A Study in Sherlock: A Collection of Stories

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A Study in Sherlock: A Collection of Stories

by Laurie R. King (Goodreads Author), Les Klinger, Leslie S. Klinger (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Alan Bradley (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Lee Child (Contributor)

3.71 of 5 stars 3.71 · rating details · 1,274 ratings · 233 reviews

BESTSELLING AUTHORS GO HOLMES--IN AN IRRESISTIBLE NEW COLLECTION edited by award-winning Sherlockians Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger
Neil Gaiman. Laura Lippman. Lee Child. These are just three of eighteen superstar authors who provide fascinating, thrilling, and utterly original perspectives on Sherlock Holmes in this one-of-a-kind book. These modern masters place th...more

ebook, 269 pages

Published October 25th 2011 by Random House Publishing Group (first published October 1st 2011)

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Mar 21, 2012 Hannah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads, mysteries

Not a bad read, but as with most anthologies, there's bound to be a divergence in talent among the various stories presented.

My two favorites (by far) were Lee Child's The Bone-Headed League and Neil Gaiman's The Case of Death and Honey. Both of these were well written, imaginative and clever in their execution of creating a Sherlock Holmes-inspired story. As for the others, they were mildly entertaining or (in the case of three of them) sheer dreck.

All-in-all, an entertaining read for fans of t...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Rachael rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller, short-stories

This anthology is a mixed bag. Some of the 16 true stories and one epilogue mini-story are pointless and pedestrian: major mystery writers retelling Conan Doyle canon stories with their own series stars solving the same case or just writing a basic mystery with a few nods in the direction of Holmes references. Fortunately that isn't all the collection has to offer and there are a few true gems and even more entertaining offerings in with the blandness.

Neil Gaiman's "The Case of Death and Honey"...more This anthology is a mixed bag. Some of the 16 true stories and one epilogue mini-story are pointless and pedestrian: major mystery writers retelling Conan Doyle canon stories with their own series stars solving the same case or just writing a basic mystery with a few nods in the direction of Holmes references. Fortunately that isn't all the collection has to offer and there are a few true gems and even more entertaining offerings in with the blandness.

Neil Gaiman's "The Case of Death and Honey" and Margaret Maron's "The Adventure of the Concert Pianist" are brilliant stories that feel like they actually have something to say about the original canon characters and should be read by all Holmes pastiche lovers. The Adventure of the Purloined Paget by Philip Margolin and Jerry Margolin is a more Agatha Christie-esque modern mystery with a Sherlock Holmes theme to it and Charles Todd's The Case that Holmes Lost is a story about Arthur Conan Doyle himself solving a mystery with a bit of help from his creation. While they don't rise to the level of Gaiman's and Maron's efforts, they're worth reading for those looking for a love of Sherlock Holmes but not necessarily Holmes himself in action.

There are a few other stories that might appeal based on individual interests. For fans of specific Holmes stories, The Men with the Twisted Lips by S. J. Rozan is a behind the scenes look at the similarly titled canon tale and Lee Child's The Bone-Headed League is a modern twisted version of its canon parent. They both have something to say, offer a different take on the originals rather than merely rehashing them as some stories in this collection do. For my own interests, The Last of Sheila-Locke Holmes by Laura Lippman is a rather quiet story about a modern girl with a love of mysteries who felt familiar to me while Colin Cotterill's The Mysterious Case of the Unwritten Short Story is a comic about the difficulties of writing the story appearing in this collection that I absolutely loved but it will certainly not appeal to all tastes. Jacqueline Winspear's A Spot of Detection didn't do much for me but I can see it appealing to general mystery fans looking for a quieter story. It is a tale of falling in love with Holmes and perhaps trying too hard to be like him with a special treat for fans of another famous mystery writer I'll not name for those who like surprises. I don't see much of worth in any of the other stories save for The Startling Events in the Electrified City by Tom Perry. I honestly can't decide how I feel about this rollicking adventure story that has Holmes and Watson traveling to America at the invitation of the American President McKinley. The story is a great deal of fun that amused me immensely, but I can't decide if it amused me in the wrong ways, if I were perhaps laughing at it more than with it, or if that was the point.(less)

