Baskerville Legacy: A Confession

by John O'Connell

Dartmoor, 1900. Two friends are roaming the Arthur Conan Doyle the most famous novelist of his age who has recently killed off his most popular creation, Sherlock Holmes; and Bertram Fletcher Robinson Holmes aficionado and editor of the Daily Express.They are researching a detective novel, a collaboration starring a new hero, set in the eerie stillness of ancient West Country moorland, and featuring a monstrous dog. They already have a title... London, 1902. The Hound of the Baskervilles is published, featuring Sherlock Holmes back from the dead. Conan Doyle and Fletcher Robinson have not spoken for two years and the book is credited to just one author. It will become one of the most famous stories ever written. But who really wrote it And what really happened on those moors, to drive the two friends apart

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fiction, Historical Mystery

190 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2011

About the author

John O'Connell is a former books editor at Time Out magazine and writes regularly for the Guardian and The Times. He is the co-author of I Told You I Was Ill and The Midlife Manual.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like to get something Holmesian each Christmas, and this was 2011's offering.

Being a fictionalised account of the collaboration between Arthur Conan Doyle and Bertram Fletcher Robinson on The Hound of the Baskervilles, I did wonder as I read through quite how much was real and how much fiction. Fortunately, O'Connell provides an Afterword in which all is clarified.

So, an interesting book, which gets better in its second half, when Doyle and Robinson are scouting locations for The Hound in Dartmoor, Robinson's childhood home, and when the creative and personal tensions between them start to surface.

I liked the section dealing with Doyle's (lamentable) dabbling in Spiritualism, and his gullibility and self-deceit as presented in this book seems to be true to the accounts I've read in a couple of biographies.

O'Connell has made Robinson into an interestingly flawed character, which he states in the Afterword is probably far from the truth, but which carries the story forward.

A relatively quick read in a nicely bound volume.

[Alice-Elizabeth (Prolific Reader Alice) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I purchased this book for £1 in a Waterstones clearance sale a long time ago and now, its all done and read yayyyyy XD

Inspired by real historical life events, The Baskerville Legacy is about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and a journalist called Bertram Robinson who meet and start to create ideas for a brand new fictional story that later goes onto become the famous Hound of the Baskervilles. The first half of this short read was quite good, I liked the diary format and the overall eerie feel that was coming across. What let the story down for me sadly was the ending. I still had so many questions more than answers to the cast of characters. A disappointment!

[Devin Prouty · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of mysteries and Sherlock Holmes, however this book has neither. A fictionalized account of a theorized collaboration between an annoying reporter and ACD. I only slogged through to the end because it was short, and to see if something would happen at some point. It didn't, save yourself the time, read something else, maybe a phone book.

[Graham Connors · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this. I'm a Sherlock Holmes fan so that is what drew me to this unknown (at least to me) piece of Holmes history. This novella is well written and quite engaging. Recommend.

[cj · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a strange little book. It's obviously been enthusiastically researched, and there's a geeky kind of fun in all the period details, and in the characterisation of Doyle and Whatsisname, neither of whom come out of it looking particularly good. And it's a quick read and a lovely edition, and I suppose its evocation of a transitional time period is quite interesting--the recent death of Queen Victoria, the women's suffrage movement, new developments in science coupled in an odd way with Doyle's enthusiasm for spiritualism, all while Doyle is considering whether to resurrect Holmes. But for me, it never quite coheres into a satisfying story. And I found the ending a bit baffling. And the beginning, actually - and the title. So there must be something about it I'm just Not Getting. Still, it only takes a couple of hours to read, and there are far worse ways to spend an afternoon.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

In finance i would call this a junk bond, a bond that has a higher risk of default but offers higher returns than better quality bonds in order to make them attractive to investors.

Now in the world of books this is trash or junk, low quality book. The only reason i did not droped it and pushed my self to finish its the size of the book but at the end its dissapointment like the ending of the book. Dont buy it save your time and your money. I bought it because of the clever and attractive saleswoman at my local bookstore, dont do the same mistake. Good day.

[Annadee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not what I expected. Had some interesting parts, but mainly a bore, I'm surprised I didnt dnf it.

