Rating: 
Summary: The Unfortunate Adventure of Sherlock Holmes
Review: Unfortunately, I have to rank this book among the top three worst novels I have ever read. Despite the alluring cover, the promise that it was an "International Bestseller," and all the aspects which might--and should--have made this an interesting novel (the exotic locale, interesting characters, etc.), *A Samba for Sherlock* fails to deliver on any and all of its well-publicized promise.What I'm not sure of, however, is whether to place the blame for this ultimately unsatisfying novel on the writer, Jo Soares--who seems to be well-thought-of, at least in Brasil--or the translator, Clifford Landers--who appears to have a long history translating other works. To fault the writer, many sections seemed less like a well-written novel and much more like propaganda from a nineteenth-century Brasilian tourism board. Far too much of the book dwelled unartistically on the history of otherwise irrelevant aspects of the country's culture, political history and inhabitants. The characters, though interesting, were too numerous and too ill-defined to make reading about them easy and therefore failed to entice me to care about what happened to them or even to try to sort them out in my mind. Even the main characters (Holmes & Watson included) were of little interest, coming off as little more than comic caricatures. Although a fan of classic Holmes, I can appreciate seeing the great fictional detective out of traditional character in a comic role. It is not the *fact* that he is made comical, but the *manner* in which the role is created that contributes to the failure of the novel in my eyes. Landers, who seems as though he has the history with translation to do the novel justice, nevertheless seems to fail the crossover in languages. In several places throughout *Samba*, I felt as though the original Portugese might have sufficed for Landers' English renderings. As it is unnecessary to translate "Affair de Cour" into the language of most English-speaking readers, so the readers of *A Samba for Sherlock* might have benefitted from a little less literality in translation and a little more romanticized explanation of terms left in their original language. Although I admit that the plot was sufficiently twisted and mysterious to prevent my reaching the conclusion early, by the end of the book, I cared little about any of the characters or even who the killer was and why the crimes were committed. This is unfortunate, but nothing that bit more artistry and a bit less history scientific skill can't fix. Despite the low rank I give *Samba,* however, I realize the potential for talent in both Soares and Landers and the huge promise held by the elements of the novel and look forward to investigating their next attempt at collaboration, hopefully with more artistically-executed results.
Rating: 
Summary: go for it
Review: What many people do not understand here is that you must go beyond the Sherlock Holmes story and try to understand the Brazilian culture and how, in this book, were Holmes and Watson important to Brazil and its history. Holmes's fans, please do not be upset. I would really like to meet the person who invented the "caipirinha", and on this book Watson did as you might recall. However, if you are narrow minded and can only see in Holmes a tough detective who knows everything about decyphering a crime, I am sorry, this is not a book for you. Jo Soares is a very intelligent man, and I agree he has had his ups and downs. "Xango de Baker Street" is definitely one of his highlights. You foreign readers should visit Brazil before making conclusions on how stupid or not stupid Jo Soares is. In my opinion this is an enjoyable book, and it is possible to have some laughs as well, but again, you must first break that ice barrier some of you might have in regards to foreign cultures. After this book I see Sherlock Holmes as a better all around private eye. The dude is cool and sometimes I wish the "real" Sherlock had some of the characteristics Jo gave to him. Sherlock, you should become a Brazilian citizen!! We love you!! Take care, and keep charging in life! -BORACEIA-BLACK's-EU E RODSNEY
Rating:
Summary: Sherlock samba style
Review: While it is true that this book might be a little hard for some people to understand, mainly the satirical situation of contrasting one of the most respectable fictional characters ever created with 19th century Brazil, which I assume must be hard for people unfamiliar with the traditions and culture of that country to understand completely, this book must be understood in its own context. Jo Soares was very succesful in properly presenting its readers with a delightful satire by mixing two elements with almost nothing in common. The image of Holmes in this book should be interpreted as one representing the polite British gentleman who shares no characteristics with those of most Brazilians - mostly characterized as friendly and casual people with a lot of sense of humor - and watching as it develops. The result is a very well written book which proves to be a good read in many different levels. To those thinking they will find thriller in the same level of the original Sherlock Holmes'novels should not count on it. But even then, Jo does not disappoint, for after all there is a crime involved, along with a very clever ending. Take this book for what it is, and you're in for a good time!
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