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The Devil & Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness & Obsession
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352 pages, Paperback
First published March 2, 2010
1622 people are currently reading
17045 people want to read
About the author
David Grann
28 books7,446 followersDavid Grann is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers
Killers of the Flower Moon
and The Lost City of Z. Killers of the Flower Moon was a finalist for The National Book Award and won an Edgar Allan Poe Award. Look for David Grann’s latest book, The Wager, coming soon!
He is also the author of The White Darkness and the collection The Devil and Sherlock Holmes . Grann's storytelling has garnered several honors, including a George Polk Award. He lives with his wife and children in New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,231 reviews
May 3, 2017
This is a marvelous collection of David Grann's reporting. The subtitle describes them as "tales of murder, madness and obsession," and that's as good a summary as any for the variety of pieces here.
My favorite stories in this book were about the suspicious death of a Sherlock Holmes fan; the life of a Frenchman nicknamed "The Chameleon" who was a serial imposter; the ordeal of a firefighter who was trying to reconstruct what happened to him on 9/11; the hunt for giant squid; the rise of the prison gang Aryan Brotherhood; the interview with a legendary bank robber; and the history behind a corrupt Congressman from Ohio and how the mafia ran his town.
These articles were originally published in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and other magazines, and they are engaging and insightful. I always appreciate it when a good writer is able to publish a collection of shorter pieces -- they're a great complement to their longer works. Highly recommended.
My favorite stories in this book were about the suspicious death of a Sherlock Holmes fan; the life of a Frenchman nicknamed "The Chameleon" who was a serial imposter; the ordeal of a firefighter who was trying to reconstruct what happened to him on 9/11; the hunt for giant squid; the rise of the prison gang Aryan Brotherhood; the interview with a legendary bank robber; and the history behind a corrupt Congressman from Ohio and how the mafia ran his town.
These articles were originally published in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and other magazines, and they are engaging and insightful. I always appreciate it when a good writer is able to publish a collection of shorter pieces -- they're a great complement to their longer works. Highly recommended.
January 23, 2019
The Devil & Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness & Obsession is a collection of articles by journalist, David Grann, which have previously been published in newspapers and magazines. For me they varied in interest and in quality but basically the whole selection made up an entertaining book.
I had an issue with the title which suggested more Sherlock Holmes than was delivered and I also felt that the stories had been gathered rather randomly and there was no cohesion, no theme. Maybe if Sherlock had been more involved more of the tales would have had conclusive endings.
Still a very readable and interesting book and I am happy to have read it.
I had an issue with the title which suggested more Sherlock Holmes than was delivered and I also felt that the stories had been gathered rather randomly and there was no cohesion, no theme. Maybe if Sherlock had been more involved more of the tales would have had conclusive endings.
Still a very readable and interesting book and I am happy to have read it.
December 3, 2025
True crime is quickly becoming one of my favorite genres. There is, however, a lot of crappy true crime books out there. Most of these read like police reports, without trying to delve deeper into the broader picture or offering insights into the human condition. Many of them are prurient and sensationalistic.
I like true crime that tells a story about what it means to be a human being and how to live a life beset on all sides by temptation and evil. I like true crime that transcends its own genre into works of important literature.
Certain authors in this genre stand out: Truman Capote, Ann Rule, James Renner, Michelle McNamara, David Grann. All of them have taken the true crime genre to elevated places in their work, attempting to find some meaning in meaningless acts.
Published in 2010, David Grann’s “The Devil and Sherlock Holmes” is a compilation of articles he has written over the years, originally published in a plethora of magazines, including The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, The New Republic, and The New York Times Magazine. All of them could be classified under “true crime”.
More than one of the twelve stories in this book has already been made into a film or TV show. All of them would make for a fascinating documentary film or series on Netflix.
They cover a wide swath of subjects and a wide range of themes, but all of them have, at their heart, a horrible crime. It’s not always what one expects, either.
For example, in the story “Trial By Fire”, a horrible house fire in which a man loses his three children is determined to be an act of arson by fire investigators. Later, the science is questioned, and another team of investigators overrules the findings of the original arson “experts”, who used faulty science in their investigation. The man, sentenced to Death Row, turns out to be that rarest of all criminals: one who is innocent of his crimes. Despite numerous petitions and attempts to have him released, however, the state justice system (including the governor) puts the man to death anyway. One crime (determined to be not a crime after all) leads to an even bigger crime committed by the government.
In another example, the story “Which Way Did he Run?” begins in New York City on September 11, 2001: one of the worst crimes perpetrated on American soil. An entire company of firefighters is killed in the World Trade Center, except for one lone survivor. Miraculously, he walks away from the tragedy, only to discover a new tragedy: he has amnesia. He can’t recall anything that led up to the moment that he arrived at the WTC. Even worse: he is haunted by the horrible thought that the only reason he survived is because while his fellow firefighters were running towards the danger, he may have been running away from it. Cowardice? Or merely a human fight-or-flight reaction?
All of these stories describe a true crime, but they also provoke numerous thoughts: What would you do in this situation? What would you decide, as a juror, if given the facts? Are the people in these stories criminals or victims?
Of course, there are no easy answers, and Grann does not often—if ever—-provide the closure that one might find in a murder mystery or a crime novel.
I like true crime that tells a story about what it means to be a human being and how to live a life beset on all sides by temptation and evil. I like true crime that transcends its own genre into works of important literature.
Certain authors in this genre stand out: Truman Capote, Ann Rule, James Renner, Michelle McNamara, David Grann. All of them have taken the true crime genre to elevated places in their work, attempting to find some meaning in meaningless acts.
