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Customer Reviews (5)

Kurland is brilliant
This author has definitely found his niche.All of the Moriarty and Holmes books by this author very much work in conjunction with the original Holmes stories or as stand alone stories.

No bad but not Kurland's best.
Empress of India is a rather good example of the Holmes inspired pastiche let down by a few defects.
Firstly it's rather predictable; from the identity of the gold thieves to the fate of Holmes.
Secondly it's rather slow moving with frequent distractions.
Finally Kurland seems to have skimped on his research; some further work on British Army ranks (i.e. no Brigadier General), firearms (since when does a Martini-Henry have a magazine?), the value of gold in 1890 (two tons of gold would not have been worth four million sterling: more like a quarter million) and other hostorical details would have been time well spent.

All in all it's not bad though not as good as his other works or Laurie King's Holmes/Russell works.

Empress of India
As an "expert" on Sherlock Holmes and all the "bad guys" who are connected with him, I was anxious to read this book.It was fair.I enjoyed reading it...but...I could tell how the plot was going to play out by half-way through the book.For Holmes fanatics, read it...for others...don't.

Good, but not Kurland's best
THE EMPRESS OF INDIA is a pretty good read, even though there are too many oddball characters and the identity of the gold thief is obvious.I've read all of Michael Kurland's Moriarty books even though I'm not crazy about the idea that the professor is an innocent victim of Holmes' bizarre obsession about a master criminal - that idea had already been used in THE SEVEN PERCENT SOLUTION.The biggest fault here is that Holmes is missing for most of the story, robbing the reader of his exchanges with Moriarty.THE GREAT GAME was better, they were forced to work together in that one.

fabulous historical mystery
In 1890, the Empress of India leaves Calcutta carrying a quarter-ton of gold to deliver to the Bank of England in London.The vessel also carries an assortment of passengers including the notorious Professor James Moriarty and the malevolent Colonel Sebastian Moran.Brigadier General Sir Edward St. Yves leads thirty Highland Lancers watching over the fortune; his eighteen years old Lolita like daughter, Margaret accompanies him.

Moriarty and Moran compete for possession of the valuable heavily bejeweled statuette "Queen of Lamapoor" also on board.However, someone steals the gold shipment.The English government immediately assumes Moriarty did the deed.They ask Holmes to retrieve the stolen loot from the Professor, but instead he vanishes.Meanwhile Moriarty not enjoying the limelight that interferes with his "business" activities decides to solve the case of what appears to have been an impossible theft.

The latest Moriarty investigative tale is a fabulous historical mystery that uses the "locked room" concept enhanced by a vivid look at relationships during the late Victorian era "The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire" mindset.The terrific story line contains a strong who-done-it and how he or she purloined the gold, but is held together mostly by the "hero" who finds being the prime suspect interfering with his efforts to win the prize of GREAT GAME instead of Moran succeeding at the endeavor.Michael Kurland provides a wonderful thriller as the unknown opponent seems to match Moriarty with for wit.

Harriet Klausner
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Since they originally appeared over two decades ago, Michael Kurland's two novels featuring Professor Moriarty - The Infernal Device and Death by Gaslight - are amongst the most acclaimed novels to have arisen out of the characters first introduced by Arthur Conan Doyle. In Doyle's original stories, Professor Moriarty is the bete noire of Sherlock Holmes who proclaims him to be his mental equivalent and ethical opposite, declares him to be "the Napoleon of Crime" and who wrestles Moriarty seemingly to their mutual deaths at Reichenbach Falls.But indeed there are two sides to every story and, while Moriarty may not always tread strictly on the side of the law, he is also, in these novels, not quite the person that Holmes and Watson made him out to be. In Kurland's fictions about Moriarty, the truth is finally revealed:* The Infernal Device - A dangerous adversary seeking to topple the British monarchy places Moriarty in mortal jeopardy, forcing him to collaborate with his nemesis Sherlock Holmes. * Death by Gaslight - A serial killer is stalking the cream of England's aristocracy, baffling both the police and Sherlock Holmes and leaving the powers in charge to play one last desperate card: Professor Moriarty. * The Paradol Paradox - The first new Moriarty story to appear in almost twenty years, never before in print.Brilliantly and vividly bringing late Victorian England in all its facets to life, this first ever omnibus of the adventures of Professor James Moriarty will delight long time fans and readers new to the milieu.AUTHORBIO: Michael Kurland has written many non-fiction books on a vast array of topics, including How to Solve a Murder, as well as many novels. Twice a finalist for the Edgar Award (once for The Infernal Device) given by the Mystery Writers of America, Kurland is perhaps best known for his novels about Professor Moriarty. He lives in Petaluma, California. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

If you can find a copy add it to your library
Very informative book. Excellent read. Information is right on the money. Will never give my copy away. Hat off to the author!

