bonnie MacBird
The Devil’s Due is Bonnie MacBird’s third Sherlock Holmes novel and I say up front that it is the best so far.
It takes place in 1890, which is an interesting time to pick. According to some chronologies, this places the story some nine (or so) years into the Holmes/Watson partnership so it is interesting that Bonnie MacBird paints a picture of a Holmes who is still building his relationship, as a force for good, with both the police and public. In a parallel, that I’m certain is intentional, the press is responsible for portraying Holmes as almost the Devil himself. This leads to some portions of the public treating Holmes with nothing short of contempt. You could say that, in this novel, Holmes is a walking version of Brexit – bringing out the extremes of opinion that we in the UK are used to seeing on that subject. As a result of this we are given a Holmes who is quite often physically and, occasionally, psychologically vulnerable and thus dependent on his trusty Watson in the way a pensioner might be on their walking stick. Watson is no mere appendage in this book.
Into this setting comes a series of murders. They have two obvious features; firstly that wealthy and influential philanthropists are being killed and, secondly, they are being killed in alphabetical order.
The latter concept has been done before, most notably by Agatha Christie in The ABC Murders, but that is as far as the similarity goes. The murders are suitably gruesome and inventive and the overall tone is dark which pleased me greatly. Furthermore, the events are so well constructed that we see Holmes make some very well thought out deductions. This may seem standard but it is surprising how often decent scenes of deduction are absent from Sherlock Holmes pastiches.
We are taken to all areas of London during the course of the story. We go from 221B to the houses of Mayfair, where Holmes and Watson rub shoulders with the wealthy and powerful, to the docks of the East End where they try not to rub shoulders too often with anyone.
We also see our fair share of Canonical characters alongside original characters. Inspector Lestrade and Mycroft Holmes are the principals among the former. Unlike many an inferior pastiche they are not over or inappropriately used. Speaking of Mycroft, it is just as well that this story takes place after The Greek Interpreter or there might have been some chronological knots to untangle (well, we could’ve always blamed Watson).
Pleasingly, when it comes to the author’s original characters, the story introduces us to strong female players, amongst whom is, in all but name, a female irregular who plays a very important part in events and is most certainly not window dressing. In fact I would go so far as to say that I hope this particular character features in future stories.
Speaking more generally, it’s always a challenge to make novel-length Sherlock Holmes stories which is why Conan Doyle did it so rarely. Holmes tended to suit the short-story format better. Bonnie MacBird is one of those writers who can produce a novel that is not, unlike so many, a short-story concept stretched out.
I am forced to conclude in the way I started. This is Bonnie MacBird’s best Holmes novel so far and cements her, as one of the best pastiche authors out there. Anyone who knows me knows that I am very hard on pastiches and don’t tend to buy or read them because I’ve been so often disappointed.
This did not disappoint. Get it as soon as you can.
From Blogcritics, by Leslie Wright
The Sherlock Holmes of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a man of cunning and intrigue, full of wonder and bravery with an eye to investigation that boggles the mind. Those who now follow bring us variations of the character as they perceive him to be. In Art In The Blood, A Sherlock Holmes Adventure by Bonnie MacBird, we find a Sherlock, very true to form, more like the one first introduced by Doyle himself.
Holmes has reached a pinnacle after his investigation of the Ripper murders. Unable to close the case he once again takes up his use of cocaine. Watson is unable to help him and in fact cannot even interest him in further cases. It is only when an encoded message from Paris arrives that Holmes takes any interest in his investigations. A beautiful star of the French Cabaret has lost her son, and she is absolutely sure his life is in danger.
Holmes and Watson take the challenge and upon their arrival in Paris Holmes finds that the missing child may not be the whole story, just the most urgent par. Yet there are also children being found throughout London murdered. Can he find the Mademoiselle’s son and deliver the truth before the deaths pile up?
MacBird has given us back the Sherlock Holmes of old. One whose flaws are a constant battle and yet maintains a sense of panache that creates trust in those who rely on him. Watson is the stalwart mate who helps him decipher clues and maintain Holmes’s mindset, while finding the deep and dark cavities within the minds of a killer.
