David Ruffle's Blog, page 11

Sherlock Holmes And The Case of the Bulgarian Codex

New from Tim Symonds, the author of Sherlock Holmes And The Dead Boer At Scotney Castle (MX Publishing 2012).
It's the year 1900. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson receive an urgent commission from the Prince Regnant of Bulgaria to come to Sofia. The Codex Zographensis, the most ancient and most sacred manuscript in the Old Bulgarian language has been stolen. Its disappearance could lead to the outbreak of war between Russia, Austro-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire…
What follows is a story of duplicity, murder, vampires and greed for vast estates in Bulgaria and Hungary, with the fate of millions in Sherlock Holmes's hands.
Although the events in Sherlock Holmes And The Case Of The Bulgarian Codex are fictional, the principal character Prince Ferdinand is based closely on one of the most compelling personalities in world history, the real Prince Regnant, later Tsar, who ruled Bulgaria from 1887 until his forcible abdication in 1918.

A snippet: The Balkans loom…


CHAPTER I    IN WHICH WE DINE AT SIMPSON’S

"SNORTING and champing at the bit like a high-strung warhorse, the Orient Express stayed its departure from the Gare de Strasbourg while Sherlock Holmes and I flung ourselves from a five-glass landau and clambered into the private cars of the Prince Regnant of Bulgaria. Our boxes tumbled in behind us. It was late on a Friday afternoon in April, in the year 1900. With a minatory scream the immense train pulled away on its long journey to Stamboul. Soon Paris was left behind. Without noise or jerk we were going fifty miles per hour without seeming to move. The case of the Bulgarian Codex had commenced."


Amazon UK and kindle reader link at : Kindle

and all bookselling websites worldwide and bookstores.

Ten Days to go......................

Ten days to go to the publication of 'Sherlock Holmes and the Missing Snowman'. Here is no childish Sherlock Holmes, no Sherlock Holmes as a mouse, a dog or a cat etc. But a canonical Holmes. In 221b where he belongs, with the fire roaring, the unopened correspondence transfixed to the mantle by a jack-knife, the pipe rack ready for use. In Watson's corner we have the framed pictures of General Gordon and Henry Ward Beecher (yes, I know it should be unframed!). It may be a book aimed at younger children, but great pains have been taken to produce a recognisable Holmes and Watson in a recognisable and authentic setting and here there is a big thank you to Rikey Austin, her illustrations are quite, quite wonderful. Winter is on the way, Christmas is on the way and this will hopefully delight any child or indeed adult who find it in their Christmas stockings.
Sherlock Holmes and The Missing Snowman is available to pre-order from all good bookshops including in the USA Amazon , in the UK Amazon and Waterstones. For elsewhere Book Depository who offer free delivery worldwide.

The Trilogy.......

The publication in December of 'Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Trials' will bring to a close the Sherlock Holmes/Lyme Regis trilogy. So, what can you expect from each book in the series? How closely are they connected?
Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Horror: Takes its inspiration from Bram Stoker's Dracula and of course from Lyme Regis. It introduces a love interest for Watson and several characters in the town who take on a life of their own in the two subsequent books. Started as a two page exercise and grew from there. Originally self-published in December 2009 and I was pleased with the response to it. The expanded 2nd edition, published by MX Publishing, features extra content. The extra content: Two 'lengthy short' pieces involving Holmes with the Australian cricket team of 1899 and a re-working of MR James's 'Casting The Runes'. Three Christmas pieces including 'Henrietta's Problem' the begetter of 'Sherlock Holmes and the Missing Snowman'. Two ghost stories and a poem complete the collection.
Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Legacy: Faster paced than its predecessor and a tad more violence along the way (all understated). An old adversary is out for revenge and not just on Holmes and Watson. Four violent deaths punctuate the tale before a resolution take place culminating in one more death. Lestrade and Mycroft Holmes put in an appearance as do the Lyme Regis 'regulars'. There is humour too, mostly regarding Watson's various attempts to devour plum puddings. There is humour too in the extra content: Here, Holmes and Watson encounter Laurel and Hardy, visit the land of Oz, star in their own version of Masterchef and stumble into a Dad's Army/Frasier episode!!  Humour too in a poem I wrote as an ode to Holmes in the style of William McGonagall. A history of Lyme Regis is included and two poems celebrating life in Lyme.
Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Trials: Have to say, no great mystery here, but rather, me celebrating Holmes and Watson in Lyme Regis. There is a revenge motif again and chicaneries of the Admiralty play a part too. A lot of the action takes place in the Royal Lion Hotel, a fine place for it! I have tried to make it bright, breezy and fun as befits the end of the series and the characters. Submarines, actresses, madmen, shaggy dog, and a good time had by all. Pinched a paragraph from David Nobbs, one of the UK's leading comic novelists, to finish it all off (with his permission). And that's about it really, apart from the extra content: This time it's just one story, based on an unpublished account mentioned by Watson, 'the Grosvenor Square furniture van'. Imagined here as a story of haunting and possession. Maybe.