A helpful resource
This book documents much of the history of the charismatic/pentecostal movement.It gives numerous quotations from direct sources, and ample footnotes.The author is not a charismatic, but is not a cessationist--he does not spend time trying to explain away charismatic gifts.His concerns are mainly about "supernaturally received" teachings, and the implications of such teaching.In other words, it is a reactionary work, not unlike a good portion of the New Testament.Many of the topics and areas explained in this book years ago have now gained near mainstream acceptance in "christendom", and many people are jumping on the exciting, happy, experience-oriented bandwagon without sound Biblical investigation.It's unfortunate that this book is hard to find.It's worth looking for. ... Read more

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An uncommon process
There are few things that touch off more controversy in a church than the revision of the liturgy.Liturgy is, after all, one of the primary ways in which most people feel a connection to God.When dealing with a church has heavily invested in liturgy as the Anglican church (in America, the official incarnation is the Episcopal Church, with various unofficial/non-official tributaries to the main stream), changing the liturgy is tantamount to changing the world.Thus it is with great care and deliberation that liturgical renovations and innovations are introduced, and even more care and concern is given to wholesale reworkings, as happened with the `new' Book of Common Prayer made official in 1979.

Michael Moriarty looks at the history of the development of the latest American Book of Common Prayer with a particular focus on the group called Associated Parishes, formed in the years after World War II by a dozen priests who were concerned about the connection and relevance of liturgy to `regular' life.Moriarty's first chapter deals with the situation in which this group arose - the Book of Common Prayer at that time was the 1928, itself a revision of the 1892, etc.These prayerbooks had various strengths and weaknesses, but like any well-established liturgy, they each had strong advocates who resisted change to the extent of leaving the official church to preserve their liturgy.There was a joke circulating around the time of the adoption of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer in which someone said of those threatening to leave to remain faithful to the 1928 Prayer Book, `I don't know what they are so concerned about, because everybody knows the "real" prayer book was the 1892.'

In actual fact, liturgical reform and renewal had been a growing idea even before the war; this ended up being true after the 1979 book's introduction, that people immediately set about thinking of ways to `improve' it.Moriarty explores the issues, personalities and wider contexts of the movements to update the 1928 Prayer Book, describing the initial impulses of the Associated Parishes' leadership as a sort of `divine discontent'.This liturgical process did not work in a vacuum, as indeed Anglican and non-Anglican churches were going through similar issues around the world.The American Roman Catholic liturgical discussions in some ways paralleled the Episcopal ones, as Moriarty points out, and there were divergences between various Anglican communion churches.

Even as Moriarty focuses primarily on the role of the Associated Parishes and the generation's length work done by that group toward Prayer Book revision, he acknowledges that this task was beyond the control or direction of any particular group.The only way for this kind of enterprise to be successful is for it to be taken on board by the wider community, which happened here, and Associated Parishes was a key player.Moriarty points out that the success of this group was not so much in getting particular pieces or turns of phrase into the new Book of Common Prayer, but rather in serving as a catalyst for change, in addition to the various scholars and other cultural aspects that made this possible.

Moriarty sees the 1979 Book of Common Prayer as being part of the `survival kit' of the church in a post-Christendom world, one that more adequately fits the more modern idea of things religious being a `window' (Rahner) than a `mirror' (Aquinas), showing where God is. ... Read more

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Ronald Manes, a wealthy basketball player, becomes the patient of psychiatrist J. C. Kaminer, but when Ronald's wife is stabbed to death and suspicion falls on him, Kaminer must find the real killer. A first novel. 15,000 first printing." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A quick read!
Although the main characters are not quite sympathetic due to their arrogance and the whole book was a bit licentious, I enjoyed being in J. C. Kaminer's head anyway and couldn't put it down, which was not a problem because it was a quick read.

I'm such a fan of Michael Moriarty that Imight be biased, but I don't think so.

I have a question:On page 86,there was a revelation foreshadowed, but after putting down the book Icouldn't figure out what it was.