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Sep 28, 2012 Philip K. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This collection is the first by this pair of editors and it looks to be a winner. The stories are not necessarily about Holmes, but rather are all inspired by the sixty tales of the Canon. This has resulted in a complex mixture of tales. Properly speaking, none of these tales are pastiches, although some are about Holmes or Watson or other Canonical characters. They are not imitations of the Canonical tales written in the style of Doyle but instead are stories inspired by the sixty tales written...more This collection is the first by this pair of editors and it looks to be a winner. The stories are not necessarily about Holmes, but rather are all inspired by the sixty tales of the Canon. This has resulted in a complex mixture of tales. Properly speaking, none of these tales are pastiches, although some are about Holmes or Watson or other Canonical characters. They are not imitations of the Canonical tales written in the style of Doyle but instead are stories inspired by the sixty tales written by Doyle about Holmes.

“You’d Better Go in Disguise” is an intriguing short story by Alan Bradley that presents several odd twists and confused identities. “As to ‘an exact knowledge of London’” is a novella by Tony Broadbent. It is set in modern times and it tells of a wounded Army Doctor returning from service in Afghanistan who takes a long cab ride around London with a very knowledgeable cabbie. “The Men with the Twisted Lips” is a short story by S. J. Rozan. It presents an alternative and very interesting but not contradictory view of events in “The Man with the Twisted Lip.” “The Adventure of the Purloined Paget” is a novella by Phillip and Jerry Margolin that relates the offer for auction of a Paget drawing created for a lost, 61st Holmes story written by Arthur Conan Doyle. The owner’s murder sparks serious Sherlockian analysis and deduction.

“The Bone-headed League” is a short story by Lee Child set in modern day London with an ardent student of The Canon being caught up in an investigation that echoes with the tone of “The Red-Headed League.” “The Startling Events in the Electrified City” is a novella that relates Holmes’ and Watson’s involvement in the assassination of President McKinley at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. It provides an excellent explanation of the political effects of this event. “The Mysterious Case of the Unwritten Short Story” is an illustrated ‘commentary’ of uncertain length and content by Colin Cotterill. It does mention Sherlock Holmes and Baker Street several times (at least twice!) and is almost surely related to some sort of Sherlockian narrative, I think! “The Case of Death and Honey” is a short novella by Neil Gaiman that once more displays his true mastery of Sherlockian fiction. It mingles the story of old Gao’s mean and lazy bees and the old white ghost man with that of Professor Presbury and his experiments.

“A Triumph of Logic” is a short novella by Gayle Lynds and John Sheldon. It relates an unofficial investigation by a Maine lawyer and judge into the suicide of a court recorder. “The Last of Sheila-Locke Holmes” is a short story by Laura Lippman that relates a Holmesian episode in growing up for an eleven-year-old girl. “The Adventure of the Concert Pianist” is a short story by Margaret Maron that describes a joint investigation by Dr. Watson and Mrs. Hudson just prior to “The Adventure of the Empty House.” It also contains several interesting comments of one sort or another by Mrs. Hudson.. “The Shadow Not Cast” is a novella by Lionel Chetwynd about a modern-day Sherlock Holmes. It is brimming over with interesting characters, ideas and situations, topped off by a true Holmes sound-alike.

“The Eyak Interpreter” is a short story by Dana Stabenow that features her native Alaskan private detective, Kate Shugak, in a story reminiscent of “The Greek Interpreter.” “The Case That Holmes Lost” is a short story by Charles Todd. It tells of an instance where Doyle’s publication of a new Holmes story is snarled by a frivolous lawsuit brought against Holmes. The details are a bit confusing, but intriguing. “The Imitator” is a novella by Jan burke that tells of the tribulations of a number of American veterans, including a Holmes imitator, just after WW-I. The characters are well-drawn and believable, as is their common understanding of one another across the decades. “A Spot of Detection” is a novella by Jacqueline Winsper that describes the first foray into detection by an American boy at school in England in the early 1900s. He is fortunate that he encounters a sympathetic police inspector.