Published in 2010, David Grann’s “The Devil and Sherlock Holmes” is a compilation of articles he has written over the years, originally published in a plethora of magazines, including The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, The New Republic, and The New York Times Magazine. All of them could be classified under “true crime”.
More than one of the twelve stories in this book has already been made into a film or TV show. All of them would make for a fascinating documentary film or series on Netflix.
They cover a wide swath of subjects and a wide range of themes, but all of them have, at their heart, a horrible crime. It’s not always what one expects, either.
For example, in the story “Trial By Fire”, a horrible house fire in which a man loses his three children is determined to be an act of arson by fire investigators. Later, the science is questioned, and another team of investigators overrules the findings of the original arson “experts”, who used faulty science in their investigation. The man, sentenced to Death Row, turns out to be that rarest of all criminals: one who is innocent of his crimes. Despite numerous petitions and attempts to have him released, however, the state justice system (including the governor) puts the man to death anyway. One crime (determined to be not a crime after all) leads to an even bigger crime committed by the government.
In another example, the story “Which Way Did he Run?” begins in New York City on September 11, 2001: one of the worst crimes perpetrated on American soil. An entire company of firefighters is killed in the World Trade Center, except for one lone survivor. Miraculously, he walks away from the tragedy, only to discover a new tragedy: he has amnesia. He can’t recall anything that led up to the moment that he arrived at the WTC. Even worse: he is haunted by the horrible thought that the only reason he survived is because while his fellow firefighters were running towards the danger, he may have been running away from it. Cowardice? Or merely a human fight-or-flight reaction?
All of these stories describe a true crime, but they also provoke numerous thoughts: What would you do in this situation? What would you decide, as a juror, if given the facts? Are the people in these stories criminals or victims?
Of course, there are no easy answers, and Grann does not often—if ever—-provide the closure that one might find in a murder mystery or a crime novel.
August 24, 2024
This is a collection of short stories. About a variety of people that readers will most likely be intrigued by. The question is…why?
Who are these people and what do they have to do with Sherlock Holmes? Or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? Or the devil?
Did they commit murder? Or, possibly suicide? Or was there something else that caused them to take the actions they took?
On the cover of the book, the title implies, ‘tales of murder, madness, and obsession.’ What could that possibly mean?
There is something about these stories that are unexpectedly tied to the famous fictional detective and/or author Conan Doyle that make them so readable that Grann felt compelled to create this collection that he believed was important for readers to explore.
And that is what makes these stories so fascinating.
As an example, Grann shares the story of Richard Green who became one of the world’s foremost experts on Sherlock Holmes, and who also happened to die suspiciously. But prior to his death, his interest was to write the first biography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Interestingly, during his lifetime, he amassed one of the most amazing book collections that was valued at over a million dollars. The British Library became the benefactor of that collection upon his unexplained death. His death, and what leads up to it, is tantalizing mystery suspense at its best!
Grann beckons readers with similar stories of cons and chameleons, and disturbing individuals doing unsettling things.
He also has readers questioning whether in one story they have “indited” the right person for a horrible life event that occurred. Like the story about Cameron Willingham who woke up in his house, ran outside, because his house was on fire, but in his rush to save himself, he left his 3 young daughters inside.
So, what really happened? Did they adequately investigate that case? Or was an innocent man convicted and executed?
Grann originally wrote all these stories for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, the New York Times magazines, and The New Republic, but updated and revised them for publication in this book format.
I have to believe that everyone will find at least one favorite story here, especially if you are a David Grann fan.
He is already popular for his “Killers of the Flower Moon and “The Wager – A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder.” One that has already been put on screen, and the other already commissioned for the screen.
Whether you delve into nonfiction sporadically or read it regularly, one thing I love about this author, is that he has a way of putting a face and a voice to some amazing stories that allows readers to become readily engaged with real-life characters.
Killers of the Flower Moon – Review Here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Wager - A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder – Review Here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
4.5 stars rounded up.
Who are these people and what do they have to do with Sherlock Holmes? Or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? Or the devil?
Did they commit murder? Or, possibly suicide? Or was there something else that caused them to take the actions they took?
On the cover of the book, the title implies, ‘tales of murder, madness, and obsession.’ What could that possibly mean?
There is something about these stories that are unexpectedly tied to the famous fictional detective and/or author Conan Doyle that make them so readable that Grann felt compelled to create this collection that he believed was important for readers to explore.
And that is what makes these stories so fascinating.
As an example, Grann shares the story of Richard Green who became one of the world’s foremost experts on Sherlock Holmes, and who also happened to die suspiciously. But prior to his death, his interest was to write the first biography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Interestingly, during his lifetime, he amassed one of the most amazing book collections that was valued at over a million dollars. The British Library became the benefactor of that collection upon his unexplained death. His death, and what leads up to it, is tantalizing mystery suspense at its best!
Grann beckons readers with similar stories of cons and chameleons, and disturbing individuals doing unsettling things.
He also has readers questioning whether in one story they have “indited” the right person for a horrible life event that occurred. Like the story about Cameron Willingham who woke up in his house, ran outside, because his house was on fire, but in his rush to save himself, he left his 3 young daughters inside.
So, what really happened? Did they adequately investigate that case? Or was an innocent man convicted and executed?
Grann originally wrote all these stories for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, the New York Times magazines, and The New Republic, but updated and revised them for publication in this book format.
I have to believe that everyone will find at least one favorite story here, especially if you are a David Grann fan.
He is already popular for his “Killers of the Flower Moon and “The Wager – A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder.” One that has already been put on screen, and the other already commissioned for the screen.
