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Reviewed by Gary Stout for Readers' Favorite
Literary Mysteries Solved by Viv Doyle is an engaging collection of essays which parody classic literary works. In this collection, Doyle sometimes provides a 'rest of the story' approach, or digs deeper into a particular character or situation, or juxtaposes time by setting the centuried original in modern times. Sometime she just tweaks with the philosophical and/or moral code of a character by imparting afflictions and affectations relatively unknown at the time, but common in every tabloid of today. Doyle does this all while keeping with the original author's writing style and tone, a Herculean task indeed.
Doyle certainly illustrates a breadth of literary knowledge with the wide selection of works included in Literary Mysteries Solved, with authors spanning several centuries and continents including many of my personal favorites like Austen, Bronte, Dickens, Twain, Fitzgerald and even the Bard himself. As with many 'collections' of any sort, there is little cohesive thread between the essays, but they'll certainly appeal to a literary audience, perhaps more at home in a collegiate course exercise than widespread public distribution.
Although not long, Literary Mysteries is not the type of work to read in one sitting as each style, vernacular, and tone changes from story to story so as to fragment ease of reader continuity. Despite the fact that it is a collection of short essays, each scene is (implied) taken from the larger work and so, unless you're familiar with the original, you're left with unfinished feelings as little will make sense, thereby defeating the purpose of a parody.
Of course, if nothing else, they may well serve as a syllabus to whet the reader's appetite to acquire the masterpieces from which they borrow their characters and scenes, and anything that encourages broadening one's literary horizons is well worth the effort.
