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Reviewed: The Star of India By
Carole Bugge St.
Martin's Press, Inc. New York, 1997, 197 pp, ISBN: 0-321-18034-9, Cdn$ 29.99
(h/c) This ambitious Sherlock Holmes pastiche - Bugge's first novel - weaves elements of chess, the kidnapping of Holmes' landlady, Mrs. Hudson, a priceless jewel, political intrigue, a damsel in distress (who may not be what she seems) and - of course - a parrot into an interesting plot. Bandu the parrot plays a key role in helping to stop the plans of an old Holmes nemesis who seems to have returned from the dead to lock horns with the Great Detective again. When Bandu's owner, Wiggins, is murdered, Inspector Lestrade takes the bird to his office at Scotland Yard, placing him "temporarily in custody" as he "might have some information still to impart," in the words of Holmes' long-time foil from the official detective force. Eventually he adopts the bird, and as it turns out, Bandu plays a crucial role in identifying a leak at the Yard. Holmes puts that information to good use in his ongoing investigation. While the elements of the story are weaved together reasonably well, it is apparent to anyone who knows anything about parrots that Bugge has not done her avian research well (if at all), as the story has Bandu - a blue-and-gold macaw - originating from Ceylon. Macaws, of course, live only in Central and South America. Granted, the bird could have gone to Ceylon from the Americas with someone else before being adopted by Wiggins; but she does not state this, nor do the conversations about the bird lead one to believe this was implied. Watson asks what kind of parrot he is, and Wiggins responds, "He's from Ceylon," then states he obtained the bird from an Indian gentleman. All this evidence would seem to indicate a lack of knowledge and lack of research on Bugge's part. While that fact does not really take away from the story unless you're a parrot lover who likes the facts accurate, it does make one wonder what other parts of the story may have been poorly researched, but are not apparent to the average reader. Although I would not rank it in the top third of Holmes pastiches I have read, I would not place it in the bottom third, either. I found it interesting to see how yet another resurrects Holmes' main nemesis and overall, I enjoyed the book. -
Reviewed by John Geary "I know what he (Bandu the parrot) said! It's how he said it that matters! ... Wiggins never stuttered!" -
Sherlock Holmes to Dr. Watson |
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