Whether you delve into nonfiction sporadically or read it regularly, one thing I love about this author, is that he has a way of putting a face and a voice to some amazing stories that allows readers to become readily engaged with real-life characters.
Killers of the Flower Moon – Review Here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Wager - A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder – Review Here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
4.5 stars rounded up.
May 9, 2016
This is a compilation of articles by the author from 2003-2009 previously published in upscale mags like the New Yorker & the Atlantic. There are some brief updates to most & links if you're curious as to the rest of the story. Grann has done in-depth coverage of a wide range of topics. Not all were to my taste, but I believe his reporting was well done, although not always well balanced. Still, I highly recommend it. Very well read & perfect as an audio book, although I found the Wikipedia hyperlinks to the various subjects helpful. Most are also contained here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dev...
but I've included a few others, too.
"Any truth is better than indefinite doubt". The foremost authority on Sherlock Holmes is found dead. Was it murder or suicide? Grann traces the eerie parallels between Green's life & that of Doyle in their obsession. Sherlock Holmes might just be the devil or at least a curse on those who have to much to do with him. Interesting how easy it is to write about a fictional character as if he is real. Spooky. It's also interesting how the popular & real stories vary.
Trial by fire is about Cameron Todd Willingham who was convicted of killing his 3 kids by arson in 1991 & executed in 2004. Quite a few disputed the evidence of arson, although it was too little too late for Willingham. My faith in the 'justice' system (never high, especially in Texas) has reached a new low. Fire investigators with no real training or certification? Death penalty review boards that don't bother to read reports?
The chameleon is Frédéric Bourdin a man who successfully fooled people into believing he was a teenager into his mid thirties. The whole thing is amazing & bizarre.
True crime didn't do much for me save for engendering enormous respect for the Polish investigator that kept on this case for so long. It's a murder which the killer, Krystian Bala, novelized.
Which way did he run? is about a fire fighter who lost his memory of what he did on 9/11. His entire crew was dead, but he survived. How? Why?
"The Squid Hunter" shows just how little we know about the ocean & how difficult it is to get to know it better. Grann went out with Steve O'Shea to try to capture a live, baby giant squid to try to raise so it can be studied. At the time this article was written, only dead specimens were available. I did a quick search & don't believe one has been caught yet.
City of water is about the water issues of NYC. It's amazing how old & crumbly they've allowed this necessity to become. The sandhogs are trying to build a third tunnel, but it's taking decades (since 1954!) for a number of reasons that Grann covers by getting down & dirty. Well done.
The old man and the gun is Forrest Tucker a career criminal. He's obviously hooked on the rush like an addict on crack. What a waste. Yes, he had a tough early life. No, that doesn't excuse his later idiocy. His idea of what constitutes an escape is ludicrous.
Stealing time is about Rickey Henderson a baseball player, the epitome of an overpaid, egocentric asshole. People like him are the main reason I dislike professional sports. Anyone that talks about themselves in the third person are ridiculous no matter how good they are. His decent from a legend to a figure of pity is shameful, but not unusual.
"The Brand" is about the attempted cleanup of the Aryan Brotherhood in the US prisons. While an earlier article makes a case against capital punishment, this one makes a great case for it. It's incredible that inmates could run the prisons & how long it took to even attempt to clean this mess up.
Crime Town, USA covers the cleanup of James Traficant, a multi term, incredibly corrupt congressman after decades of blatant abuses.
Giving the "devil" his due covers the mess that Clinton & the CIA made of Haiti. The Devil is Toto Constant head of the death squads who was allowed to live in the US. It shows the complexity of meddling in foreign affairs.
As you can see, this is an eclectic collection. I envy Grann his wide experiences & appreciate his ability to share them so well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dev...
but I've included a few others, too.
"Any truth is better than indefinite doubt". The foremost authority on Sherlock Holmes is found dead. Was it murder or suicide? Grann traces the eerie parallels between Green's life & that of Doyle in their obsession. Sherlock Holmes might just be the devil or at least a curse on those who have to much to do with him. Interesting how easy it is to write about a fictional character as if he is real. Spooky. It's also interesting how the popular & real stories vary.
Trial by fire is about Cameron Todd Willingham who was convicted of killing his 3 kids by arson in 1991 & executed in 2004. Quite a few disputed the evidence of arson, although it was too little too late for Willingham. My faith in the 'justice' system (never high, especially in Texas) has reached a new low. Fire investigators with no real training or certification? Death penalty review boards that don't bother to read reports?
The chameleon is Frédéric Bourdin a man who successfully fooled people into believing he was a teenager into his mid thirties. The whole thing is amazing & bizarre.
True crime didn't do much for me save for engendering enormous respect for the Polish investigator that kept on this case for so long. It's a murder which the killer, Krystian Bala, novelized.
Which way did he run? is about a fire fighter who lost his memory of what he did on 9/11. His entire crew was dead, but he survived. How? Why?
"The Squid Hunter" shows just how little we know about the ocean & how difficult it is to get to know it better. Grann went out with Steve O'Shea to try to capture a live, baby giant squid to try to raise so it can be studied. At the time this article was written, only dead specimens were available. I did a quick search & don't believe one has been caught yet.
City of water is about the water issues of NYC. It's amazing how old & crumbly they've allowed this necessity to become. The sandhogs are trying to build a third tunnel, but it's taking decades (since 1954!) for a number of reasons that Grann covers by getting down & dirty. Well done.
The old man and the gun is Forrest Tucker a career criminal. He's obviously hooked on the rush like an addict on crack. What a waste. Yes, he had a tough early life. No, that doesn't excuse his later idiocy. His idea of what constitutes an escape is ludicrous.
