Moriarty Meets His Match (A Professor and Mrs. Moriarty Mystery)

HISTORICAL/MYSTERY:  This audiobook provides a new and different perspective on the accepted story regarding the rivalry between Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty. The male protagonist is Professor Moriarty, with Sherlock Holmes turning up every so often to share his observations and to pontificate on some topic. In this tale, Moriarty continues to seek the truth, while Holmes is laser-focused on making the evidence conform to his initial theory, making him sound like a buffoon at times. The female protagonist is Mrs. Angelina Gould, a widow from America spending the season in England. As the story opens, a steam engine explodes, killing the man operating it. In the ensuing chaos, Moriarty and Mrs. Gould escape the mayhem, until it subsides, and he sends her on her way. 

This story is intriguing in many ways. It is unexpectedly unflattering to Holmes, while making Moriarty into an upstanding citizen who has been wronged by one of the secondary characters. Additionally, the character of Mrs. Gould is bewildering, because she speaks as an American, but narrates her character as a British citizen. This duality is eventually clarified, but is confusing initially. Nevertheless, the story flows rapidly, and has enough action and intelligent dialogue to compel the listener deeper into the story. The pace holds the listener’s interest, with tension that increases dramatically at times. The loyalty of Mrs. Gould’s ‘family’ is one of the most delightful aspects of this story.

Jill Smith is a delightful narrator for this tale. Her accents are believable and convey much about each character. The production quality is high. Barring the initial confusion about Mrs. Gould’s character, everyone else was voiced appropriately, showcasing a wide range of vocal accents and characteristics. There were no unexpected or extraneous noises audible within this production.

Carey Sullivan