Alimentary (er! Elementary), My Dear!

Oh, the pure joy of re-reading literary classics! I am in the midst of reading one of the most intricately and beautifully crafted works of mystery and deductive reasoning ever written. James Patterson, hang your head and hide…but the Master of Deduction will find you out. Alex Cross, though an accomplished sleuth and finely crafted character, is no more than a poor imitation of the master sleuth, Sherlock Holmes.

I think I am enjoying these stories so much more on this reading. Sherlock Holmes is without question, the most famous literary detective ever created. Sherlock Holmes knew the value of observing not only the obvious, but the minutiae overlooked by mere mortals who lacked his finely honed powers of observation and intellectually superior reasoning. Created by Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle, and what a mind Conan-Doyle had. For there, my friends, is the source of Holmes’ inimitable skills of observation and deduction. From that mind flowed these intricately woven tales of discovery. The characters--Holmes, Watson, Lestrade, the infamous Professor Moriarity, (the quintessential arch-villain), come alive in all the facets of their personalities in these pages of intrigue. As for the personality of Holmes himself (the archetypical sleuth in his Deerstalker, smoking his Meerschaum)…he is arrogant, dismissive of “lesser mortals” and openly disdainful of them, opinionated, superior…and let’s not forget addictive. He is also a lover of the arts, and naturally has a keen grasp of many scientific disciplines.



Whoa, hold on a minute here…do I deduce some similarity here? A similarity to one of my very favorite TV shows? Why, it is elementary my dear! Dr. Gregory House/Sherlock Holmes? My, my…the game is afoot. The similarities are blatantly obvious…Holmes=House the brilliant, arrogant, non-conformist who disdains “the establishment“, Dr. Watson=Dr. Wilson, his trusted and faithful confidant and friend. The music lover, the addict, the brilliant scientist, the willingness to “bend the rules“…even the names. Of course, the solution is obvious…”House” IS the medical detective, the Sherlock Holmes of the world of medicine. There are many, many similarities, all outlined beautifully in the link.

Ah, but now I am compelled to return to my “real” book and once more leave this world for the intrigue and fascination of priceless and inimitable fiction.