Quite unlike anything I've ever read. Part intriguing biography, partly recounting a "legal miscarriage". A "historical footnote" is highlighted from a most unusual perspective. Highly enjoyable read. The unfolding of the legal case alone made an 18 km run go by in a whiffy.

Basada en hechos reales (aunque por momentos no lo parezca) ( )

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, slightly bored with his fame and fortune, takes up the case of wrongfully convicted George Edalji due to willful incompetence and racist attitudes towards Anglo-Indians. Set against the personal lives of both men as they reflect both their idiosyncrasies and the late Victorian / early Edwardian era. Musings on the nature of fame, how a person lives up to his own view of themselves, of being out of step with one’s time and also a product of it. Elegantly written, generally holds interest but not a second read. Characters expertly drawn, one truly feels they are real people, that you’ve met them. Slice of life between Victorian and Edwardian England, no surprises but compassionately examined. I’m not a Sherlock Holmes fan nor read the true crime genre so of limited interest. Good turn of phrases, JB insights but nothing significant. Satisfying and well done, not exceptional. ( )

A great book by a great English author. More, please, Julian! ( )

This book came highly recommended and did not disappoint. I was unaware of it's subject matter but found it intriguing as I knew little about the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle other than as an author of classic books. However it was the character of George that really drew me in to the story. It is narrated in the 3rd person, alternating between the lives of Arthur and George and told in a sequential manner until they meet as adults. Their meeting comes at Arthur's behest as he has learned of the injustices perpetrated on George by the legal system of Britain. George is a quiet, hardworking young lawyer of Indian /Scottish ancestry and was raised in a vicarage in a loving home. He has been charged and served time in prison for the gross mutilation of an animal. Even Sir Arthur can see the unlikeliness of George having perpetrated this crime and he sets out to clear George's name. To these ends he dons his Sherlock Holmes hat and begins his campaign for justice. ( )