Stealing time is about Rickey Henderson a baseball player, the epitome of an overpaid, egocentric asshole. People like him are the main reason I dislike professional sports. Anyone that talks about themselves in the third person are ridiculous no matter how good they are. His decent from a legend to a figure of pity is shameful, but not unusual.
"The Brand" is about the attempted cleanup of the Aryan Brotherhood in the US prisons. While an earlier article makes a case against capital punishment, this one makes a great case for it. It's incredible that inmates could run the prisons & how long it took to even attempt to clean this mess up.
Crime Town, USA covers the cleanup of James Traficant, a multi term, incredibly corrupt congressman after decades of blatant abuses.
Giving the "devil" his due covers the mess that Clinton & the CIA made of Haiti. The Devil is Toto Constant head of the death squads who was allowed to live in the US. It shows the complexity of meddling in foreign affairs.
As you can see, this is an eclectic collection. I envy Grann his wide experiences & appreciate his ability to share them so well.
April 12, 2025
As a relatively new fan of David Grann's (I was very impressed by both Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI and The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder), I saw this older book of his and decided to give it a try, especially since true crime and murder mysteries have my attention right now.
This is a collection of older essays (early/mid-2000s) that Grann wrote primarily for The New Yorker, but for a few other publications as well. The title, as other reviewers here have noted, is more than a bit misleading since only the initial story, which is about the mysterious death of a Arthur Conan Doyle scholar, has anything to do with Sherlock Holmes. Yes, the initial set of essays deal with real-life stories of murder. But then they move into other areas, like the search for the giant squid, a violent gang blooming across the United States' prison system, and finally, a dangerous Haitian living amongst New Yorkers.
What each essay has in common is incredibly thorough research and solid writing. David Grann really gets inside the stories he's investigating and brings you there with him.
These essays were published when I was rather young (no New Yorker subscription for me at age 11 or 12, I'm afraid), so these stories were all new to me. The passage of time hasn't rendered them stale in the slightest; reading them was a bit of time capsule back to this era.
I think if you enjoyed Patrick Radden Keefe's more contemporary collection Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks and you, like me, missed this one back in the day, it's certainly worth a read. Just don't expect much Sherlock.
This is a collection of older essays (early/mid-2000s) that Grann wrote primarily for The New Yorker, but for a few other publications as well. The title, as other reviewers here have noted, is more than a bit misleading since only the initial story, which is about the mysterious death of a Arthur Conan Doyle scholar, has anything to do with Sherlock Holmes. Yes, the initial set of essays deal with real-life stories of murder. But then they move into other areas, like the search for the giant squid, a violent gang blooming across the United States' prison system, and finally, a dangerous Haitian living amongst New Yorkers.
What each essay has in common is incredibly thorough research and solid writing. David Grann really gets inside the stories he's investigating and brings you there with him.
These essays were published when I was rather young (no New Yorker subscription for me at age 11 or 12, I'm afraid), so these stories were all new to me. The passage of time hasn't rendered them stale in the slightest; reading them was a bit of time capsule back to this era.
I think if you enjoyed Patrick Radden Keefe's more contemporary collection Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks and you, like me, missed this one back in the day, it's certainly worth a read. Just don't expect much Sherlock.
May 6, 2010
I have to preface this review and tell you that David Grann is a good writer, and the essays that I did read I enjoyed.
The reason for the three star rating is mostly because it is being billed as a "true crime" book, and indeed, in the library, it is given the 364 call number signifying true crime.
I love true crime and when the new books come in, I like to grab them and read them (or in this case, listen). This collection of essays does have some true crime and those stories I really did enjoy . The first four stories really pull you in, introduce you to some unusual characters and have a general crime theme, though not traditional, still they fall into the crime category and are quite enjoyable.
Then the book veers off into another direction entirely. The fifth story is about a fireman who is found in the rubble of 9/11 and is not sure whether he was a hero or a coward. I would not go as far to say that this was madness or obsession, the other headings in the title, but still a good story.
Then I hit the sixth story, about the hunt for a giant squid. And most of the story is not about the man searching for the squid, but the squid itself. Not to be a library geek, (though I am) this would definitely fall in the 590's or the natural sciences. A long stretch from true crime... and at that point, the book lost my interest.
It is a collection of his published essays, and if it was marketed as such, I would know what I was getting and would have probably enjoyed it more.
But to market it as a true crime and put it alongside other works of true crime, I think readers of the genre that do not know him will be a little bit put out. I know I was hoping for more short crime stories and did not get what I was looking for.
If you like good writing and good essays, read the book. But be aware that there are a myriad of types of stories and they don't all flow together. But take each as one essay, and you have something good.
The reason for the three star rating is mostly because it is being billed as a "true crime" book, and indeed, in the library, it is given the 364 call number signifying true crime.
I love true crime and when the new books come in, I like to grab them and read them (or in this case, listen). This collection of essays does have some true crime and those stories I really did enjoy . The first four stories really pull you in, introduce you to some unusual characters and have a general crime theme, though not traditional, still they fall into the crime category and are quite enjoyable.
Then the book veers off into another direction entirely. The fifth story is about a fireman who is found in the rubble of 9/11 and is not sure whether he was a hero or a coward. I would not go as far to say that this was madness or obsession, the other headings in the title, but still a good story.
Then I hit the sixth story, about the hunt for a giant squid. And most of the story is not about the man searching for the squid, but the squid itself. Not to be a library geek, (though I am) this would definitely fall in the 590's or the natural sciences. A long stretch from true crime... and at that point, the book lost my interest.