This collection features efforts by a number of very talented authors. They take the tales and characters and the ideas of the Canon into new worlds and times and, in doing so, they demonstrate the truly timeless nature of the Canon and the Great Detective. Their detectives are the offspring of Doyle’s creation. The single problem I see with this collection seems to be that only the illustrated story and a few others present hopeful or pleasant endings. There doesn’t seem to be much humor, hope or happiness in this group of Sherlock-inspired tales, not even a comfortable seat by the fire with a glass.

Reviewed by: Philip K. Jones, November 2011
Published in “Doctor Watson’s Formulary,” [#21, 09/2012]
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Jul 31, 2012 Tales Untangled rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed many of the tales written, though some sparked my interest more than others, and the graphic novel left me completely cold. I found that if the stories were too similar I had to read another book in between to avoid confusion and to leave each installment feeling fresh.

One of my favorite stories, As to "An Exact Knowledge of London", was written by Tony Broadbent. This story opens with a man needing a cab wanting to visit the sites famous from Sherlock's adventures. The taxi driver, wh...more

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May 25, 2012 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Being something of a Sherlockian, Janeite, and Tutor-era purist, I tend to avoid anthologies like A Study in Sherlock. In fact, I tend to avoid fan fiction or spin-offs in general. With some exceptions, the Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer being an excellent example, they never quite meet my expectations. It is like the old saying ‘the movie is never as good as the book’, but in this case, ‘the re-telling is never as good as the cannon.’
A Study in Sherlock edited by Laurie R. King and L...more Being something of a Sherlockian, Janeite, and Tutor-era purist, I tend to avoid anthologies like A Study in Sherlock. In fact, I tend to avoid fan fiction or spin-offs in general. With some exceptions, the Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer being an excellent example, they never quite meet my expectations. It is like the old saying ‘the movie is never as good as the book’, but in this case, ‘the re-telling is never as good as the cannon.’
A Study in Sherlock edited by Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger is a collection of short stories inspired by Sherlock Holmes and written by “some of the greatest mystery writers of our time…” Actually, I’ve never heard of any of them so I’m slightly skeptical. That might be more of my fault as a reader than the authors.
Anyway! As far as anthologies go, A Study in Sherlock was rather interesting. Or at least, it had some good stories. “As to ‘An Exact Knowledge of London’” and “The Case of Death and Honey” were my personal favorites. “The Eyak Interpreter” and “The Case That Holmes Lost” were interesting. “The Adventures of the Concert Pianist” was interesting but oh-so-predictable. It was an interesting mix, really. Some of the stories were good and I plan on finding more by the authors. Others were dumb. “The Mysterious Case of the Unwritten Short Story” really wasn’t to my taste.
Overall, an interesting collection that I mostly enjoyed as a good yarn. It re-peaked my interest in that fabulous detective, Sherlock Holmes. It was interesting to see the various authors and the differences in their ideas, interpretation of how a short story should deal with Sherlock Holmes, and writing styles. It also introduced me to a wealth of new authors with a great deal , hopefully, of potential. Thus, while I don’t necessarily recommend this book, I don’t not recommend it. Some of the short stories were down-right clever. Others were depressing or dumb. Some were predictable. When you get this many authors together, you certainly can’t expect every story to be fabulous. Thus, interesting but not fantabulous.
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Feb 01, 2012 Liz Jenkins rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a collection of short stories by authors experienced in various genres. Unfortunately, for some of them, the art of the short story proves elusive. The first two selections are, frankly, bad (the second in particular, by Tony Broadbent, seems to serve as little more than proof that Mr. Broadbent can use IMDB and is capable of providing extremely awkward expository dialogue which serves no eventual purpose). Luckily, the other authors seem to pick up the slack. Particular highlights are N...more

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Dec 31, 2011 Evanston Public Library added it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, mystery

