Fic Rec: The Adventure of the Bridegroom's Photograph

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Title: The Adventure of the Bridegroom's Photograph
Author: spacemutineer
Pairing: Gen
Length: 6547
Rating: G
Warnings: N/A
Verse: ACD books
Author's summary: There is more than one secret to be revealed when a young man comes to Holmes and Watson with a keepsake and a question.

Reccer's comments: This is a submission from Round 6 of acd_holmesfest, and I was rather surprised when the author stated in her original notes that this was her first attempt at a case fic. It is so assured, and absolutely gripping. What begins as the case of a young man worried about his origins then weaves in aspects of a real life historical mystery before eventually giving us a satisfying solution.

The author has caught ACD’s style while putting her own stamp on it. The characterisations of Holmes and Watson are bang on, and I love the way their friendship is portrayed: Watson both appreciative of the “strange, sweet respite of chaos” that Holmes gives to him and amusingly irritated by it at one point (though with very good reason). And I love the fact that when Holmes has the solution to the mystery, he then looks to Watson for advice on what to do with that information—which leads on to a rather touching ending.

Comments

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

Yes! This was one of my favorites from holmesfest, too -- poignant, atmospheric, with a solution to the puzzle that was relentlessly logical and horrifying all at once. The author did a really great job balancing the human element and the mystery plots so that each enriched the other. Thanks for recc'ing it here :)

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

D'you know, I think your comment does a better job of reccing the story than my actual rec ^__^

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

Ha! I wouldn't say so, but I'm happy to second it :)

[tripleransom.livejournal.com]

I thought the quality of the art and fic in the spring Holmesfest was astonishingly high. And I loved this story!

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

There were some real gems in the last round - this story included. It's a wonderful fest ^_^ You get such a broad range of approaches to ACD's work.

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Oh my gosh, thank you so much for recommending my story! I am always delighted to hear people read my stuff at all, and to have it remembered and recommended later is just fantastic. So happy you liked it, and thanks again for pointing new readers my way!

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

You're most welcome ^^ Your story was definitely one of the highlights of Round 6 - I like it a great deal.