It is a collection of his published essays, and if it was marketed as such, I would know what I was getting and would have probably enjoyed it more.
But to market it as a true crime and put it alongside other works of true crime, I think readers of the genre that do not know him will be a little bit put out. I know I was hoping for more short crime stories and did not get what I was looking for.
If you like good writing and good essays, read the book. But be aware that there are a myriad of types of stories and they don't all flow together. But take each as one essay, and you have something good.
November 28, 2024
Eclectic collection
THE DEVIL & SHERLOCK HOMLES: TALES OF MURDER, MADNESS, AND OBSESSION is a collection of 12 pieces of narrative journalism that David Grann wrote for various publications. 9 of the 12 pieces where originally published in “The New Yorker” magazine. In the “Introduction” Mr. Grann writes, “But it is the messiness of life, and the human struggle to make sense of it, that drew me to the subjects in this collection.” That is the book’s premise and unifying theme in a nutshell.
With the exception of the final essay, “Giving ‘The Devil’ His Due”, I enjoyed all the pieces for differing reasons, and they kept my attention.
I was unexpectedly moved by the piece, “Which Way Did He Run”, a sobering essay about a fireman who survived 9/11 when the rest of his squad did not. There is a line from that piece that I thought was especially insightful, “Memory is a code to who we are, a collection not simply of dates and facts but also of emotional struggles, epiphanies, and transformations.”
I also enjoyed that this is a book filled with many incidental facts that you did not know you did not know. Here is just one example, “Though oceans cover three-quarters of the Earth- the Pacific alone is bigger than all the continents put together- the underwater realm has remained largely invisible to human beings.”
Overall, THE DEVIL & SHERLOCK HOMLES is an interesting collection of pieces, examining some of the more intriguing aspects of our human nature. It is an enjoyable read.
THE DEVIL & SHERLOCK HOMLES: TALES OF MURDER, MADNESS, AND OBSESSION is a collection of 12 pieces of narrative journalism that David Grann wrote for various publications. 9 of the 12 pieces where originally published in “The New Yorker” magazine. In the “Introduction” Mr. Grann writes, “But it is the messiness of life, and the human struggle to make sense of it, that drew me to the subjects in this collection.” That is the book’s premise and unifying theme in a nutshell.
With the exception of the final essay, “Giving ‘The Devil’ His Due”, I enjoyed all the pieces for differing reasons, and they kept my attention.
I was unexpectedly moved by the piece, “Which Way Did He Run”, a sobering essay about a fireman who survived 9/11 when the rest of his squad did not. There is a line from that piece that I thought was especially insightful, “Memory is a code to who we are, a collection not simply of dates and facts but also of emotional struggles, epiphanies, and transformations.”
I also enjoyed that this is a book filled with many incidental facts that you did not know you did not know. Here is just one example, “Though oceans cover three-quarters of the Earth- the Pacific alone is bigger than all the continents put together- the underwater realm has remained largely invisible to human beings.”
Overall, THE DEVIL & SHERLOCK HOMLES is an interesting collection of pieces, examining some of the more intriguing aspects of our human nature. It is an enjoyable read.
July 16, 2025
David Grann knows his way around a story, and this delightful collection features a number of have-to-know-what-happens narratives. There are a few entries that are slightly less compelling, but Grann’s writing is like pizza: even okay pizza is still really good.
July 4, 2011
David Grann is a terrific writer, and I loved "The Lost City of Z," but this set of stories (all previously published in magazines) does not satisfy the reader in terms of thematic continuity or real mystery-style excitement. Were they all in the league of the first story, about the mysterious death of an obsessive Sherlock Holmes enthusiast, this would be four or even five stars. Some verge on dull, even the final story about a Haitian warlord and the essay about a researcher chasing the elusive giant squid. Because there are no common threads tying the stories together ("obsession" is too vague) the book ends anticlimactically. It seemed mostly like an excuse for Grann to get another book out.
December 22, 2018
3.75 stars
My search for the story of The Old Man and the Gun lead me to two separate books. This one and also The Old Man and the Gun: and Other Tales of True Crime. Both books are short stories analogies.
Twelve short stories, all true. Even the one on the fictitious Sherlock Holmes is based on the true figure of Dr Joseph Bell. Among the twelve some are happy and some are sad, but they all speak to the good and/or evil of mankind. Mystery, intrigue, and the unknown in life pulls these stories together.
A large unseen, sought after squid, a grown man posing as a young boy, the fall of a major league baseball star, the execution of an innocent man, the tunnels below New York City and more are the center of each story. Each one so different, but yet they remain connected.
However my objective in reading the book was this story ~~
'The Old Man and the Gun' has just been released as a Robert Redford movie, said to be his last. After reading the story, I find it a fitting way for Redford to end his acting career.
Based on a true story, Forest Tucker ended his life of crime the way he started it years before, robbing a bank. He was a bank robber and an escape artist. For 50 years, until last caught in 1999, Tucker was either robbing banks or doing his time, and planning another escape. Having escaped 18 times, incarcerated at seventy-nine years old, frail and showing his age, he still indicated that he had one more escape in his future.
David Gann, author, is well known for his great non-fiction writing. This book is no exception.
My search for the story of The Old Man and the Gun lead me to two separate books. This one and also The Old Man and the Gun: and Other Tales of True Crime. Both books are short stories analogies.
Twelve short stories, all true. Even the one on the fictitious Sherlock Holmes is based on the true figure of Dr Joseph Bell. Among the twelve some are happy and some are sad, but they all speak to the good and/or evil of mankind. Mystery, intrigue, and the unknown in life pulls these stories together.