The story is great with a solid plot. You are taken into the streets of London of old and the descriptions take you there as you follow the exploits of a man that thinks far differently than most. MacBird does a great job of keeping you on the chase and shows us the Holmes we grew up with.
I have a great deal of respect for the way MacBird is able to find a tale that holds realism, then twists and turns the plot in ways to keep you ducking red herrings, while Holmes alone seems to see behind and around the decoys. If you enjoy mystery and intrigue, and are a fan of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes you will love this work. There is no better who done it, than those perused by the great master of mystery himself. This is a must have for your library and would make a great gift for your reader for the holidays.
From SHOTS Magazine, by Mike Ripley
It’s good to see the Collins Crime Club imprint back doing what it did best, publishing crime fiction. It was an iconic brand and, fittingly, now publishes the latest adventure of the genre’s most iconic character, Sherlock Holmes, in The Devil’s Due by Bonnie MacBird.
This is a rich stew of Holmesian tropes and lore which romps along with a familiar cast – Watson, Lestrade, Mycroft – bizarre murders (by letter opener), hansom cabs and the protocols of the Diogenes Club, and the added spice of a plot involving French anarchists, Tarot cards and an ‘Alphabet Killer’ learning his ABCs but not getting as far as a character called Zander. The atmosphere for a grimy 1890 London seems spot-on, though I have a niggling doubt about whether the landlord of the Snake and Drum in Spitalfields would have offered Dr Watson a choice of “ale or beer” or whether the very English Watson would have said his destination was “half a block away”. But what do I know? I am no Sherlockian and my knowledge of the Holmes canon is little more than elementary.
Publisher’s Weekly
Set in 1890, MacBird’s solid third Sherlock Holmes adventure (after 2017’s Unquiet Spirits) poses a clever mystery for the master detective to solve. London is being afflicted by a series of strange deaths, including that of medical research donor Horatio Anson, who was found “dry, clean, and in his nightclothes, upright in his bed, yet drowned, a ‘Devil’ Tarot card in his hand.” Another victim, paper magnate Sebastian Danforth, was stabbed to death with a letter opener. Holmes learns that Anson and Danforth were both members of the Luminarians, a secret group of self-made men who use their fortunes to “bring light to the world,” and that their deaths and others may be the work of a serial killer working his way through the alphabet. The inquiry is made harder by the antipathy toward Holmes on the part of the new head of the Metropolitan Police, Titus Billings, who has vowed to “make London safe from the hordes of foreign criminals flooding our city.” Fans of traditional pastiches will want to see more from MacBird, who convincingly recreates the characters and prose style of Conan Doyle’s originals.
From Promoting Crime Fiction by Lizzie Hayes, review by Jennifer S. Palmer
In 1890, in a freezing November! Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson become embroiled in a nasty case entitled The Devil’s Due. The records were found by this author in a mysterious box from the British Library. Since the lights of her flat in modern London went out as soon as she opened the particular envelope, she feels the title of the case to be rather ominous.
Dr. Watson decides to move back in with Sherlock Holmes while his wife, the former Mary Morstan, stays with friends in the countryside. Holmes is already involved in this case searching for the self-styled ‘Lucifer’. Holmes acts in his usual peremptory way with Watson faintly pursuing and often putting his foot into delicate matters. Watson’s medical skills help when he has to deal with Sherlock’s broken wrist after an altercation with the new police Commissioner, Titus Billings. Not only has Billings forbidden any involvement by Holmes in police cases but a newspaper reporter is busy building up a picture of Holmes as a devilish lying incompetent.
The case concerns mysterious and bizarre deaths of members of the secret club of Luminarians, which Holmes realises are occurring in alphabetical order. Holmes is really battling against the odds with his brother, Mycroft, as an éminence grise behind Government actions appearing to stand in his way. There is also a society lady demanding his attention for her problems. This is a very exciting story fully in the Conan Doyle tradition.
