Reviewed: 10 January 2026

The Final Problem

by: Arturo Perez-Reverte (Author), Frances Riddle (Translator)

a novel

Rating: (3.0/5)

This is my first read of this author. Not being able to read the original text in Spanish, I am reading the translation. I liked the premise: an actor who once saw fame playing Sherlock Holmes, solving a real-life murder. Not only a murder but a locked-room murder on an island cut off by a storm.

The problem for me was the pace. It was prolonged and methodical. The methodical part should be a good thing, except there was a lot of repetition and reminding the reader that the amateur sleuth once played Sherlock Holmes. We got that, bought into it, and was ready to get on with the case.

There are a lot of references to old movies and stories, which I happen to catch, but not so sure that others would.

I did like the twist, it was well done and well, unexpected as a twist should be.

I can’t help but wonder if nuances were lost in the translation. Overall, a good mystery.

Thank you, #NetGalley and #LittleBrownandCompany, for the opportunity to read and share my thoughts on this story.

Happy Reading!

Release Date: 10-February-2026

Mystery

Plot Summary

In this locked-room mystery set in 1960, a washed-up actor puts his on-camera detective skills to the test when a suspicious death shatters the quiet peace for a group of strangers staying at an isolated Greek island resort. Perfect for fans of Knives Out, Benjamin Stevenson, and Anthony Horowitz.

"Perfect. . . Like taking a warm bath in the best of the Golden Age."― Janice Hallett

June, 1960. Rough weather at sea leaves a group of strangers stranded on the idyllic Greek island of Utakos, all guests of the only local hotel. Nothing could prepare them for what happens next: Edith Mander, a quiet British tourist, is found dead inside a beach cabana. What appears at first glance to be a clear suicide reveals possible signs of foul play to Ormond Basil, an out-of-work but still well-known actor who in his glory days portrayed the most celebrated detective of all time. Accustomed to seeing him display Sherlock Holmes’ amazing powers of deduction on the big screen, the other guests believe that the actor is the best equipped to uncover the truth.

But when a second body is discovered, there is not a doubt in Basil’s mind: a murderer walks among them. What’s more, the killer is staging each crime as a performance, leaving complex clues that bear an eerie resemblance to those found in the pages of Conan Doyle stories. This is a criminal who knows every trick in the book and is playing a deadly literary game. As the storm rages, Basil must become the genius detective he has only pretended to be.

This clever, whip-smart, locked-room mystery from internationally bestselling author Arturo Pérez-Reverte is a love letter to golden-age detective novels. The Final Problem delights in exploring the tension between an investigator and his suspects, as well as a writer and his reader, delivering a revelatory twist that will shock even the sharpest of mystery fans.