THE REVENGE OF MORIARTY

There's no particular reason to assume that Holmes' followers or even faddists will be drawn to this second in the series (Moriarty's Return, 1974). The Napoleon of Crime has become a charismatic don; Holmes is attempting to withdraw from cocaine; and Moriarty's plots and coups are less dumfounding than dumb. This tale is primarily concerned with Moriarty's attempts to bring his international colleagues into line—the German crime lord is humiliated by a jewel robbery; the Frenchman by an elaborate hoax involving the Mona Lisa; the Italian by his own lust; the Spaniard is dead. Inspector Crow is presumably immobilized by adultery (there's a good deal of un-Doylean sex). It's no surprise when this heavyhanded exercise is climaxed by an encounter on the stairs of Holmes and Moriarty disguised as one another. To Holmes' fiddle, add the faddle.