I was intrigued by this book, however, if only because a book entitled, "The _Last_ Sherlock Holmes Story" implied that there really would be an ending with as big of a twist as the book jacket summary promised. Jack the Ripper" reading project, after Lyndsay Faye's seriously remarkable "Dust and Shadow." As I said in my "Dust and Shadow" review, Faye's book was so good that it really set the mark by which I knew I'd be measuring all other Holmes-vs.-Ripper stories that followed, and I don't expect any others to ever top her efforts. This was my second read in my "Holmes vs. I had to take a few days to think about this one for a little bit - and to decide exactly what my rating for it would be. It's not my absolute favorite pastiche to date, but it's a very important and compelling one, and I'm very glad I read it. Whether or not you accept Dibdin's interpretation of Holmes, I think it's clear this work is both carefully and lovingly crafted with sincere attention to canonical detail. I thought the "Holmes and Watson were real people, and Arthur Conan Doyle intentionally 'fictionalized' them" approach was well realized.
It's less successful as a thorough look at the Ripper phenomenon, but I suspect Dibdin always intended the Ripper murders to provide the backdrop for the tale rather than to carry it. Its sophisticated (and darkly Gothic) psychological look not only at Holmes (whom I found to be poignantly redeemed at the end, contrary to what I'd expected from other reviews) but also at the wonderful Dr. I understand why this Sherlock Holmes-meets-Jack the Ripper novel is controversial among (even hated by) some Holmes fans who are wed to one interpretation of the detective, but I found it to be fascinating and very well rooted in the canonical Holmesian texts.
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