A large unseen, sought after squid, a grown man posing as a young boy, the fall of a major league baseball star, the execution of an innocent man, the tunnels below New York City and more are the center of each story. Each one so different, but yet they remain connected.
However my objective in reading the book was this story ~~
'The Old Man and the Gun' has just been released as a Robert Redford movie, said to be his last. After reading the story, I find it a fitting way for Redford to end his acting career.
Based on a true story, Forest Tucker ended his life of crime the way he started it years before, robbing a bank. He was a bank robber and an escape artist. For 50 years, until last caught in 1999, Tucker was either robbing banks or doing his time, and planning another escape. Having escaped 18 times, incarcerated at seventy-nine years old, frail and showing his age, he still indicated that he had one more escape in his future.
David Gann, author, is well known for his great non-fiction writing. This book is no exception.
June 10, 2011
Picked this up after reading a fabulous New Yorker story (about murder and political intrigue in Guatemala) by David Grann. Was curious to see what else he had written -- as it turns out, that would be basically ALL of my favorite New Yorker stories over the last decade, or since whenever I started subscribing. I blame the infrequency of his byline for my lack of name recognition -- but sure enough, as I made my way through I recognized one after another story, each of which I remember falling hard for when they were first published. There's the one about the postmodern serial killer in Poland (which I think I rather annoyingly emailed to about 50 people with the subject line "you must read this"), the one about the French change-up artist who goes around posing as children, the one about what all evidence points to as being the execution of an innocent man in Texas. Basically, this man has a knack for finding, and telling, an incredible story. I think if I were a journalist, reading this book would fill me with despair. Even though I'm not, it made me kinda wish I could BE David Grann, doing whatever it is he does to find these stories.
February 2, 2013
Collection of essays that are increasingly less to do with Sherlock Holmes as the book goes on -- the title is simply to draw people interested in Sherlock Holmes-ian mysteries, I think. There's some interesting cases here, though they don't all seem to share much of a theme. Mostly reminds me that people are very odd, sometimes.
August 9, 2017
The Devil & Sherlock Holmes is a collection of David Grann's investigative journalism, covering a wide range of topics (though, as the subtitle of this book suggests, he is a bit fixated on stories of murder, madness and obsession, particularly the latter).
David Grann is very good at what he does, and this collection is proof of that. All the essays in this book have been previously published in newspapers and magazines, including the two essays that gave the inspiration for the mashed-up title ("Mysterious Circumstances: The Strange Death of a Sherlock Holmes Fanatic" and "Giving 'The Devil' His Due: The Death-Squad Real Estate Agent").
The first two essays were by far my favorites. The one detailing the life and death of the Sherlock Holmes expert struck exactly the right balance of seriousness and mystery for me, and the second one, while equally as compelling, also made me angry (it's an essay about a man who was most likely executed for killing his three children while proof of his innocence was available to those in power). The rest of the essays were just a bit of a letdown after that opening twofer, but until the last part of the book, I still enjoyed almost all of them.
The book is split into three parts, all preceded by a quote from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. The first part concerns mysteries to which we might never know the full answers; the second, stories about individuals who pursue things obsessively (a man who won't give up his search of the first live giant squid, another who can't stop robbing banks, another a family of men who have all worked on the underground city of tunnels that supply NYC's water, and perhaps the most notable, one about an infamous conman who won't stop impersonating teenagers, etc.). The final section detailed stories of corruption and organized crime. The last section was by far my least favorite, and I kind of wish I would have skipped it. (Of note: All the essays in this section--one about the Aryan Brotherhood, another about the mafia in Youngstown, and the last detailing the exploits of a Haitian war criminal--were thoroughly written and researched, but I found them mostly very unpleasant to read due to my own personal tastes about the subject matter. I much prefer Grann writing about more humane topics.)
Overall, I'm glad I finally picked this up. I've liked Grann's writing since I read The Lost City of Z, and I've been meaning to read this book for years now, just never got around to it. Very much looking forward to his second book-length investigation that was recently published.
David Grann is very good at what he does, and this collection is proof of that. All the essays in this book have been previously published in newspapers and magazines, including the two essays that gave the inspiration for the mashed-up title ("Mysterious Circumstances: The Strange Death of a Sherlock Holmes Fanatic" and "Giving 'The Devil' His Due: The Death-Squad Real Estate Agent").
The first two essays were by far my favorites. The one detailing the life and death of the Sherlock Holmes expert struck exactly the right balance of seriousness and mystery for me, and the second one, while equally as compelling, also made me angry (it's an essay about a man who was most likely executed for killing his three children while proof of his innocence was available to those in power). The rest of the essays were just a bit of a letdown after that opening twofer, but until the last part of the book, I still enjoyed almost all of them.
The book is split into three parts, all preceded by a quote from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. The first part concerns mysteries to which we might never know the full answers; the second, stories about individuals who pursue things obsessively (a man who won't give up his search of the first live giant squid, another who can't stop robbing banks, another a family of men who have all worked on the underground city of tunnels that supply NYC's water, and perhaps the most notable, one about an infamous conman who won't stop impersonating teenagers, etc.). The final section detailed stories of corruption and organized crime. The last section was by far my least favorite, and I kind of wish I would have skipped it. (Of note: All the essays in this section--one about the Aryan Brotherhood, another about the mafia in Youngstown, and the last detailing the exploits of a Haitian war criminal--were thoroughly written and researched, but I found them mostly very unpleasant to read due to my own personal tastes about the subject matter. I much prefer Grann writing about more humane topics.)