[Tony Mac · Rating 2 out of 5]

What an odd little novella this book is. It starts out like it's going to be a fun spin on the Hound of the Baskervilles, giving an entertaining alternative telling on the origins of the famous Sherlock Holmes story. But gradually it becomes something quite different: darker, more spiteful and - frankly - more pointless.

Ultimately, this book is little more than a peculiar trash job on two long-dead, real-life men: Arthur Conan Dolye and a long-forgotten journalist Bertram Robinson. Exactly why the author chooses to denegrade them with little or no evidence is a bit of a mystery. I suppose in the case of a famous author like Conan Doyle it could cause a bit of a literary stir to paint him, as here, as a manipulative opportunist and plagerist. But on little more than conjecture? Why? It's mean, unconvincing and dramatically trite.

Robinson gets an even worse deal. This poor man, who by the author's own admission probably lived a blameless life, is here presented as a drug-addicted, whoring paedophile. If the author admits in his own book that it is a largely fictional interpretation then why even bother to use an historic character - just make him fictional; it's not as if anyone has ever heard of him anyway. What purpose does it do to needlessly blacken the name of a real man, however long dead?

I give the book two stars for a wholly convincing Victorian/Edwardian writing style, but the content, after a promising start, is tawdry and cheap.

[Michael Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stars out as a nice story about an author/ newspaper editor returning from the Boer War who meets Conan Doyle and they become friends and plan to write a story together. Conan Doyle is not very well treated but follows most of the known facts of his personality and beliefs. The newspaper man is also based on a real person but is not likeable and poorly developed. The story bends too many known facts and adds lots of supposition. Supporting characters are not likeable at all and poorly developed. Basic story covers the background of the Hound of the Baskervilles story. Not a good read at all.

[AN · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ended abruptly. I am not impressed by the characterizations of anyone in the story, and really feel that this could have been fleshed out more. I was hoping for more mystery and intrigue, but instead this felt like a burn-book-cum-dear-diary.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting little read. I like that it is based upon fact.

[Readers Avenue · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Baskerville Legacy tells the story of Bertram Fletcher Robinson and his friendship and the following collaboration with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on The Hound of the Baskervilles. Little is known of the extent of Bertram’s involvement in the story, and this book is a heavily fictionalised retelling of events.

I’m unsure of what I thought about The Baskerville Legacy, I enjoyed some of the detail included and the writing style had a largely Victorian feel, making the memoir/diary entry format all the more believable. However, a lot of the core of the story is fictitious and does not paint either character in a good light – it makes me question the purpose of using them, neither character was likeable. Bertram and Doyle are after all real people, I won’t go as far as saying The Baskerville Legacy drags their names through the mud as that is an overkill, but if it was me I would not be happy with my portrayal. It seems odd as well to pick two characters who are real people, have a real event be the basis of the plot, but for everything else to be fictitious.

Character development in the book minimal – it is 180 pages after all – and as I have said in the above paragraph I found neither character engaging. That being said, I would have liked to have known more about Gladys Hill Morris, she was the only character who I find myself thinking about after having finished the book.

Very slow in places, the story quickens in the last 30 pages in what seems to be a very rushed manner. We are suddenly shunted from diary entries about the days events and Bertram’s thoughts on the collaboration and Doyle himself to a seance, an confrontation, and ghost and some bad news. I felt that we could have does with a bit less padding in the middle of the story, and maybe this fictitious disagreement be given some more page time.

Sadly, I do not think I would recommend this book.

[Stephen Bacon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This rather short novel (more a novella really) blends fact and fiction to detail the collaborative effort by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Bertram Fletcher Robinson in the writing of The Hound of the Baskervilles, the 1902 novel which marked Sherlock Holmes' return following his 'death' in The Final Problem from 1893.

I knew very little about the novel's background before reading this - that Robinson was even mentioned in relation to the novel - and so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. However it's an enjoyable read, nicely written, the prose seemingly consistent with the era in which it is set. I do think the book's blub is slightly misleading, as it isn't much of a thriller, more a historical story involving real-life characters. The book is rich in period detail and feels well researched. Conan Doyle in particular matches the character I had in my mind when I think of him, and there are sufficient easter eggs and nods to the works of Arthur Conan Doyle to make Baskerville a satisfying enough read.