Sherlock Holmes and The Lyme Regis Horror is available from all good bookstores worldwide including in the USA Amazon and Barnes and Noble - and in all electronic formats including Amazon Kindle, Kobo and Apple iBooks(iPad/iPhone).Sherlock Holmes and The Lyme Regis Legacy is available from all good bookstores worldwide including in the USA Amazon, Classic Specialities and Barnes and Noble  - and in all electronic formats including Amazon Kindle, Nook, Kobo and Apple iBooks (iPad/iPhone)Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Trials: is available to pre-order from all good bookstores worldwide including in the USA Amazon and UK: Amazon and Waterstones.

The Wormwood Scrubs Enigma....

When two prison guards are found beheaded in the barren countryside surrounding Her Majesty's Prison at Wormwood Scrubs, Inspector Lestrade seeks Holmes' singular powers to determine how the murders could have been committed in separate locations with the only footprints being those of the murdered guards themselves. With Doctor Watson at his side, Holmes sets out on this new adventure and uncovers deeper mysteries still; mysteries that will not only test the detectives' powers of observation and deduction, but his skepticism of the paranormal as well.


Now, this is how I like pastiches to be, namely on the short side with characterisations of Holmes and Watson spot on. To me very often less is more and here the author presents us with a novel crime which appears to be 'impossible' yet how can we possibly think that with Sherlock Holmes on the scene. It's the equivalent of a locked-room mystery, but takes place outdoors. The plot development is skilful and not hurried along in spite of the brevity of the tale. The atmosphere is perfect and even the odd Americanism can be forgiven. I enjoyed this very much, but then as I have said it's exactly the kind of pastiche that does appeal to me; short, sweet and thoroughly entertaining. A big well-done to J. Andrew Taylor.
J. Andrew Taylor lives in Kansas City, Missouri with his wife and children. He enjoys (in addition to reading & writing), playing the drums, live music, museums, historical sites and art fairs.
'Sherlock Holmes and the Element of Surprise' is available from Amazon UK, USA, Barnes and Noble,The Book Depository (free worldwide delivery)
Visit the author's website at: http://www.jandrewtaylor2012.blogspot.co.uk/

Special Offer

Lyme Regis Trilogy Offer from MX Publishing
This year is a great year for trilogies. David Ruffle's superb Sherlock Holmes and Lyme Regis series comes to a conclusion on 10th of December with Shelock Holmes and The Lyme Regis Trials. However, fans can get the book a month early if they order the Trilogy before the end of October - plus they will get a pre-publication copy of the gorgeous new children's book Sherlock Holmes and The Missing Snowman included free!!
Available on both the US and UK (inc Europe) sites -order before 31st October, while stocks last.
USA -MX Publishing USA
UK and Europe MX Publishing UK

A Taste of Lyme Regis.............

 Early morning view from the shop.Now available online.....fudges direct from one of the oldest shops in Lyme Regis. Quality Corner is housed in a building with Tudor origins which managed to escape unscathed through the major conflagrations which so often beset Lyme. The shop has existed in various guises for at least the best part of two hundred years and possibly longer. It's entirely possible the shop was in existence during 1804/1805 when Jane Austen visited the town and while it is not known exactly what kind of shop it would have been in that era, it's quite pleasing to think that Jane Austen herself would have wandered in from time to time.
An early drawing of Lyme. The shop is bottom-left of the picture with the beautiful curved frontage:



And now (insert fanfare here!) Quality Corner can offer everyone the chance to grab a taste of Lyme....click on the link below and that taste could soon be yours!
Quality Corner Lyme Regis Website 



   
 

Another Top Ten......

