A Double-Barreled Detective Story

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Anyone who has enjoyed the classics of Arthur Conan Doyle about the world's most popular and appreciated detective - Sherlock Holmes - is in for a load of fun thanks to Mark Twain's humorous novel "The double-barrelled detective".However, people expecting an authentic detective story might be in for a bit of a surprise. Rather than following the great Sherlock Holmes unravelling the greatest mysteries and putting together clue by clue to discover who had done it and why, the reader will find a fumbling Holmes unsure of himself or of what he is actually supposed to do.People familiar to Mark Twain's style will certainly take no offense in this comic portrayal of the great detective. Rather than being put perfectly arranged clues and plots by the narrator, poor Holmes is wondering about finding, or better yet, stumbling upon what one might consider as awkwardly placed clues - if they can be called clues.Another element that puts this Holmes in a hilarious situation is the fact that he isn't investigating some gritty crimes in England, but he is sent in an old mining town in the west of the USA. There people aren't so cooperative, let along friendly, and with such an author intent on pranks, you never know when you're going to stumble upon the next clue.The literary legend Mark Twain opens "The Double-Barrelled Detective" with a phrase the certainly describes best what his book is about: "with a situation that suggests endless possibilities". This parody of Sherlock Holmes should provide readers with at least as much fun as Arthur Conan Doyle's classics.So for anyone willing to go through the tongue-in-cheek humour and the lack of the "elementary, my dear Watson" popular quote, "The Double-Barrelled Detective" is a must read that will provide you with a great time and quite a few laughs.