Canadian Holmes: Review of The Devil’s Due, by JoAnn Alberstat
Mycroft summons Sherlock – with a visiting Watson in tow – to the Diogenes Club. The elder Holmes asks his sibling to dig deeper into a recent string of bizarre deaths in London. Philanthropists, all of them members of a secret group called the Luminarians, are dying suddenly. In each case, someone close to them dies by suicide not long after. The younger Holmes is already probing one of the strange deaths but isn’t interestedin taking on more. He’s already trying to unravel an anarchist plot with a French connection. He’s soon also recruited by the headmistress of a girl’s school to investigate goings-on there.
But as the body count continues to rise, the detective and his chronicler find themselves doing battle with a multiple murderer dubbed the Alphabet Killer.
Meanwhile, Sherlock Holmes is also under siege on multiple fronts, including by media and law enforcement. The plot of MacBird’s third Holmes novel is pretty busy, with ABC murders, anarchists and girls’ school antics. But it’s not difficult to keep track of the tangled skeins, in part because the story lines are well-documented right up front on the dust jacket. But what the blurb doesn’t tell readers is the way Watson must step up, which is the thing that makes this work most entertaining. Holmes faces unusual obstacles and needs more help than usual from Boswell as they race around London juggling cases. MacBird’s last novel, Unquiet Spirits, with its wine and whisky theme, is a tough act to follow. But the American author has done an admirable job with this Lucifer-themed story.
From ReviewingTheEvidence.com
A solid Sherlock Holmes adventure … imbued with intriguing Easter Eggs for fans of historical Victoriana.. brisk pacing, believably Watsonian narration, and an embattled, more than usually outcast Holmes make THE DEVIL’S DUE a diverting romp… keep(ing) the suspense live and the reader pursuing breadcrumbs from the historical 1890s
NETGALLEY COMMENTS ON THE DEVIL’S DUE from the website “Gripping and well crafted. I strongly recommend it.” “This series takes the genre to its heights” “Complex plot with a fascinating historical background” “MacBird keeps us guessing the whole book” “Although the third in the series, it is easily read as a standalone story” “Author Bonnie MacBird delightfully leavens her very serious subjects (the Great Detective, serial killing, yellow journalism, mob hysteria, anarchy, terrorist bombings, insanity) with gentle wry humour in the third of her Sherlock Holmes series.” “The Devil’s Due is a brilliant mystery that brings the worldwide renowned and beloved detective back to life. There’s little doubt that Bonnie MacBird has done some seriously thorough research on Sir Doyle’s most famous creation. Reading The Devil’s Due feels like revisiting an old friend – almost as if Doyle himself is narrating this. More importantly, however, The Devil’s Due is a gripping story, with small subplots and colorful characters that come into play, creating a complicated (in all the right ways) plot that keeps you on your toes to the very end. An enjoyable read that’s not exactly for one sitting length-wise – but which you’ll probably try to finish overnight, anyway – The Devil’s Due is definitely a recommended read. Both for fans of Sherlock Holmes, and for fans of mystery books and detective stories in general. Not to be missed.” “This is third in a series by Bonnie MacBird reinvigorating the Holmes and Watson mythology. Her version of these characters is without a doubt my favorite. Tightly plotted and full of red herrings and a bit of gore, this book was such a delight to read. Held my interest from page one and I cannot wait for what I hope will be a fourth! “ MacBird does a remarkable job in resurrecting Sherlock, this is a great mystery with Sherlock facing a worthy adversary in this complex mystery of secrets, corruption and amorality. The narrative is delivered by Watson, a man who has sorely missed being in the thick of city life and the range of London’s social circles, from the elite to the poorest. More than anything, he revels in being back together with Holmes, the thrill and excitement of being involved in hunting for a killer, and he plays a pivotal part in the finale. A great book, that can easily be read as standalone, that I think those who love Sherlock and other crime enthusiasts are likely to enjoy.” “Great pacing, plot, writing, scenery, I really enjoyed this read. Will read more from this author in the future.