.....these are from Charlotte Smith, the author of the Sherlock Holmes novel, 'The Murder at the Lodore Falls'.

Top Ten Sherlock Holmes pastiche novels

That is a challenge! In no particular order I would have to make a beeline for the ones below. Most of these books I have reviewed on My Tin Dispatch Box!
Barefoot On Baker Street Charlotte Walters     
The Secret Journal Of Dr Watson Phil GrowickThe Lyme Regis Horror David RuffleSherlock Holmes And Tangled Skein David Stuart DaviesThe Consulting Detective Trilogy Darlene A. Cypser The Chronicles Of Sherlock Holmes Paul GilbertCrack In The Lens Darlene A. CypserSherlock Holmes And The Affair In Transylvania Gerry O’HaraDust and Shadow Lyndsay FayeThe Outstanding Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes Gerard Kelly
Top Ten Books
Rebecca Daphne Du Maurier                
Jane Eyre Charlotte BronteGreat Expectations Charles DickensThe Woman In Black Susan Hill
Dubliners James Joyce
Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection
Reach For The Sky Paul Brickhall
Oliver Twist Charles Dickens
Oscar Wilde Complete Short Stories Oscar Wilde
Twopence To Cross The Mersey Helen Forrester

Top Ten Actors or Actresses


Jeremy Brett (My all time favourite actor and not just because of Sherlock Holmes!)
Edward Hardwicke (A great actor, Dr Watson and loved him in Colditz and various other roles)
Richard Burton (Just because he is so handsome in toga!)
Clint Eastwood (All round versatile and great actor)Gene Hackman (You know the film is going to be good if he is in the billing)Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort!!!)
John Wayne (Greatest cowboy ever!)                                       
Kirk Douglas (I’m Spartacus!)
Lawerence Oliver (The Master!)
Dame Judi Dench (For being so good as M)

'Murder at the Lodore Falls' is available from Amazon UK, Amazon USA, and all book-selling websites around the world. Visit Charlotte's web site and read her reviews at My Tin Dispatch Box.

End Peace: A review

Ross K Foad reviews Holmes and Watson: End Peace in his own inimitable style!


Holmes and Watson End Peace is available from bookstores including in the USA Barnes and Noble and Amazon, in the UK Waterstones, Amazon and Book Depository (free worldwide delivery).

Back to work

Back to work Monday after several weeks off with ankle injury, the mantra for Monday is: I must not fall down the steps, I must not fall down the steps, I must not fall down the steps.
Early morning views from the shop:  

A real coup for this blog....

Coming soon to this page.....a real coup; An interview with David Nobbs, one of Britain's leading comic-novelists. Creator of Reginald Perrin, Henry Pratt and so many other memorable characters. David Nobbs’s most famous creation is undoubtedly Reginald Iolanthe Perrin, star of three novels and three television series. Like Reggie himself, the series refuses to die,and was recently revived with Martin Clunes as Reggie. David doesn’t resent this. He didn’t get where he is today by being upset when people mouth his own catch-phrases at him. But there is far more to David’s career than Reggie Perrin. There’s his acclaimed series, A Bit Of A Do, which gained audiences of fourteen million for Yorkshire Television. There’s his work for many top comedians, including Frankie Howerd, Les Dawson and The Two Ronnies. And above all there are his novels, eighteen of them, all of them humorous in tone, leading Jonathan Coe to state ‘David Nobbs is probably our finest post-war comic novelist.’ They include the four Perrin novels, the four Henry Pratt novels, and two of his own great favourites, Going Gently, Obstacles to Young Love (shortlisted for the Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance) and his eighteenth, It Had To Be You, published on June 23rd, 2011.You can read about all these books by clicking the link below, plus details of his life, his radio and television work, his influences, his enthusiasms, his prejudices, his occasional public appearances. You can ask him questions – he’ll be pleased to hear from you – and he will write a fairly regular blog with his unique take on the events of the day.

David Nobb's Website