Sherlock Holmes fans will rejoice with this wonderful collection of short stories inspired by the famous detective. Eighteen authors, including Neil Gaiman, Margaret Maron, Dana Stabenow, Charles Todd, Margaret Maron, etc. have created clever and original tales of mystery based on Holmes’s stories. I loved Laura Lippman’s tale The Last of Sheila- Locke Holmes about 11-year-old sleuth Sheila Locke-Weiner who opened her own detective agency and changed her name to Sheila Locke-Holmes: “The only ca...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Mickey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I believe it was my mother who got me started reading Sherlock Holmes. I checked out as many of Conan Doyle's books as I could carry home from the library. LOVED him, despite his flaws. (Cocaine? Bad, Sherlock!) As a result of my addiction, I have also read way too many Holmesian pastiches. As with other mythic characters (King Arthur, vampires, and werewolves come to mind), there are lots of good, well written stories/novels out there. There is also a LOT of sheer, deplorable DRECK. (Sherlock i...more

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Dec 27, 2011 robyn rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sherlockiana, mystery

I don't know why I keep doing this to myself.

There ARE a couple of decent reads, but this collection is chiefly notable for another atypical and enjoyable SH pastiche by Neil Gaiman, affectionately inspired by his own experience with beekeeping.

The problem is, really, that no matter what criticism writers may cast at Doyle, or at Holmes ("not as interesting as he thought he was") the fact is that Doyle put these stories together really well, and he laid Holmes' dry, analytical deductions out wit...more

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Dec 25, 2011 Terry rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-books

Like all short story collections this is a mixed bag. The best stories were not a surprise--Laura Lippman's, Neil Gaiman's, and Alan Bradley's. Lippman's was my personal favorite, one of the only stories that emotionally resonates, and one that ends in a completely different place than it starts. Gaiman's was as well-written, and a nice blend of fantasy and mystery. Bradley's begins the collection and is nice combination of Hitchcock and Holmes, even if the solution is telegraphed from the begin...more Like all short story collections this is a mixed bag. The best stories were not a surprise--Laura Lippman's, Neil Gaiman's, and Alan Bradley's. Lippman's was my personal favorite, one of the only stories that emotionally resonates, and one that ends in a completely different place than it starts. Gaiman's was as well-written, and a nice blend of fantasy and mystery. Bradley's begins the collection and is nice combination of Hitchcock and Holmes, even if the solution is telegraphed from the beginning.

The reason I'm going with 3 stars instead of 2, though, is because of the two surprises in the collection: Thomas Perry and Dana Stabenow. I haven't read anything by either, and now am looking forward to checking out both. Both stories relocate Holmes--Perry drops him in a presidential assassination plot; Stabenow situates him in Alaska to investigate the disappearance of a Native American elder--and both craft imaginative, adventurous tales. Perry's is the most action-filled of the bunch--something that is so much a part of the Holmes stories, and something that the less-successful stories in the collection ignore in their attempt at recreation (Charles Todd and Phillip and Jerry Margolin, for example end up with the Agatha Christie drawing room, let's-gather-the-suspects-and-explain trope). Stabenow nicely plays with the narration, creating a teenage Watson who blogs about his mom as they solve a case. It shouldn't work, but it does, with Stabenow capturing the adolescent voice and keeping the mystery moving along.

Less successful at recreating an adolescent voice is Jacqueline Winspear, whose story moves too fast and ends with a "Really?" moment. I was ready to give Winspear another shot after disliking the first Maisie Dobbs mystery, but this story just confirmed my impressions--the dialogue is leaden, the situation unbelievable, and the solution is one step above "and it was all a dream." Still, the nice twist about the identity of the protagonist puts it in the middle of the pack in the collection, along with Lee Child's (nicely done but spare); Tony Broadbent's and S.J. Rozan's (interesting premises, well-written, but neither really goes anywhere); Colin Cotterill's (a short graphic novel that's amusing but slight); Margaret Maron's (a clever mystery told from Mrs. Hudson's point of view); Jan Burke's (an interesting premise with detectives as scarred WW1 vets, but with too many characters and plotlines for its length); and Lionel Chetwynd's (which does a great job of recreating the characters and set-up of the mystery, but has a confusing, ho-hum conclusion).

