As I wrote when I reviewed volume 1, there is a high level of
“buy-in” required to enjoy this series. First, you have to be willing to read a
book with the storytelling and art style common in manga. And second, you have
to be willing to accept the premise that a sixteen-year-old schoolboy (Takeru)
has adopted a dog who is the reincarnation of Sherlock Holmes, who can
communicate with Takeru whenever he smokes the father’s pipe.
The bulk of volume 2 is made up by the 6-part story “A Script
for Death.” In it, Sherdog witnesses an actual murder on the set of a murder
movie. He is able to lead his Watson (Takeru) through the string of clues,
including paw prints and spilled cocoa, to the killer. It is a story that does
what I want a Holmes story (of any variety) to do. It relies on observation,
logic, and deduction to solve the crime and catch the culprit.
The volume actually begins with a fun one-part story about
Sherdog making bad deductions, but still saving the day – well, after making a
complete mess of the house, because … you know, he’s a dog. There are also two
brief “coffee time” features that round out the volume. These features add a
needed humorous touch to a volume involving murder mysteries.
Sherdog’s insistence that he is a Victorian gentleman is one
of the funnier running jokes in the volume, as is his enduring love for Irene
Adler, who in this volume is represented by Takeru’s sister Airin. In this
version, Airin is a police detective, so their paths cross regularly.
I have found the first two volumes of this series delightful,
and look forward to reading more.
Source: public library
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