Mark Gatiss stars in the two-part mystery Bookish, portraying the 1940s detective Gabriel Book. The character is defined by a fierce hostility toward psychics and spiritualism.
Gabriel Book’s crusade against "mendacious pigs"
The character of Gabriel Book represents a sharp departure for Mark Gatiss, who has built a career around the eerie and the unexplained. While Gatiss is well-known for his BBC Christmas ghost stories and his 2020 retelling of the Dracula legend, this new role embraces a staunchly skeptical worldview. As the report notes, the detective is portrayed as a man who views mediums as "filthy, crooked, mendacious, disgusting pigs."
This hostility extends beyond the world of psychics and into the realm of conventional religion. The character of Gabriel Book even suggests that if a deity exists, such an entity would be inherently cruel and abhorrent. This cynical persona is a significant pivot from the winsome mannerisms Gatiss has often displayed in previous roles, moving instead toward a character that is described as cold and self-satisfied.
The predictable demise of Mr. Sneed
The central plot of the mystery focuses on the death of Mr. Sneed, a medium and blackmailer played by Jason Watkins. During a staged seance, Sneed is discovered with a knife embedded in his heart, a scene featuring a clever detail involving a dead man's fingerprints on the handle. However, the tension of the murder is underccut by the ease with which the culprit is identified.
According to the source, the mystery becomes transparent once the psychic's assistant, played by Saffron Coomber, is revealed to be a former circus performer. Her ability to flick a stick of chalk with professional dexterity makes the identity of the killer obvious to the audience. While the production features supporting performmances from Polly Walker as Mrs. Book and Connor Finch as Jack, the mystery itself struggles to maintain its intrigue.
A disconnect between Gabriel Book and Inspector Bliss
A significant narrative weakness involves the relationship between the amateur sleuth and the official police force. The show attempts to justify Gabriel Book's involvement in criminal investigations through his friendship with Inspector Bliss, played by Elliot Levey. However, the production fails to establish a convincing bond between the two men, making their professional alliance feel unearned.
The lack of chemistry is highlighted when Book inquires about Bliss's wife, a moment that suggests the two characters are virtually strangers. This lack of connection stands in stark contrast to other amateur sleuth procedurals, such as Grantchester, where the bond between the investigator and the professional detective is a central pillar of the show. The only moment of high-stakes intrigue mentioned is a brief cameo by Simon Callow, who appears as an eyepatch-wearing spymaster.
The missed opportunity of a supernatural twist
The creative decision to exclude paranormal elements remains a primary point of contention for the series... The reviewer suggests that the show might have been more compelling if it had allowed elements of the supernatural to seep into the narrative, especially given that seances—even fake ones—naturally invite an atmosphere of the unknown. By strictly adhering to Book's skepticism, the show may have missed a chance to lean into the very genre Gatiss is famous for.
Several questions remain regarding the show's long-term appeal,specifically whether a protagonist as "tiresomely self-satisfied" as Gabriel Book can sustain a multi-part series. it also remains unclear if the production's refusal to engage with the paranormal was a deliberate thematic choice or a missed opportunity to heighten the stakes of the murder mystery.
Comments 0