Elementary: The Ghost Line by Adam Christopher gives fans of Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson an additional case with higher stakes to tackle.
Fans of CBS’s Elementary series starring Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu may have nearly 20 hours of mysteries to solve alongside the detectives over the course of a year, but with the Adam Christopher’s adaptation novel fans have access to one more.
Abandoned tunnels and a drug cartel’s ties to the Museum of Natural History begin to unravel as readers are out in the driver’s seat for a majority of the novel. The team is split up with Watson and Gregson tackling the above ground and Holmes and Bell heading down into the sewers. Picking up on small details through out the book will test your observation skills, but can you beat Sherlock Holmes to the punch line?
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‘Elementary: The Ghost Line’ review:
There is no shortage of mysterious murders that can occur in New York City. Just take a tally of how many criminal shows are based there alone. It comes as no surprise that Elementary‘s venture in the weird and unknown cannot possibly explore every nook and cranny of the metropolis. Viewers of the show are the target audience for any series companion and The Ghost Line‘s author, Adam Christopher is well versed in the Elementary universe. But a desire to pass off astute observations as a fan proves to be more of a distraction than a badge of honor.
For the casual viewer of Elementary, the characters’ behaviors and their descriptions will provide a welcome introduction to the world of Sherlock Holmes. If you are an avid fan of the show, the nuances of Sherlock Holmes’ many character quirks, portrayed by Jonny Lee Miller, are not hard to imagine as you read his dialogue. The analysis of the characters’ behaviors, both physical movements and speech patterns, are described to perfection, but also ad nauseam.
The relationship that exists between Captain Gregson and Joan Watson is not a well explored one in the series. Without spoiling too much, their time together comes off as creepily romantic in the novel. The story passes the torch, playing through each characters’ perspective, Bell, Alfredo, Watson, and Gregson, as they work alongside Sherlock. It seems that deep down in the recesses of their minds, each person in Holmes’ orbit has a profound fascination and trust in the detective, to the point of idolization. Perhaps the most glaring difficulty comes from the dialogue of the more minor characters as they are given larger roles in the casework. Alfredo, Gregson, and Bell’s inner dialogue does nothing to add to the characters, and, if anything, takes away some of their agency provided by the series.
The case is the strongest part of the novel taking the characters away from the precinct and the brownstone, placing them in an entirely foreign location. Viewers of the show will recognize the complicated twists and turns of the case and newcomers looking for a good mystery are in for a treat. Holmes and Watson are working together, yet separately, allowing the reader to tackle the case from two angles instead of having most of the work explained through one long passage of exposition. The supporting players that appear throughout the case are intriguing and well developed, making the stakes even higher when they find themselves alongside Watson and Holmes in trouble.
Yet for all the redundant familiarity most readers will have to weed through, The Ghost Line is a great addition to hold viewers over until the show comes back to air.
Elementary: The Ghost Line by Adam Christopher is available today. Add it to your Goodreads list, or purchase it on Amazon or through Indie Bound.