THE Voyeur is hypnotically compelling
J.C. Kaminsky likes to think of himself as a voyeur, a sexual disorientation normally not thought of in connection with a Fifth Avenue psychiatrist.The fact that he holds his own profession in deep contempt in no way hinders his ability to help his clients, including the famous black basketball star Ronald "Wizard" Manes.The star cager attributes his increasing success on the court, and amidst the media and the public to Kaminsky, the person who taught him not to allow himself to be a victim. However, the therapy has failed to change the Wizard's relationship with his spouse, a beautiful white nymphomaniac who enjoys pulling his chain. ..... When the Wizard's spouse is murdered, he naturally became the prime suspect even though his psychiatrist was positive that his client is innocent.Kaminsky teams up with the victim's psychiatrist, Marion Brockman (who is also his former lover), to see if they can identify the real killer. In the course of their investigation, they resume their relationship. Kaminsky both fears and yearns for this relationship.Working as a team, they piece together the puzzle of a troubled woman, who inspired deep loathing from everyone except the one person who was supposed to protect and love her, but only ended up destroying her. .......Nobody could have expected that actor Michael Moriarty would write a book just months before the OJ case, or that it would be so profoundly disturbing and literary.THE VOYEUR is a murder mystery not easily forgotten due to the lead protagonist.Kaminsky is a dichotomy of extreme distance and intense involvement with humanity.He is a person who is disturbed and disturbing. There seem to be many more layers left to be revealed about the psychiatrist.Readers will feel a strong compulsion to buy those unpublished tales after reading this book just to learn what makes him tick. .......Harriet Klausner ... Read more

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The Perfect 10 is a unique, practical exposition of the Ten Commandments written especially for the current age in which Christians live. ... Read more

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The Perfect 10
In our modern society God's 10 commandments are often looked at as being outdated or only 10 suggestions for us to live by.The author has done an excellent job in applying this topic to our modern society. He challengesthe reader to rise to a higher standard for christian living and values. The last time I had really sat down before this to look at the 10commandments was when I was a young child hearing them for the first time. I used this book in my weekly Sunday school class and the response wasexcellent.The reader will be challenged to live by a higher biblicalstandard. ... Read more

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This exegetical survey of world literature from a Saussurean point of view, contributes to the application of general semiotics to the study of literature by presenting a critical interpretation of selected passages in the history of world literature. The premise is that paradigmatic and syntagmatic considerations help to define the values and themes of the episteme of a literary period. This work takes a global approach that recognizes the importance of diversity and multicultural studies in fostering a mature semiotics of literature that includes Asian and African literary products as well as European and American texts. It presents an effort to synthesize and interpret selected literary texts from the preliterate pictorial representations about postmodern dilemmas such as the AIDS epidemic. ... Read more

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From the late sixteenth to the late seventeenth centuries, French writing is especially concerned with analyzing human nature. The ancient ethical vision of man's nature and goal (we achieve fulfillment by living our lives according to reason, the highest and noblest element of our nature) survives, even, to some extent, in Descartes. But it is put into question especially by the revival of St. Augustine's thought, which focuses on the contradictions and disorders of human desires and aspirations. Analyses of behavior display a powerful suspicion of appearances. Human beings are increasingly seen as motivated by self-love: they are driven by the desire for their own advantage, and take a narcissistic delight in their own image. Moral and religious writers re-emphasize the traditional imperative of self-knowledge, but in such a way as to suggest the difficulties of knowing oneself. Operating with the Cartesian distinction between mind and body, they emphasize the imperceptible influence of bodily processes on our thought and attitudes. They analyze human beings' ignorance (due to self-love) of their own motives and qualities, and the illusions under which they live their lives. Their critique of human behavior is no less searching than that of writers who have broken with traditional religious morality, such as Hobbes and Spinoza. A wide range of authors is studied, some well-known, others much less so: the abstract and general analyses of philosophers and theologians (Descartes, Jansenius, Malebranche) are juxtaposed with the less systematic and more concrete investigations of writers like Montaigne and La Rochefoucauld, not to mention the theatre of Corneille, Molière, and Racine. ... Read more

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This book deals with three major French thinkers of the seventeenth century, Descartes, Pascal, and Malebranche. It examines their influential critical accounts of the impact of the body and of social relationships on experience, and the need to correct this by reference to metaphysical or religious truth. ... Read more

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ASSESS YOUR CUSTOMER CONTACT STRATEGY Research has shown that an unhappy customer will tell on average 9 other people about an unsatisfying experience. Yet a totally satisfied customer is less likely to be attracted by price reductions offered by your competitors and hence will remain loyal to a company.This audit shows you how to achieve competitive advantage by achieving total customer satisfaction. It provides you with a mechanism for auditing your existing customer satisfaction process and describes: *Why companies fail to satisfy their customers*The requirements of an effective customer service programme*How to plan your audit in a straightforward and practical manner*The steps needed to conduct a comprehensive customer satisfaction audit*How to implement a customer satisfaction audit ... Read more

