Review by Elizabeth C. Bunce
Jekyll & Hyde: Consulting Detectives is Tim Major’s latest foray among classic Victorian characters. The author of several Sherlock Holmes novels now takes a stab at the further adventures of Dr. Henry Jekyll and his chemically-induced evil alter ego. Drawing on both the original 1886 novella by Robert Louis Stevenson as well as the catalogue of later adaptations (the character of Muriel Carew comes from an early stage production), Major demonstrates familiarity with his source material. Perhaps in keeping with Stevenson’s original tale, the strongest character is neither Dr. Jekyll nor Mr. Hyde but Miss Carew.
London Socialite Muriel Carew is on a mission. It’s been ten years since the simultaneous death of her father and disappearance of her fiance left her wealthy and independent, and she’s used that time to cultivate a discreet service looking into questionable happenings in her social circle. With the assistance of her able steward Kenzie, Muriel has quietly brought fraudsters and scammers to justice. Her latest inquiry brings her to the charitable gala of Mr. Simeon Courtenay, benefactor of a school for orphans. While Muriel is expecting to find evidence of embezzlement and graft, two things at the Courteney mansion catch her offguard: the murdered barrister in the stables, and her long-lost ex-fiance, Henry Jekyll. The last time Muriel saw Henry was the night her father died. Their relationship was already strained—there was just something she didn’t quite trust about Henry’s strange new acquaintance, Edward Hyde. She’s also harbored a sneaking suspicion that both men knew far more about her father’s death than ever revealed. So she’s not exactly overjoyed to run into Henry again—and the feeling is mutual. Especially when it seems they’re on the trail of the same wrongdoers. As it happens, Jekyll and Hyde, professionally calling themselves Hyll, have set up their own inquiry agency, and their latest case crosses paths with Muriel’s. The three must find a way to reconcile their past and work together, or risk letting a sinister cabal get away with a series of diabolical crimes.
Muriel shows the most sense, drive, integrity, and ingenuity of the threesome, not to mention the most compassion. We all expect Hyde to be a boor, but Major’s Jekyll is surprisingly insensitive and dull (even Muriel thinks so). By contrast, Hyde is less wicked and sadistic than simply slow-witted and brutish, giving the duo a decidedly Banner-and-Hulk air. Even Muriel’s loyal steward Kenzie is better fleshed-out, a man of deep secrets whose affection for Muriel—and suspicion of her two new associates—shines through.
Thankfully, Muriel herself and the twisty mystery will keep readers turning the page, even despite the somewhat lackluster title characters. The case will take our four heroes from Simeon Courtenay’s posh London digs to the military barracks of a missing soldier, from the hideout of a secret society with very odd taste in amusements to beachside photographers in sunny Brighton, and back to the seedy side of London. Each investigator—Muriel, Kenzie, Henry, and Edward—uncovers a piece of the puzzle, but it takes Muriel and Henry to put them all together, together. Along the way, everyone must come to terms with that dark night ten years ago when the two men Muriel loved most were taken from her in a single stroke.
Jekyll & Hyde: Consulting Detectives gives this classic team-up a new challenge: working together to solve a crime—and in Major’s practiced hands it’s great fun. The story leaves a wide opening for sequels, and there’s plenty of room for this team to grow, too. Recommended for fans of mash-ups, retellings, and new spins on familiar tales, Jekyll & Hyde: Consulting Detectives is available now here at Amazon, published in hardcover from Titan Books.