Overall, I'm glad I finally picked this up. I've liked Grann's writing since I read The Lost City of Z, and I've been meaning to read this book for years now, just never got around to it. Very much looking forward to his second book-length investigation that was recently published.
February 25, 2016
On more than one occasion, I have feared for this journalist's life while reading his New Yorker stories. No, he doesn't risk life and limb reporting from battlefields overseas. Rather, he files his reports from pretty much anywhere and everywhere, shining light over obsessive and sometimes very, very odd human behaviors. This is a collection of his work over the last some odd years mostly for the New Yorker. The subjects of his stories, as best I can put it, have leapt over some kind of metaphorical precipice inside their minds and are in mid-fall, potentially toward their very, real doom. They include a Sherlock Holmes fanatic (and his suspicious death/possible murder), a fully grown man who makes a habit of impersonating teenagers, a novelist who writes a book with the details of a terrible crime he may or may not have committed, and an old man who can't give up a life of crime even into his eighties.
October 6, 2016
I listened to the whole book waiting for the title to make sense. At the last chapter, it dawned: the first chapter is about Sherlock Holmes, and the last is about the Devil of Haiti- Toto Constant.
The book is a collection of journalistic essays/stories spun out with suspense and to the perfect length- excellent detail, but still well-paced. The stories as a whole have little to do with each other (hence my title confusion), but most were extremely interesting to me. I loved the giant squid explorer, the death row arsonist, and the murdering author rather more than the prison gang and crooked governor stories myself. Very educational.
The author is obviously an experienced reporter/investigator with a diversity of interests, an intense research ethic, and a great willingness to say yes. Wanna join the crew of a small boat hunting giant squid in a hurricane? Sure!
The book is a collection of journalistic essays/stories spun out with suspense and to the perfect length- excellent detail, but still well-paced. The stories as a whole have little to do with each other (hence my title confusion), but most were extremely interesting to me. I loved the giant squid explorer, the death row arsonist, and the murdering author rather more than the prison gang and crooked governor stories myself. Very educational.
The author is obviously an experienced reporter/investigator with a diversity of interests, an intense research ethic, and a great willingness to say yes. Wanna join the crew of a small boat hunting giant squid in a hurricane? Sure!
November 19, 2024
I found another book by David Grann, and was so excited!
In this book, Grann gives us twelve chapters, each one dealing with different people and scenarios.
The first is about a Sherlock Holmes aficionado / obsessive, who dies in mysterious circumstances, worthy of a case for the great man himself. Later, I learned about sandhogs (did not know what that was before!), later still, a disturbing tale about the Aryan Brotherhood (do not be out off!), and finally, the story of a Haitian "politician" relocating to the US, in danger of extradition, to mention but a few.
I am a huge fan of David Grann, but was hoping I would love this collection as much as his books covering just one story. I was interested in each subject, and the writing is reader-friendly, as always.
I loved it.
In this book, Grann gives us twelve chapters, each one dealing with different people and scenarios.
The first is about a Sherlock Holmes aficionado / obsessive, who dies in mysterious circumstances, worthy of a case for the great man himself. Later, I learned about sandhogs (did not know what that was before!), later still, a disturbing tale about the Aryan Brotherhood (do not be out off!), and finally, the story of a Haitian "politician" relocating to the US, in danger of extradition, to mention but a few.
I am a huge fan of David Grann, but was hoping I would love this collection as much as his books covering just one story. I was interested in each subject, and the writing is reader-friendly, as always.
I loved it.
August 1, 2023
I spent the entire time with my jaw on the floor; in shock after every essay. Hell of a read.
April 13, 2019
I was very impressed with Grann's writing in Killers of the Flower Moon, how he told a complicated story in such an organized and compelling way. So I decided to read this, which is a collection of magazine articles, most from The New Yorker. As with some essay books I skipped a few that didn't hold my attention. The ones I read were great. The first one features Sherlock Holmes fanatics belonging to international rival clubs, some insisting Sherlock only be referred to as a real person, devotion till its bonkers, and the essay focuses on one man, prominent in that world, who died in a locked-room mystery.
Five stars for that one. And for the one about the 9/11 first responder who doesn't remember his actions that morning and tries to piece together how he ended up where he did; the true crime tale about a psycho killer in Poland; the scientist obsessed with finding a live giant squid and the heartbreaking one "Did Texas Execute an Innocent Man?" Also the one about prison gangs -- which if you had told me I'd be utterly absorbed reading about prison gangs I would have said hah, no. But yes, and it's because Grann is an excellent storyteller.
Five stars for that one. And for the one about the 9/11 first responder who doesn't remember his actions that morning and tries to piece together how he ended up where he did; the true crime tale about a psycho killer in Poland; the scientist obsessed with finding a live giant squid and the heartbreaking one "Did Texas Execute an Innocent Man?" Also the one about prison gangs -- which if you had told me I'd be utterly absorbed reading about prison gangs I would have said hah, no. But yes, and it's because Grann is an excellent storyteller.
August 21, 2011
An eclectic collection of essays written by David Grann I wasn't sure what I was in for. I've never heard of the author before but the blurb was interesting and the book was cheap.
The first essay about the death of Sherlock Holmes expert Richard Lancelyn Green was, I felt, a poor choice of opening work. I realise it was chosen to link with the Holmes aspect but it was a confusing, disjointed article and if the rest of the book was in that vein I would not have completed it.
From there though the quality increased and I found myself much more interested in the stories, particularly the essays about convicted chameleon Frédéric Bourdin, giant squid hunter Steve O'Shea and geriatric bank robber Forrest Tucker.