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This book analyses the use of the crucial concept of 'taste' in the works of five major seventeenth-century French authors, Méré, Saint Evremond, La Rochefoucauld, La Bruyère and Boileau. It combines close readings of important texts with a thoroughgoing political analysis of seventeenth-century French society in terms of class and gender. Dr Moriarty shows that far from being timeless and universal, the term 'taste' is culture-specific, shifting according to the needs of a writer and his social group. The notion of 'taste' not only helped to shape a new dominant culture, but also registered the conflicts within that culture between a view of taste that presupposted the values of 'polite society' as an exclusive (though not necessarily aristocratic) group, and a view that stressed the value of the classical-humanist tradition as a source of standards ratified by a broader public. this study sheds light not only on the central concept, but also on the individual authors discussed and on the norms of French classical literature in general. ... Read more

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From joining the Ennis Battalion of the FCA in 1949 until his retirement as a Colonel in 1992, Michael Moriarty experienced almost the full range of domestic and foreign postings in which the Irish Army participated. He served in Congo, Cyprus, Angola, and Lebanon as part of Irish contributions to UN missions. In this personal memoir he reveals his struggles to serve in difficult and challenging circumstances, the changes in the army and Irish society during his years of service and the life of a senior officer from the inside. ... Read more

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Labeled the "Napoleon of Crime" by an obsessed Sherlock Holmes, Professor James Moriarty is a prominent scientist, a keen analytical mind, and a dabbler in less than savory doings.Two friends and former associates of Moriarty - Benjamin Barnett and his wife, the former Cecily Perrine - are travelling in Europe in early 1891 when they realize that they have become objects of scrutiny from persons unknown.Things turn deadly when they find themselves in the midst of an attempted assassination of a German prince.Meanwhile in Vienna, the younger son of a British nobleman - indulging in what was then known as "The Great Game" of amateur spying - finds himself framed for the murder of his paramour and the assassination of an Austrian Duke. In London, an unknown caller arrives at Moriarty's door on a matter of great urgency.But before Moriarty can be summoned to speak with him, the stranger is shot by a crossbow bolt loosed by unseen hands. While a lesser man might be daunted, Moriarty is merely intrigued and begins to investigate.What Moriarty uncovers is a cabal that seems to be using assassination to destabilize the rule of the crowned heads of Europe.But he also senses that there is something even bigger than this operating - a conspiracy behind the conspiracy - and detects the workings of a mind quite possibly as clever as his own.Using his contacts, friends, and the not-so-desired help of his often nemesis Sherlock Holmes, Moriarty must save his friends and outwit his most cunning opponent while the fate of history hangs in the balance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Brilliant Book,
A complex plot told in such a way to make it easy for the READER not the author - that is skill of the highest sort. Not just for Holmes fans by any means. Its full of wit, wisdom and great characters. The Great Game has a real feel for time and place with echo of what is to come. Kurland's Prof Moriarty is a first rate creation. From one puzzle after another the excitement keeps building to Kraiser Willhem himself leading a charge much to the dismay of everyone! Most of those rescued are properly thankful except for Barnett ( one of the few Americans) who was focus of the first two Moriarty novels who only grouses - what took you so long!
Highly recommended! As are the two early books, The Infernal Device, and Death by Gaslight

An enjoyable read
It is 1891, and political terrorism and assassination are sweeping Europe. Professor James Moriarty, a brilliant if often amoral scientist, finds himself sucked into the maelstrom when certain shadowy organizations take Sherlock Holmes' maundering accusations seriously, and decide they need to deal with this "Napoleon of Crime." Collecting an unusual assortment of allies, Moriarty must use all of his talents to penetrate this mystery and stop those who would set the world at war.

I must admit that this is the first book by Michael Kurland that I have read. I found it quite by chance, and was intrigued by the story's premise. The story's main weakness is that none of the characters seem the least bit Victorian (I couldn't shake the idea that the Barnett's were modeled directly on the Blues (Kathleen Turner and Dennis Quaid), from the movie Undercover Blues). That said, though, the author does spin a great yarn, that succeeds in gripping the reader all the way through to the end.

If you are interested in a story that features the famous (or infamous) Professor Moriarty, or simply like a good thriller, then I highly recommend this book to you. I enjoyed it immensely!