[Eve Markley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not a Sherlock Holmes story. Instead it’s a fictionalized account of the meeting of Arthur Conan Doyle and Bertram Fletcher Robinson. These two did meet and know one another in real life. They spent time together exploring the moors in Dartmoor. The driver’s name really was Baskerville. Doyle wrote Hound of the Baskervilles after that meeting.

This account of that meeting and time together is fiction with a few facts as its framework.

Normally, I don’t enjoy books with premises like these. It amounts to fan fiction about real people and events. This author, though, did a very good job. I’m especially picky about the language used in books that are set in this era. This one is believable. The author ends the book with a concise listing of what was true and what was made up. I appreciated that.

I enjoyed this book. Adult subjects were covered tastefully.

[Jc · Rating 4 out of 5]

An imaginative and original sorta-pastiche. Not a retelling of The Hound of the Baskervilles, but the tale of how Doyle came to write The Hound in cooperation with another author, a journalist/fiction/sports writer trying his hand at detective stories. The main characters are not those in Hound, but exist in the meta-world of the writers. Most of the characters and locations are taken from real life, including Bertram Fletcher Robinson, the young author who is narrating the story. Doyle acknowledged the real Robinson as a major influence on the Hound of the Baskervilles. An interesting way to explore Doyle and his world ca. 1901.

[Melet · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid, fictional account of the man who probably wrote most of the only Sherlock Holmes novel. I did not know anything about this true story- or about the other author of Hound of the Baskervilles. This book doesn’t paint him in a great light- he’s sort of pitiful and emasculated. But any Sherlockian knows that the Hound just reads so differently from the rest of the canon- the fact that CD had a collaborator makes a lot of sense.

[Margaret Matthews · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn’t finish this book. Not well written, longer than necessary descriptions of meaningless people and things, not exciting. Despite being a short book, it didn’t seem worth finishing, even to say I did so.

[Scott Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Half true account, half fictionalised story of a collaboration between Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Bertram Fletcher Robinson (creator of the detective Addison Peace) on the great novel The Hound of the Baskervilles

[Jeannette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really love all things about Sherlock Holms, but this book was not only a waste of time but a major disappointment.

[Lars · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nice cover.

[Anthony Mattarelliano · Rating 1 out of 5]

So bad

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

More about Conan Doyle than Sherlock Holmes this is a frothy, entertaining mix of fact and fiction.

[Ollie · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book is probably the best football book ever because it is based on my favourite soccer player Michael Jordan

[Zhra Khalil · Rating 1 out of 5]

So so bad

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small, black, hardback book, with gold lettering and creamy-white pages. It could be a pocket-book or a diary, and it could be an eminently suitable place to make a record of events to be set aside for some future date when the truth may, finally, be told.

And that is just what this book is. It is the testimony of Bertram Fletcher Robinson, making clear his role in the creation of The Hound of the Baskervilles. I hadn't heard of Bertram Fletcher Robinson before I spotted this book, but I was quickly intrigued. What was his role?

Doyle acknowledged the assitance of Fletcher, an American magazine suggested that he may have done even more than was acknowledged, but some years later Doyle's son and literary executor claimed that Fletcher's role was of any significance.

And so we have conflicting claims. Where does the truth lie? John O'Connell's novel provides an audacious answer, in a novel purporting to be a document put away by Robinson.

Robinson, a journalist, meets the famous writer when they are both travelling by boat, from South Africa to England. Each knows the others work, and so they become travelling companions. And Robinson aspires to write crime fiction. He tells Doyle some of his ideas, and is stunned when Doyle offers to buy one of them. Robinson's confidence grows.

The two men continue their acquaintance back in London, and in time Doyle suggests a visit to Robinson's family home on Dartmoor to work together on a new book ...

The style was plain, but everything was clear and everything rang true. I found it easy to believe that I was reading the words of Robinson the journalist.

On Dartmoor the story darkened. Doyle behaved strangely. Robinson was unsettled. And I began to wonder just how reliable his account was.

The wheels were in motion and a chain of events, events that chimed well with Doyle's novel and his life, lead to a dark denouement.