As a non-American the story about baseballer Rickey Henderson was probably the least interesting but was still ok.
A decent book it was good for a cheap read.
The first essay about the death of Sherlock Holmes expert Richard Lancelyn Green was, I felt, a poor choice of opening work. I realise it was chosen to link with the Holmes aspect but it was a confusing, disjointed article and if the rest of the book was in that vein I would not have completed it.
From there though the quality increased and I found myself much more interested in the stories, particularly the essays about convicted chameleon Frédéric Bourdin, giant squid hunter Steve O'Shea and geriatric bank robber Forrest Tucker.
As a non-American the story about baseballer Rickey Henderson was probably the least interesting but was still ok.
A decent book it was good for a cheap read.
June 10, 2023
This book offers a very odd collection of a dozen journalistic short stories chronicling the actions and behaviors of some strange and obsessive people from a wide variety of backgrounds.
As mentioned at the end of the book, nine of the twelve tales were first published in The New Yorker, with the remaining ones published elsewhere.
While each story was fascinating in its own way, I was most engaged in the beginning and began to lose interest about half-way through.
Engaging, but not riveting.
As mentioned at the end of the book, nine of the twelve tales were first published in The New Yorker, with the remaining ones published elsewhere.
While each story was fascinating in its own way, I was most engaged in the beginning and began to lose interest about half-way through.
Engaging, but not riveting.
April 12, 2021
All of the stories contained in this book center around entertaining nonfiction topics but not necessarily entertaining enough to span the length of an entire book. I found the story about the NYC sandhogs to be especially interesting.
If you have picked up this book based on the name and the titular story, you'll probably be disappointed that only one of the stories within this book have anything to do with Sherlock Holmes. The title of this book is extremely misleading.
If you have picked up this book based on the name and the titular story, you'll probably be disappointed that only one of the stories within this book have anything to do with Sherlock Holmes. The title of this book is extremely misleading.
September 17, 2020
Not rounding up or down, ouch. This book simply did not live up to the title, or to Mr. Holmes. There were a few stories that were very interesting but overall it was more like stereo instructions. Additionally I listened on audiobook and the narrator didn’t help. I think a more cohesive, or better organized structure, would have been more successful.
April 23, 2019
Several nonfiction pieces of reportage. Great stories. Some I’d heard a little about (but these stories went into much greater detail) and some were new to me. Very readable and never got boring. One of the better books I’ve read in quite some time.
July 17, 2023
This was a great delve into many different facets of life. While I do feel like my mind wandered sometimes she’s still gonna get a 4 from me because she
1. Made me rethink my stance on capital punishment
2. Showed me how diabolical and powerful the Aryan Brotherhood is in prison systems
3. Broke me with a fireman’s amnesia
4. Alerted me to the fragility of New York’s water supply
And I think that’s really impressive for one book. David Grann is spectacular
1. Made me rethink my stance on capital punishment
2. Showed me how diabolical and powerful the Aryan Brotherhood is in prison systems
3. Broke me with a fireman’s amnesia
4. Alerted me to the fragility of New York’s water supply
And I think that’s really impressive for one book. David Grann is spectacular
June 23, 2011
A wonderful collection of essays by David Grann. In keeping with his book The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon, Gramm focuses on obsession. Whil a good portion of the essays focus on crime or crime related stories, there are some notable ones that do not. In this collection not only when you meet the old gentleman stick up man, but a squid hunter (who wants to study them) and the sandhogs under New York.
Each of the essays are well written and beautifully told. There is something in here for everyone and the essays were engrossing.
Each of the essays are well written and beautifully told. There is something in here for everyone and the essays were engrossing.
March 15, 2024
Not Grann at his best, but still very readable.
This is, in effect, a collection of stories based on Grann’s journalism around the field of crime and detection. As in most collections of stories, some are better than others, and there are some weaker ones here.
The better stories, understandably, are the ones in which Grann himself played a key role in unearthing. Take the example of the French impersonator Frédéric Bourdin, nicknamed ‘The Chameleon’ who, as an adult, impersonated several missing children over a number of years, despite being caught and convicted in most cases. Grann eventually became a friend of Bourdin, and even was invited to his wedding.
This is, in effect, a collection of stories based on Grann’s journalism around the field of crime and detection. As in most collections of stories, some are better than others, and there are some weaker ones here.
The better stories, understandably, are the ones in which Grann himself played a key role in unearthing. Take the example of the French impersonator Frédéric Bourdin, nicknamed ‘The Chameleon’ who, as an adult, impersonated several missing children over a number of years, despite being caught and convicted in most cases. Grann eventually became a friend of Bourdin, and even was invited to his wedding.
December 4, 2018
While I didn't quite enjoy The Devil & Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, & Obsession quite as much as The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon, this collection of investigative journalism essays is still engrossing. You can be certain, though, that David Grann is marvelous at piecing together the stories behind the mysteries. Anyway if you haven't read David Grann yet, I highly recommend his work and this collection of stories is as good as place as any to start.
November 6, 2023
Narrative journalism can change the way readers understand the world around them and in 'The Devil & Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Nadness and Obsession' David Grann shines a light on the strange and invites readers to question the truth that is presented to them. From the curious death of Richard Lancelyn Green to the rise of the Aryan Brotherhood, this book explores unique stories for readers to ponder.
August 4, 2022
I was so disappointed. Only the first chapter was any good. The title makes you think it is about murder mysteries in real life but it really is about stupid crap/ The odyssey of finding the Kraken/Big Squid is interesting but only for a few pages not 30. The story of a bank robber who was a criminal from the age of 13 - 76 is not worthy either. Gave up.
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