[Arthur Conan Doyle and Dr. Joseph Bell 01] • The Patient's Eyes

"Truly frightening."—*Time Out*

David Pirie gained rave reviews for his screenplay depicting the "real" Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Joseph Bell, in the two part, Edgar-nominated TV series Murder Rooms. Treading that same critically acclaimed ground, The Patient's Eyes is the first in a stand-alone cycle of novels written from Doyle's point of view that include a whole new perspective on the adventures of Bell and Doyle and the genesis of the best-known detective in all of mystery literature...

When the impoverished young Arthur Doyle opens his first medical practice, he is puzzled by the symptoms presented by Heather Grace, a sweet young woman whose parents have died tragically several years before. Heather has a strange eye complaint, but is also upset by visions of a phantom bicyclist, who vanishes as soon as he is followed. But this enigma is soon overshadowed as Doyle finds himself embroiled in more threatening events-including the murder of a rich Spanish businessman-that call for the advice of the eminent Dr. Bell. But Dr. Bell dismisses the murder of Senor Garcia as a rather unimportant diversion from the incident which Bell considers to have real criminal implications: the matter of the solitary cyclist-and the patient's eyes...

From Publishers WeeklyThis brilliant debut mystery from British screenwriter Pirie offers a novel twist on the Sherlock Holmes pastiche, with Doyle as the Watsonian narrator relating the exploits of Dr. Joseph Bell, his real-life mentor and model for the fictional detective. Young Dr. Doyle, trying to make a fresh start after a tragic loss, finds himself enmeshed in the affairs of a patient with unusual eyes, Miss Heather Grace. An heiress who survived the attack of a lunatic who slaughtered her parents, Miss Grace is now terrorized by a nightmarish figure who follows her as she cycles to and from her new home. The plot borrows elements from several Holmes stories ( The Speckled Band, The Solitary Cyclist and Wisteria Lodge ), which ostensibly are merely fictionalized versions of the real puzzle Bell and Doyle tackle. Doyle's falling in love with his patient complicates his and Bell's probe into several murders. The suspects include the young woman's intimidating uncle, who maintains a large collection of poisonous creatures, her perpetually smiling fiancE and an unscrupulous doctor. The author masterfully manufactures suspense, and several passages are truly spine-chilling. Doyle, a painfully human and sympathetic figure whose vulnerabilities help drive the action, and Bell, a very plausible Holmes substitute, are well-matched by their subtle and cunning antagonist. An unsettling solution makes a perfectly appropriate ending for this hard-to-put-down and richly atmospheric thriller. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library JournalPirie's impressive debut novel features Arthur Conan Doyle as a penurious doctor caught up in a web of deceit. In medical school, young Doyle is drawn to the charismatic Dr. Bell, even though he considers Bell to be somewhat of a charlatan. Surely making deductions from tiny clues isn't what medicine is all about. But Doyle needs Bell's help to uncover the mystery surrounding one of his patients. The beautiful Heather Grace is being stalked by an ominous, disappearing figure on a bicycle. Or is she hallucinating? Doyle struggles with demons from his past as he races against time to save Heather. Pirie's dark, somewhat graphic style is reminiscent of Poe as well as the real Doyle. The main appeal of this fairly conventional murder mystery is the friendship between the two men and the intriguing, if obvious, parallels to Holmes and Watson. Pirie clearly sets the stage for an ongoing series featuring Doyle and Bell. Of wide interest, this is suitable for all public libraries. Laurel Bliss, Yale Univ. Lib. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.