And, at the bottom are all the co-authored tales: stories by Phillip and Jerry Margolin, Gayle Lynds and John Sheldon, and Charles Todd (a mother and son team). I'm not sure how this happened--collaboration should bring out more ideas, more cleverness--but instead has resulted in terrible writing and pacing. It's as if the authors came up with a clever premise and simply stopped there, paying little attention to the actual writing of the stories. And this is where the bigger problem comes in--the actual editing of the collection, or lack thereof. I'm left wondering not only about the inclusion of stories that don't work, but also the order of the tales--the stories seem to be placed at random (with, perhaps the possible exception of Bradley's that starts off the collection on a high note). I also can't help but wonder what other authors--Walter Mosley, Carl Hiaasen, Ian Rankin, Louise Penny, to name four amazing writers--would have done. If everything had been at the level of Lippman's, Gaiman's, and Bradley's work, this collection could have been truly amazing.(less)

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Oct 12, 2011 Melissa Culbertson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A Study in Sherlock is a fun read that will make you want to pull your dusty Sir Arthur Conan Doyle tomes from the shelf for a reread. A winning compilation put together by Holmes enthusiasts Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger, the book includes short Holmes-inspired mystery adventures by world-renowned writers like Tony Broadbent, Laura Lippman, Jerry Margolin, and the impeccable Neil Gaiman. King and Klinger worked hard to include writers who are as much Sherlock-nerds as the intended reader...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Catherine Thompson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, mystery, private-investigator-fiction

A collection of stories inspired by Sherlock Holmes and his creator, this anthology is edited by Laurie R. King, author of the Mary Russell mysteries, and Leslie S. Klinger, a noted Holmes enthusiast and editor of the New Annotated Sherlock Holmes. The stories are overall pretty good, with one or two really outstanding entries, but some seem to have little or no connection to Holmes at all. The first story in the collection, by Alan Bradley, is a direct pastiche, setting Holmes and Watson in the...more

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May 25, 2012 Cat rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A cute and entertaining collection of Holmes-derived tales by a number of very engaging writers who have mastered the trick of the concluding twist that Doyle made his trademark. My favorites were both historical and imaginative. Neil Gaiman introduces an almost mythic dimension as Holmes late in his career faces the greatest mystery of them all, death, the undiscovered country; his Mycroft is particularly well-drawn if grotesque. I also loved Thomas Perry's speculative history about President M...more

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Jan 20, 2012 Angel rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: not recommended, unless you must

Shelves: mystery-and-detective

I went with high expectations for this book, and except for one or two stories, it was mostly disappointing. Maybe it was just not the book for me; I noticed a good number of people here in GoodReads gave it positive reviews. However, for me, it is a book "inspired by the canon," and apparently that was not saying much. The great detective is mostly peripheral in this collection of stories about Sherlockiana geeks, collectors, and other folks with an interest in Sherlock Holmes but otherwise not...more I went with high expectations for this book, and except for one or two stories, it was mostly disappointing. Maybe it was just not the book for me; I noticed a good number of people here in GoodReads gave it positive reviews. However, for me, it is a book "inspired by the canon," and apparently that was not saying much. The great detective is mostly peripheral in this collection of stories about Sherlockiana geeks, collectors, and other folks with an interest in Sherlock Holmes but otherwise not related to the detective. This was basically like getting a book that claims to be inspired by Star Trek canon, only to find it is just so-so stories about the Trekkies you meet at conventions who happen to know every single detail of the episodes in the original series, and use that knowledge to solve mysteries. Just because one or two can deduce, as another reviewer mentioned, it is not the deductive art of Sherlock Holmes. That was the main thing that was missing. As I mentioned, there was one or two good entertaining stories here, but overall, the anthology is hit and miss. I will give it credit for being something different, but personally, not something terribly impressive in terms of substance.

I will mention that I have read various anthologies of Sherlock Holmes stories, in addition to having read the whole original canon. If you want something along the lines of Conan Doyle's work, something that truly captures the essence and pays good tribute to the great detective, pick up one of those other anthologies, or just go back the original. In fact, after reading this book, I felt the urge to go back and read Conan Doyle's work, just to remind myself how good that is. For now, if asked for what is a good anthology of Sherlock Holmes stories, I would recommend Shadows Over Baker Street, a nice set of stories where the great detective is tossed in the world of H.P. Lovecraft. That is worth reading. This, in my estimation, not so much. As I said, there are one or two stories in it, including one by Neil Gaiman, but the rest are pretty forgettable.

