i'd been meaning to read something by barnes and so was happy to rediscover this in one of my stacks of books. the back cover didn't have a synopsis (for the record- unacceptable, publishers) but i figured what the heck. only later did i read the plot summary to discover the titular arthur was actually arthur conan doyle, at which point my curiosity was piqued. though the true meat of the story doesn't begin until nearly 2/3 through the book, some might say, barnes manages to make the plot nevertheless compelling throughout. or maybe i'm just a sucker for legal dramas (guilty!) along with righteous indignation and wanting to see people get their comeuppance. at any rate, barnes so thoroughly develops the characters you feel you know them, which makes this already fascinating (true) story all the more page-turning.
i look forward to reading more from him!