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The Devil and Sherlock Holmes

The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession (2010) is a collection of 12 articles (essays) by American journalist David Grann.

The Devil and Sherlock Holmes
Kindle cover
AuthorDavid Grann
LanguageEnglish
GenreNon-fiction
PublisherDoubleday
Publication date
2010
Publication placeUnited States
Published in English
March 9, 2010
Media typePrint (hardcover)
Pages350 pp
ISBN978-0-385-51792-8
LC ClassPN4874.G672A25 2010
Preceded byThe Lost City of Z 
Followed byKillers of the Flower Moon 

Essays

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The essays were previously published between 2000 and 2009 in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The New Republic and The Atlantic, and have been "updated and revised".[1] The stories are about real-life mysteries, a "mosaic of ambition, deception, passion, and folly."[2]

Four of the stories have been filmed or optioned, and five of the stories have been collected in other "best" anthology volumes.[3] It is Grann's second book, after The Lost City of Z (2009) published the previous year, and his first collected anthology of essays.

Critical response

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In The New York Times, Sam Roberts called the book "riveting."[4] Writing in Entertainment Weekly, critic Keith Staskiewicz gave the collection a grade of A: "This collection of David Grann's nonfiction, much of it from The New Yorker, is by turns horrifying, hilarious, and outlandish... These straightforward tales grip you as unrelentingly as the suckered appendages of the giant squid Grann attempts to track down in 'The Squid Hunter.' You might feel that some of the pieces skirt credibility, but remember, as Holmes himself once said, "Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent."[5]

Editions

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  • Grann, David. The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession. March 9, 2010. Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-385-51792-8 (hardcover, first edition).

Contents

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Chapter Number Part Chapter Title Year Published Source(s) Related articles Adaptations
01 Part 1[6] Mysterious Circumstances 2004 The New Yorker, December 13, 2004.[7]
The Best American Crime Writing 2005 		Richard Lancelyn Green, Category:Sherlock Holmes
02 Part 1 Trial by Fire 2009 The New Yorker, September 7, 2009.[8] Cameron Todd Willingham Trial by Fire (2018), film directed by Edward Zwick[9]
03 Part 1 The Chameleon 2008 The New Yorker, August 11, 2008.[10] Frédéric Bourdin
04 Part 1 True Crime 2008 The New Yorker, February 11, 2008.[11]
The Best American Crime Reporting 2009 		Krystian Bala Dark Crimes (2016), film directed by Alexandros Avranas
05 Part 1 Which Way Did He Run? 2002 The New York Times Magazine, January 13, 2002.[12] September 11 attacks
06 Part 2[13] The Squid Hunter 2004 The New Yorker, May 24, 2004.[14] Giant squid, Steve O'Shea
07 Part 2 City of Water 2003 The New Yorker, September 1, 2003.[15] Sandhog, Water infrastructure of New York City Optioned for film by Paramount in 2010.[16]
08 Part 2 The Old Man and the Gun 2003 The New Yorker, January 27, 2003.[17]
The Best American Crime Writing 2004 		Forrest Tucker The Old Man & the Gun (2018), film directed by David Lowery
09 Part 2 Stealing Time 2005 The New Yorker, September 12, 2005.[18]
The Best American Sports Writing 2006 		Rickey Henderson
10 Part 3[19] The Brand 2004 The New Yorker, February 16, 2004.[20] Aryan Brotherhood
11 Part 3 Crimetown, U.S.A. 2000 The New Republic, July 10, 2000.[21]
Wise Guys: Stories of Mobsters from Jersey to Vegas[22] 		James Traficant
12 Part 3 Giving the 'Devil' His Due 2001 The Atlantic, June, 2001.[23] Toto Constant

Notes

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  1. ^ "Deception And 'The Devil And Sherlock Holmes'", NPR, Talk of the Nation, March 9, 2010.
  2. ^ The Devil and Sherlock Holmes, back-cover blurb, first edition.
  3. ^ See references in chart in this article.
  4. ^ Roberts, Sam (April 4, 2010). "Tales of Obsessions and Battles That Shaped the City". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Staskiewicz, Keith (March 10, 2010). "The Devil and Sherlock Holmes". Entertainment Weekly.
  6. ^ Part 1 motto: "Any truth is better than indefinite doubt." (Sherlock Holmes in "The Adventure of the Yellow Face")
  7. ^ Grann, David (December 13, 2004). "Mysterious Circumstances: The strange death of a Sherlock Holmes fanatic". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  8. ^ Grann, David (September 7, 2009). "Trial by Fire: Did Texas execute an innocent man?". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  9. ^ McClintock, Pamela (February 25, 2019). "Edward Zwick's 'Trial by Fire' Lands Early Summer Release Date From Roadside". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  10. ^ Grann, David (August 11–18, 2008). "The Chameleon: The many lives of Frédéric Bourdin". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  11. ^ Grann, David (February 11–18, 2008). "True Crime: A postmodern murder mystery". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  12. ^ Grann, David (January 13, 2002). "Which Way Did He Run?". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  13. ^ Part 2 motto: "A strange enigma is man!" (Sherlock Holmes in "The Sign of the Four")
  14. ^ Grann, David (May 24, 2004). "The Squid Hunter: Can Steve O'Shea capture the sea's most elusive creature". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  15. ^ Grann, David (September 1, 2003). "City of Water: Can an intricate and antiquated maze of tunnels continue to sustain New York?". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  16. ^ Dave McNary (February 15, 2010). "Mastromauro finds Identity". Variety. Archived from the original on December 16, 2012.
  17. ^ Grann, David (January 27, 2003). "The Old Man and the Gun: Forrest Tucker had a long career robbing banks, and he wasn't willing to retire". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  18. ^ Grann, David (September 12, 2005). "Stealing Time: What makes Rickey Henderson run?". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  19. ^ Part 3 motto: "All that was monstrous and inconceivably wicked in the universe." (Dr. Watson in "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot")
  20. ^ Grann, David (February 16–23, 2004). "The Brand: How the Aryan Brotherhood became the most murderous prison gang in America". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  21. ^ Grann, David (July 10, 2000). "Crimetown USA: The city that fell in love with the mob". The New Republic. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  22. ^ Clint Willis. Wise Guys: Stories of Mobsters from Jersey to Vegas, 2003. pg.221
  23. ^ Grann, David (June 2001). "Giving "The Devil" His Due". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
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