The House of Lost Horizons - A Sarah Jewell Mystery
Writer: Chris Roberson
Artist: Leila Del Duca
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
The success of Comedy, Tragedy, Action, Drama, Adventure, Horror, Thriller, or Romance can be as simple as a work’s ability to deliver its genre’s namesake.
Audiences will judge works’ from these genres by their provision of emotion. A book or movie can be considered a triumph or failure purely based on the amount you laughed or cried, or became excited, scared, tense, or even aroused.
Other popular genres, such as Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Historical Fiction, and Satire, often require more complex planning by creators. They need to develop entirely new worlds, filled with characters that may have little resemblance to human beings, and objectives and journeys that make sense only within their own invented context. They need to thoroughly research real-life occurrences and famous persons to establish their work within a basis of truth, and then contend with where to take creative liberties, whether due to a lack of available information, a need to skewer reality for humour or truth, or even just the need to tell a better story.
Of all the popular genres in literature and entertainment, the Mystery genre has a strong argument for being the most difficult to create. Its success relies upon the quality of the puzzle to be solved, needing to be complex enough to intrigue, yet never overly convoluted. This is intertwined with the narrative’s ability to present the mystery to the audience piece-by-piece, using the characters and plot to progress the previously unknown to a revelation of truth. The success of many popular genres is emotional; for Mystery, it’s cerebral. Some popular genres rely on an audience’s suspension of disbelief to underpin their creativity; mysteries need logic and sense to succeed.
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It’s little surprise that there are so many highly popular sub-genres of mysteries, from whodunit’s and howcatchem’s, to cozy mysteries and hardboiled noir. Mysteries have given us some of fiction’s greatest ever characters, not limited to Sherlock Holmes & John Watson, the Hardy Boys & Nancy Drew, Hercule Poirot & Miss Marple, and even Batman. Legendary mystery author Dame Agatha Christie is the best-selling fiction writer of all time according to Guinness World Records. Her novels have sold more than two billion copies, and she is also responsible for the world's longest-running play, ‘The Mousetrap’, which has been performed in the West End since 1952. Audience demand for mysteries has been consistently high for over two centuries, and creators have continually evolved the Mystery genre across all forms of entertainment and literature.
For both mystery-buffs and comic readers, ‘The House of Lost Horizons – A Sarah Jewell Mystery’ is a treat. Set in 1926 on a private island off the coast of Washington, a locked-room murder mystery puzzles veteran paranormal detective Sarah Jewell and her associate Marie-Thérèse. Trapped on the island by a raging storm with no contact to the outside world, the intrepid investigators are surrounded by myriad suspects who have gathered for an auction of occult items. The duo must unravel various supernatural mysteries surrounding each of the guests in an effort to uncover the murderer, all while the bodies keep piling up, and the danger grows.
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‘The House of Lost Horizons’ success is first-and-foremost dependent on the quality of its mystery, and it delivers skillfully. We initially believe that the disparate group of characters have little in common, travelling great distances to the island from various corners of the world. As the book swiftly progresses, we learn their backstories, how they intertwine with each other and the occult items, and most importantly their potential motives for murder.
In some poor quality mysteries, supernatural and occult occurrences are used to explain away the unexplainable, often using a cumbersome ‘deus ex machina’ to abruptly resolve an otherwise irresolvable plot situation. Thankfully, ‘The House of Lost Horizons’ is never at risk of such sloppy efforts. It understands how to raise questions and possibilities about the metaphysical, while keeping the plot anchored by the corporeal. Characters are affected by the supernatural, yet they seemingly remain in control of their own actions. They engage with occult artifacts and in rituals, yet do so with maintained perspicacity. Sarah and Marie-Thérèse are faced with the unexplainable, and while they recognise that anything is possible and something otherworldly might be the cause, they remain level-headed in their quest to solve the truth.
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The characters are a major part of why the book works so well. They’ll feel familiar to any mystery fan, but they’re genre archetypes, not generic stereotypes. Sarah and Marie-Thérèse operate with agency and confidence; they’re compelling and humorous, and easy for readers to join on their journey. They use their wits and experience to uncover new information, and adjust their actions based upon how the available pieces of the puzzle seem to fit together. The supporting cast are far from one dimensional, which helps to add weight to the story. The characters’ varied cultural and social backgrounds provide an extra element to proceedings, causing additional suspicion and mistrust between the parties, and adding a sense of realism to their actions.
For all the merits Chris Roberson’s story deserves, Leila Del Duca’s fantastic art is what ensures it lands, assisted impressively by Michelle Madsen’s colour work. Tight close-ups on characters are the norm, particularly their highly emotive facial expressions. Backgrounds are regularly lightly textured around one base colour, unrelated to the actual location the character is in; the house’s wooden walls are all diagonal lines and monochrome brown; superfluous decoration is often minimal. Their superb understanding of focus and perspective help make the book just as much a visual mystery as the plot does. Most importantly, they understand completely when and how to contrast their norm. Big reveals are delivered with shock, shadows obscure the unknown, and supernatural occurrences are creepy and tense. Character flashbacks are regularly far more detailed than present day proceedings; given the fallibility of memory, we’re constantly left to ask how truthful each character is being.
Set almost one century in the past, it’s a particular joy that ‘The House of Lost Horizons’ doesn’t face the difficulties of so many present-day mysteries, whose plots are impacted by modern technology. Its supernatural leanings are also a welcome respite from the almost overwhelming amount of contemporary true crime mysteries, which revel in the grim and the violent, and sometimes minimise the traumatic horrors faced by victims. Akin to the continued appeal of Holmes and Poirot, ‘The House of Lost Horizons’ feels like a timeless book that comic book readers will be able to pick up and enjoy long into the future.
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