However, if you enjoy light mysteries with amateur sleuths, anything from Murder, She Wrote to the Mary Russell series (one of this books editors is the author of that series), you just might like this book. Just because I did not enjoy it does not mean you might not either. (less)

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Nov 28, 2011 John Loomis rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As a Holmes-obsessee of course I was going to buy this... but these stories are just meh/fine... nothing new here. Some of the stories are boring/weak. Sherlock is everywhere in our story-telling culture... nearly every single drama on TV borrows heavily (or steals outright in the case of House) as just a tiny sample... which for me left these stories pretty watered down. Sadly this is 2 strikes in a row for Laurie King after her really poorly received Pirate King/Mary Russel book this fall... h...more

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Dec 09, 2011 Kam rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, historical

I do not often read short story collections. Not to say I have anything against the format; as a matter of fact, a well-crafted short story is often rather like instant gratification to a reader: it does not take the same amount of time to read as a novel, but can be just as fulfilling if it's good. But I find that, as a rule, I only enjoy short stories if they are in collections written by one author, and preferably linked to one particular world or universe. Lots of writers do this, especially...more

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Jan 30, 2012 Libby rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, year-without-a-theme

A delightfully varied collection of short stories inspired by the master detective compiled by two of his most ardent contemporary devotees, Leslie S. Klinger, whose “New Annotated Sherlock Holmes” is a treasure of historical, academic, and downright entertaining information, and Laurie R. King, whose Mary Russell books tell of Holmes' later adventurers with her bookish young bluestocking. A few of the lesser pieces in the collection incorporate the original stories clunkily, but there are some...more

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Nov 19, 2011 Joyce Lagow rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-edition, police-procedural

A fascinating idea: take thirteen contemporary writers in the mystery genre and set them loose on Sherlock Holmes. Result: thirteen wildly different short stories--some set in contemporary time, some set in and adding to the pseudo-Holmes cannon (Holmes stories but not written by Conan Doyle), some tightly connected to the Holmes, stories, other far more loosely; some based on either a Homes story or linked by style to the canon. All are imaginative as might be expected from the likes of Lee Chi...more

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Feb 27, 2012 Scurra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As is often noted, short story anthologies are always hard to judge, because there will inevitably be some you like, some you don't and some you hate - and each of us will differ as to which is which.
I found more hits than misses in this collection, but not enough to make me want to recommend the book as a whole.
There are basically three groups of stories here: the sideways looks at the canon (these worked best for me, especially things like the "Twisted Lips" and the "Concert Pianist"), the off...more

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Dec 23, 2011 Riju Ganguly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the finest collection of pastiches and other (Sherlock Holmes-inspired) pieces, this book should be lapped up by those who are in love with the Great Detective, and esp. by those who have cherished his present day reincarnation via BBC. The contents are:

(*) An Introduction by Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger

1) YOU'D BETTER GO IN DISGUISE by Alan Bradley: a superb cat & mouse piece enacted by a killer and the Great Detective, with a darker tone that might have upset Sir Arthur.

2) A...more

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May 07, 2013 Robin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, anthology

I don't go out of my way to read short stories but I was so crazy about Laurie R. King's The Beekeeper's Apprentice that I picked this up when I saw it. There were a couple of stories that I was pretty sure I would enjoy because they were by authors I've read before (Neil Gaiman and Lee Child). Some of the other stories were pretty good and a couple were a waste of my time. So, like most books of short stories, it's a mixed bag but generally worth picking up and pretty much required reading if y...more

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Dec 13, 2011 Martha Bullen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: mystery readers

Recommended to Martha by: Publishers Weekly

I rarely read short story collections, so I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to. This entertaining book would make a terrific gift for a mystery lover or Sherlock Holmes fan. 18 prominent mystery authors offer their take on the Sherlock Holmes legend. While the quality of the stories vary, most of the stories are engaging and very readable. This is not surprising, since they were edited by the bestselling novelist of the Mary Russell stories, Laurie R. King, and Leslie L. Klinger, one...more

