Written by James Patterson & Brian Sitts
SUMMARY:
Released by Little, Brown and Company in 2023, this 339-page hardcover debuts an enigmatic New York City private investigation firm consisting of: Brendan Mark Holmes; Margaret Marple; and Auguste Poe, all brilliant detectives in their own distinctive ways.
Each eerily resembling their familiar namesake: this Holmes, among other possibly dark secrets, possesses both a supernatural sense of smell and perhaps unmatched mastery of forensic science; the compassionate and insightful Marple is their best undercover tactician; and the suave Poe, who understands handheld weaponry seemingly better than anyone. Sharing a massive library at the refurbished industrial factory serving as both office and home, the detective trio can recite their literary inspirations at will.
Quickly solving a young attorney’s sensationalized disappearance/murder, the three sleuths launch their new firm to public acclaim and instantly earn the scorn of the city’s police commissioner. Worse yet, the firm brings their first case’s ugly details literally to the doorstep of New York City’s mayor. Unsurprisingly, a humiliated Mayor Felix Rollins becomes another formidable enemy they may think twice of crossing.
NYPD homicide detective, Lt. Helene Gray, and FBI Special Agent Brita Stans both become involved in the team’s investigations of several ongoing mysteries. Among them include: a socialite’s kidnapped daughter; a baffling theft of literary artifacts from a sleazy billionaire’s impregnable safe; a grisly discovery of multiple corpses linked to an unknown serial killer; and the death of a Texas model.
Marple also becomes determined to end a tragically unsolved ghost story: the 1954 homicide of a teenage girl on the premises of their present-day headquarters, which was once a bread factory. The team’s invaluable new secretary, Virginia, soon joins Marple in seeking to put this cold case at last to rest.
Risking their lives multiple times, Poe, Marple, and a potentially self-destructive Holmes find danger lurking in unexpected corners. Suffice to say, the team racks up fresh victories as often as they incur more threats drawing even closer to home. Though naturally suspicious of her new rivals, Gray finds herself reluctantly attracted both to Poe’s sophisticated aura and to the trio’s unorthodox mastery of crime-solving.
Yet, the rules they keep bending and established law enforcement procedures the trio flagrantly ignore makes Gray both their best ally and now possibly their worst enemy. The question becomes: given their shadowy pasts, who are Holmes, Marple, and Poe, really? The answer may be a smoke-and-mirrors mystery that Gray can’t and perhaps shouldn’t solve.
Note: This title is also available in large print, digitally, and as an audiobook.
REVIEW:
With co-author Brian Sitts, James Patterson has concocted another potential TV or movie property just waiting to happen. Some readers might have preferred one singular murder-mystery vs. this hodgepodge, but the latter approach still engages the audience with equal depth to each of its rotating mysteries.
The less said about outlandish plot contrivances the better, as Patterson and Sitts focus far more on delivering a potent, hard-edged thriller. The intriguing cast of characters makes an ideal fit for the multiple plot threads coherently weaved throughout the novel. Hence, it may take a few reads to absorb every detail lurking within this unique whodunnit.
Overcoming its heavy doses of implausibility, Holmes, Marple & Poe makes for an entertaining, high-concept ride.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
There is a biography page, with a paragraph allotted to each co-author.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars
