In fact, Faye had been frustrated for some time by Holmes stories that sacrificed Conan Doyle's narrative voice and the close relationship between the detective and his best friend and biographer Dr. John Watson for an over-emphasis on mystery plotting — often attempting to ratchet up interest with arcane or outrageous elements. The stories she wanted would read as much like Conan Doyle as possible, but with a more modern element of gritty realism, a la Caleb Carr in "The Alienist." So, as Faye said, she simply decided to write one with "Dust and Shadow." And was subsequently gratified, and not a little surprised, when her book was given the blessing of the Conan Doyle estate, picked up by a major publisher (Simon & Schuster) and proceeded to sell remarkably well — no doubt helped along by the major upsurge in Holmes popularity following the release of the movies starring Robert Downey Jr. in the title role, BBC's "Sherlock" with Benedict Cumberbatch and the CBS TV show "Elementary" starring Jonny Lee Miller.