Set at the turn of the twentieth century, Strongwood unravels the strange case of Miss Addie Strongwood, a working-class woman accused of murdering her wealthy lover, Michael Masterson. Consisting almost entirely of court transcripts, journal excerpts, newspaper articles and letters, the book attempts to determine whether Addie is a cold-blooded murderer or a woman wronged, a victim of circumstance merely guilty of self-defense. If not for the appearance of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous fictional detective who appears to weigh in on the Strongwood mystery, one could almost mistake the novel as historical non-fiction. Minneapolis, the city where this trial occurs, is described in careful detail through the use of footnotes, allowing the reader to envision the city as it was in the 1900s.

I appreciated the use of nontraditional narrative methods in this novel. I felt that it really ramped up the suspense and mystery in a story that might otherwise fall flat in a more traditional telling. The juxtaposition of witnesses’ testimony allowed the inconsistencies of their accounts to carry more weight, encouraging the reader to choose sides and align themselves with either the prosecution or the defense. I was slightly disappointed with the somewhat minor role that Holmes had in solving the case; his contribution to the case was all but inconsequential and his involvement was so minimal that it has me questioning his inclusion in the story at all. His presence didn’t really add anything of value to the narrative, and the clues that he discovered could have easily been found by other characters associated with the case. As such, Holmes felt like too much of a gimmick designed to lure more traditional mystery fans into this novel. Bait-and-switch aside, I enjoyed it despite the glaring lack of Holmes. Addie Strongwood made for a fascinating, unique character - a strong, passionate, intelligent woman who straddles the line of Victorian decency and good taste.

Mystery readers can expect this one to be released in just a few weeks - on March 15th. A special thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this book prior to release! ( )