Arthur & George

While Sir Arthur Conan Doyle forever will be known as the father of literature's greatest detective Sherlock Holmes, his real-life efforts at investigation go largely unheralded. ARTHUR & GEORGE, Julian Barnes' fictionalized version of one of Doyle's true-crime cases, may help remedy that. And if not, it's still a damned fine novel. In the early 1900s, the town of Great Wyrley was plagued by a series of animal slaughter. Despite no real evidence, authorities pointed their collective fingers at George Edalji, a railroad law expert and the son of the local vicar. In reality, his only crime was that he wasn't white. Nevertheless, Edalji was convicted and served prison time before an unexpected early release. Doyle had nothing to do with that – in fact, he never heard of the case until then – but took it upon himself to clear Edalji's once-good name when it was painfully clear the man was innocent. The book begins by shifting between the two men's stories before finally bringing them together for the second half. What Barnes does best is keep you interested in both, even though their worlds are so different. Edalji is shy, modest to a fault, has very little and yet seems comfortable with his station in life; by contrast, Doyle is wildly successful, has everything he wants and yet is unhappy. If not for this miscarriage of justice, these two would never be friends. You feel for Edalji not just for the way he's treated, but for the strange, insular life his parents have forced him to lead; although fully grown, he still lives with them, and shares a bedroom with his father. You also feel for Doyle as he wrestles with a heart torn for his invalid wife and the woman who eventually would replace her. For someone who so famously advocated hard evidence, Doyle's increasing belief in the spirtual fairy realm seems utterly at odds with his nature. And yet it's all true. Though the facts have been well documented in the recommended THE TRUE CRIME FILES OF SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE, Barnes' literary version carries as much suspense and surprise as the real deal. Full of emotion, the book builds to a bittersweet yet very moving end. –Rod Lott Buy it at Amazon.