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Feb 23, 2012 Melanie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads, mystery

I liked the premise of this book - stories inspired by Holmes by authors who aren't usually associated with the literary legacy of Holmes - but wasn't entirely sold on the execution. Some of the stories were grand; Neil Gaiman's was, of course, fantastic (but it felt kind of like cheating to include him, since Gaiman won a Hugo for his previous Holmes pastiche; if a Hugo doesn't count as being associated with the literary legacy of Holmes, I'm not sure what does), and I enjoyed the Lee Child, La...more

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Nov 22, 2011 Matt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

King & Klinger's A Study in Sherlock is best thought of as a collection of "Stories Inspired By the Holmes Canon" - which is also appropriately the subtitle of the book. Obviously, all pastiches (by definition) are stories inspired (to one extent or another) by the canon of Sherlock Holmes, but these particular stories vary radically in form, tone, time period and approach from each other while all channeling elements of The Canon.

K & K took some serious curatorial risks but ultimately...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Zakariah Johnson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A decidedly mixed bag of short stories, many so tangential to anything to do with Holmes it's questionable why they were included at all. Neil Gaiman's dance along the edge of the supernatural and Margaret Maron's fleshing out of Mrs. Hudson (Holmes's long-suffering landlady) stood out as real joys, but several others either had no relationship to Holmes or simply fell flat. One reason to read anthologies is to find new authors to read. From this collection I'll definitely be following up with c...more

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Feb 27, 2012 Lins rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads, borrowed

Awesome collection of Sherlock Holmes homages... highlights for me were (of course...) Neil gaiman's story The Case of Death and Honey which just resonated beauty and mystery; the wonderful As To "An Exact Knowledge of London" by Tony Broadbent which beautifully captured the immortality of the characters; and Thomas Perry's The Startling Events in the Electrified City which was just fun and clever and showed all the characters at their best...

Actually, going back over the book I could probably...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Stacy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I know, I know, I need to get out of the mystery genre! But I think I just needed it for a little while. This is a compilation of short stories on everything Sherlock. Long buried mysteries, modern day adaptations, continuations, etc... every possible thing you can do with Sherlock. I really enjoy short stories and Sherlock so this was a very nice combination. Plus, it was edited by Laurie King who has written the Bee Keeper's Apprentice. Short stories are great because you can pick them up and...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Vinitra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really liked this book. It's a collection of short stories that are written by various authors that are either inspired by or are meant to be "deleted scenes" from ACD's original stories. I'm a big fan of the original stories, and some of these did a really good job of making that atmosphere from the originals come alive again. The story I most enjoyed was Neil Gaiman's, an AU story about Holmes' attempts to achieve immortality. I've also read his "A Study in Emerald," and I like his writing s...more

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Apr 29, 2013 Deb rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read anything Holmesian I can lay hands on. As short story collections go, this one was fairly weak. While all 16 of the stories purport to be "inspired by Sherlock Holmes," many have only the weakest connections. All are enjoyable reading, but a few stand out for their strong references to the Canon: "As to 'An Exact Knowledge of London'" by Tony Broadbent; "The Men with Twisted Lips," a fine reverse view of a Doyle tale by S.J. Rozan; "The Bone-Headed League" by Lee Child; "Startling Events...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Jacqueline rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This collection was full of both hits and misses. Some of the hits, Neil Gaimen's look at Holmes in his later years, Thomas Perry's exploration of the Pan American Exposition and President McKinley's assination, the opening tale of the collection, seeing Holmes solving a case from the murderer's point of view, a Southern judge and his paralegal using a Holmes story to solve a murder case, and the story of a young boy the measels and an apparent gun shot (The ending for that one filled me with gl...more

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Edgar-winning mystery writer Laurie R. King writes series and standalone novels. Her official forum, the LRK Virtual Book Club, is here on Goodreads, so please check there to join in the book-discussing fun.

King's next novel The Bones of Paris, will be out in September 2013, seeing Touchstone's Harris Stuyvesant and Bennett Grey find the darkness beneath the light of 1929 Paris. In the Russell se ...more

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