Total Page Turner
Michael Kurland has written a terrific book that contains clues and subplots that will keep the pages turning.As a reader, you get an deep understand of who each of the characters are, and you develop a new perspective of Professor Moriarty.In all honesty, I think this would make a great movie.It has all the suspense and mystery.

Moriarty Triumphant!
Michael Kurland is one of those authors that sneak up on you.One finds one of his books, enjoys it, and then one day you find another, and so forth.Until one day you are surprised to notice that you have accumulated quite a lot of his work.Kurland doesn't write the kind of double-barreled, memorable fiction that sticks in your mind, but he is a grand master of the well written, highly enjoyable tale which is the meat and potatoes of a reader's library.

"The Great Game" is the third of a series of novels ("The Infernal Device" and "Death by Gaslight" are the others) that star Professor James Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes nemesis.Kurland's Moriarty is best described as a sympathetic scoundrel who has been known to indulge in less than savory activities in order to finance his scientific research.He is somewhat perplexed and irritated to be the subject of Sherlock Holmes overblown belief that Moriarty is the criminal genius of Europe.But he is quite brilliant, and exudes a fine sense of manners and charm which often, Sherlock Holmes does not.

This tale, set in 1891, takes place amidst the precursors and threats which will eventually lead to the outbreak of World War I.Anarchists and radicals of all flavors plot to bring down the tyranny of the wealthy that they see about them, and the lives of royalty and top politicians are often at risk.The primary action of the book centers around Charles Summerdane, son of a British noble acting as a spy in Vienna and with two close friends of Moriarty, Benjamin and Cecily Barnett.Charles is maneuvered into taking the blame for an assassination attempt and the death of his lover.With Charles imprisoned, Charles father, Duke Albermar appeals to Professor Moriarty to rescue him from the Viennese police without prejudice to Great Britain.

The Barnetts, innocently vacationing in Europe, manage to save the Prince and Princess of Rumelia from an attempt on their lives, and then are kidnapped themselves by plotters seeking information about Moriarty.In the meantime, Sherlock Holmes and the loyal Watson are also in the Vienna area trying to unlock the secrets of various plots before war can break out.Events in Vienna are a whirl of activity as Holmes and Moriarty form an unwilling alliance in an effort to rescue their friends and keep a shaky peace alive.The Professor seems to have a trick up every sleeve and Holmes' mind is at its deductive finest.

Kurland's characters are classics of that special Victorian world that we associate with Holmes.Men are gruff heroes or devious villains, and all woman are admirable and often more intelligent than the men.Kurland has written a delightful period piece as well as a charming addition to the Holmesian cantos.This is a great cozy up by the fire book, and is well worth the investment.

Witty and Delightful--Holmes and Moriarty
At the end of the 19th century, Europe teeters toward war. Anarchists and assassins have taken aim at the crowned heads and Sherlock Holmes, at least, sees a connecting thread. Someone, for some reason, is conspiring to overthrow the existing order.

England lacks a professional spy organization--that role being served by aristocratic young men playing 'the great game.' When one of these amateur spies is accused of murder, his father calls on Professor Moriarty to help.

Despite Holmes's profound mistrust of Moriarty, the two can find common cause against the enemies of peace in Europe. Their enemies plan to strike soon, but can either uncover the conspiracy before it is too late?

Author Michael Kurland has created a delightful novel. Holmes fans might initially resist seeing Sherlock as improperly fixated on Moriarty, but Kurland's writing draws the reader in. Moriarty himself, as well as his friends Benjamin and Cecily Barnett are well crafted and interesting. Kurland throws both from one adventure to the next letting the reader chase after.

Sherlock Holmes takeoffs are plentiful these days, but THE GREAT GAME is a huge step ahead of the mob.

Highly Recommended

BooksForABuck.

I appreciate your 'helpful' vote. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! MichaelMoriarty (born April 5, 1941) is an American- Canadian actor of stage and screen, and a jazzmusician. He played Benjamin Stone for four seasons on the TV seriesLaw & Order. ... Read more

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This digital document, covering the life and work of Michael Moriarty, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 1839 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

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PLAYBOY magazine JULY 1994 -- this issue contains centerfold traci adell from new orleans la-- an interview with bill gates -- 20 questions with michael moriarty -- pictorials on shannon long - patti davis -articles on rules of dating - women who run with wolves - death at the door of an abortion clinic - higher power of infomercials -- ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Like my high school math teacher said...
...when the class slipped a Playboy onto his desk (open to centerfold, of course) before he entered the classroom: "You know, they have excellent fiction." ... Read more