H. B. Lyle

H. B. Lyle's Spy Hunter features Wiggins (of Sherlock Holmes' Baker Street Irregulars), a Wiggins who is an adult, and who has moved back and forth between what we would call blue collar-jobs and work for the English Crown. He definitely prefers the former over the latter. He knows that while he may be useful to the government and the privileged individuals directing it, he will never be seen as an equal, as fully human.

Spy Hunter opens with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Europe is on the cusp of WWI, yet most of those in England's government see events on the continent as insignificant. They're more interested in the contentious issues of Irish home rule and women's suffrage. One of the few politicians who sees the war on the horizon is trying to persuade Wiggins to re-enter espionage. Wiggins refuses repeatedly. But when Holmes is murdered by a German master spy, the issue becomes one of vengeance for Wiggins, not international power struggles. (Holmes is killed early in the book—as part of its set-up—so my sharing that information really doesn't count as a spoiler.)

The plotting here is interesting with unexpected twists, multiple identities, and individuals both high and low, among them Mata Hari. I'm still reserving judgement on this version of Wiggins. He resorts quickly to violence. His investigations progress as much by his use of his fists as his ratiocenation. I think Lyle's impulse here, to present Wiggins as a complex individual much different from Holmes, is smart, but I still wanted more brain and less brawn. I will, I acknowledge, keep reading this series. Wiggins, even if he's more of a bruiser than I might like, is interesting, and I want to see how his persona develops in future volumes. If you're a fan of Holmes, Spy Hunter is worth seeking out, even if it is rather un-Holmesian.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.… (mer)