The final chapters really are the highpoint of the book. They are so cleverly constructed it is, they play wonderfully with the conventions of the gothic mystery, and they left me very unsettled.

The author wrapped his story around the known facts very well, and then he provides a useful explanation of where known facts end and fiction begins in an afterword.

I wasn't entirely convinced by his account, and I'm not sure that it answers all of the questions that were raised, but it was a lovely dark entertainment for an autumn evening.

And now my curiosity is piqued. I am eager to reread The Hound of The Baskervilles, to compare it with other stories of Sherlock Holmes, and to learn more about its author.

Or authors ...

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full review available: https://cookingupatreat.com/2018/09/1...

"If you’re a first time reader here you might not know that I’ve been plodding my way through the Sherlock Holmes books, including Hound of the Baskervilles, and love a bit of crime/mystery fiction in my reading stack. If you’ve visited in the past you might know that I’m not that keen on characters that are exploited by other authors once the original author ceases to breath on this earth.

And yet here I am about to discuss a book that not only includes Conan Doyle but tries to hash together an encounter between Conan Doyle and another man, without there being much evidence to back up the story or really flesh it out, with a claim of deception and harshness. If John O’Connell attempts to use The Baskerville Legacy to make the famous writer look like a villain then the lack of background, in-depth proof to back it up and the relatively short retelling of the story has failed him here."

[Hana Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baskerville is an intriguing novel based on the apparent friendship of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with Bertram Fletcher Robinson, a young journalist who aspires to have Doyle not only as his mentor but also as co- author on a mystery novel. They mystery is one of a literary question. Did Doyle use the ideas of Robinson for his famous novel The Hound of the Baskervilles? It is based on real events; however there is much written that is speculative because of a lack of recorded evidence. The author blurs his words between fact and fiction.

O’Connell uses Robinson as his narrator and so the reader is only exposed to one side of the argument. I don’t think the author liked Robinson much. Robinson’s addiction to laudanum and his relationship with a prostitute establish doubts as whether he is an honorable person who can be trusted to decipher the facts and events as they actually happened. As the story proceeds, Robinson becomes petulant and then turns cheeky. He over rates his own grand ideas for the book and the role he plays in Doyle’s research.

The author portrays the times and the scenery of the areas visited exquisitely. His writing is smooth and never bores.

I came to this book with a strong biased, being a long time fan of Sir Arthur Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books. This is certainly a worthwhile read for those interested in Doyle and the history of the times. Even if you don’t believe Robinson knows or realizes what he claims is pretty improbable.

[Jill Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked it - until it rather abruptly ended... It was an intriguing concept and the relationship between the men was well developed, with a back-and-forth-ness to the descriptions of Conan Doyle that I find quite interesting and enjoyable. Then, all of a sudden, it ended. Abruptly. With a series of afterword-type bits that left me confused and felt oddly disjointed. I have read the real Baskerville - it doesn't leave one wanting... This story felt cut off at the end, like someone told the author "you have three pages left then STOP" - and he did. That's what kept this from being a four-star for me. The story/writing was otherwise enjoyable and I'd give the author a whirl again in the hope of finding a more tied-together conclusion...

[Craig Cote · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting exploration into the history of the return of Sherlock Holmes. As much as I've enjoyed reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Holmes stories since childhood, I've never gotten interested in the story behind the stories. I knew Doyle was a spiritualist because of other things I've read, but that was about it.

I'm honestly not sure if there was enough background material to build a compelling story from. While the exercise of this novel was interesting (let's build a fiction from a very few facts and see how well it hangs together...) it was not compelling reading. But it wasn't bad, and it wasn't long, so it was very finishable.

I appreciated the fourth Appendix, which laid out the bare facts upon which the story was built.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, very well researched but oddly dissatisfying in that it was quite hard to decide what the author was actually writing about. Part confessional, part revelation, this purports to be the memoir of Bertram Robinson, a journalist who apparently collaborated with ACD on what would become 'The Hound of the Baskervilles.' The author admits that he has imagined a lot of the detail and changed the apparently stolid Robinson into a drug-addicted, prostitute-using figure who may or may not have been suspected of an illicit relationship with a rather young girl, a salacious detail that proves entirely unnecessary.
Well written but the ending is far too quick to provide any sort of resolution.