SHERLOCK...FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER

Sharon Dunn writes both humorous mysteries and romantic suspense. Her book Night Prey (Love Inspired Suspense) won a Carol award for 2011. Her first book Romance Rustlers and Thunderbird Thieves was a Romantic Times top pick and finalist in the inspirational Novel of the Year. Sassy Cinderella and the Valiant Vigilante, the second book in that same series (The Ruby Taylor mysteries) was voted book of the year by ACFW. Zero Visibility is her fifth Love Inspired Suspense with another one scheduled for release in March 2013 titled Guard Duty. When she is not writing, Sharon spends time with her husband, three children, two cats and a nervous little border collie named Bart. You can read more about Sharon and her books by visiting her website.

 

 

The other day, I was tootling with my humungous cart through our local big box store when I saw a book: Sherlock Holmes: The Montana Chronicles. Are you kidding me?  Now the famous detective has been reinvented to have spent time in Montana. Years ago, I remember watching a movie that had Holmes and as teenager. I think it might have been called Young Sherlock Holmes. And I saw an ad for a television series in which Watson is a woman. I haven’t read of Sherlock’s adventure in Montana or watched this new American television version, so I can’t speak to those. It’s just that this 19^th century detective seems to pop up in a lot of different places.    

Sherlock Holmes is like Batman, he’s one of those characters who just keeps getting reinvented. Most recently, Robert Downy Jr. has starred in two big screen version of everyone’s favorite emotionally unavailable detective. And the Brits have done a series called Sherlock which places Holmes in a modern London setting with Dr. Watson as a returning war vet. The series stars Benedict Cumberbatch (I put that in there just because his name is fun to say) Both these versions have good storytelling that remain true to the central elements that make Holmes such a timeless character.

For my money, my all time favorite reinvention of Arthur Conan Doyle’s 19^th century detective is still the movie Without a Clue starring Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley. The premise of the movie is that Dr. Watson actually does all the crime solving, but he lacks the charisma to get the attention he needs, so he hires Michael Caine, an actor with a drinking problem, to portray Sherlock. The movie is hilarious and rated PG.

I don’t know why some characters get reinvented over and over. There is probably even a cartoon version of Sherlock Holmes somewhere. It could be that in all the incarnations I’ve seen certain elements remain. First, the friendship between Watson and Holmes is always preserved. The perennial villain of Moriarty returns in one form or another and finally, Sherlock is the flawed hero, a man who often lets his need for answers override his tact. A man who is more in touch with his intellect than his emotions. I’m not sure why the Conan Doyle stories keep getting recycled. Any guesses?                 

Sharon is giving away a copy of her Love Inspired Suspense novel, ZERO VISIBILITY. Two people are trapped in a snowstorm on a mountain while they are being chased by three thieves bent on killing them. A good winter time read!

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