• Author: Ryosuke Takeuchi
• Series: Moriarty the Patriot #1
• Genre: Historical Mystery
• No. of pages: 200
• Dates read: 23.04.2022 – 25.04.2022
• Star Rating: 4.5 stars

Plot: Before he was Sherlock’s rival, Moriarty fought against the unfair class caste system in London by making sure corrupt nobility got their comeuppance. But even the most well-intentioned plans can spin out of control—will Moriarty’s dream of a more just and equal world turn him into a hero…or a monster? In the late 19th century, Great Britain rules over a quarter of the world. Nobles sit in their fancy homes in comfort and luxury, while the working class slaves away at their jobs. When young Albert James Moriarty’s upper-class family adopts two lower-class orphans, the cruelty the boys experience at his family’s hands cements Albert’s hatred of the nobility he was born into. He asks the older of the two boys—who has a genius mind and a killer instinct—to help him rid the world of evil, starting with Albert’s own family!

So, I had literally no expectations whatsoever when it came to this series. I just liked the sound of the story and decided to give it a go. I am so happy that I did!

I will preface my struggles first and say that it took a bit of time for me to get into the story. The book is basically split into 3 parts as each section follows a different story and the first part took some time to pick up pace. I was unsure at first if this was something I was going to enjoy. But the ending of the first part was so crazy and the rest of the volume was so good that it was worth waiting for.

I will also say that I found it hard to distinguish between Moriarty and his brother as they look so similar. I was getting confused on who was who. Even Albert, their adopted brother, looks similar. The only way I can tell him apart is due to his brown hair.

In terms of plot I really enjoyed the story. It focuses on Moriarty and the people around him trying to dismantle the evil nobles that control Britain. A lot of language is being used to describe destroying the hierarchal system the country is built upon which I feel is such a layered and nuanced thing to tackle. I am very intriguied to see how this develops and is explored in the later volumes as this could be done amazing or just feel really heavy handed.

The first volume consists of Moriarty taking down different power-hungry/corrupt nobles in different ways as we meet more members of his entourage. I felt this was a really great way to set up the basis of what Moriarty is trying to do. We didn’t jump straight into a complicated plot but followed individual stories with the same idea.

I like the characters so far. I do think the main 3 characters Moriarty, his brother and Albert are quite similar, in terms of personality, but I did like the introduction of the two other men who we meet really close to the end of the volume. I think the focus was to set up the plot and the messaging/themes and then focusing on characters later.

Overall, I thought this was a solid start and I am looking forward to reading more!