Steve Emecz's Blog: Musings of a Sherlockian Publisher - Posts Tagged "sherlock-holmes"

“This is a first novel by an author new to Sherlockian fiction.  The presentation of Holmes and Watson is a bit different than is common in such works, but it does seem more sensible than others, both in the Canon and in the many pastiches available.  Holmes and Watson disagree and argue and look at the world quite differently than as we are accustomed to view them.  On the other hand, the world inhabited by this Holmes and Watson is quite different from that of the Canon and most pastiches.  It is a complex, gritty and more realistic world where things are seldom as they appear.

Early in the story as well as near the end, the author describes meals featuring a Turkish dish, Imam Bayildi, translated as “The Swooning Imam.”  In many ways, this dish is representative of the story as a whole.  Imam Bayildi is a main dish made with eggplant (aubergines) and a number of vegetables, herbs and spices.  In reality, the eggplant merely serves to provide neutral bulk and texture for the dish whose taste is compounded of the many flavors of the other ingredients.  In this story, the tale itself is complex and convoluted and not really believable, but it provides an excellent medium in which to present the gorgeous tapestry of places, characters, objects and opinions included by the author.

Holmes and Watson receive a peremptory summons to make presentations to a small society of wealthy Kipling fans.  In arriving early for the appointment, Holmes manages to scramble some of the plans for the event and this has consequences.  Plans are shifted and adjusted and complex events proceed with deviations.  A naked corpse is found in a pond on a neighboring estate and, from newspaper accounts Holmes decides that murder has been committed.  Watson objects and the dance begins.

The characters perform, the scenery changes and Holmes begins to realize his mistakes.  Dr. Watson comes to see that murder has been done and Holmes realizes the murder cannot be proven or prosecuted.  Clues contradict clues and the world shifts around as viewpoints change.  The author continues to present paradoxes and the characters act out their destined roles.  The modern world shifts its focus and Europe edges closer to the brink of war.

In addition to sharing my taste for complex prose and tangled events, the author also exhibits some talent in his fiction writing which does not appear in mine.  The only problems I could find were a very few anachronistic terms and a possibly over-active imagination.  Either the editor is quite capable or the author is most erudite or both contingencies apply.  A wide range of subjects are discussed and presented in complex language without becoming boring.  It was a real joy to read.”

Sherlock Holmes and the Dead Boer at Scotney Castle is available from all good bookstores including in the USA Barnes and Noble and Amazon, in the UK Waterstones, Amazon and Book Depository (free worldwide delivery) and in all electronic formats including Kindle and  iPad.

Samuel Williams was a proud winner at the 2012 Southern California Book Festival this month. His Sherlock Holmes novel - Anomalous - received the ‘Honorable Mention’ award in the hotly contested General Fiction category.

Anomalous – The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is available from bookstores including in the USA Barnes and Noble and Amazon, in the UK Waterstones, Amazon and Book Depository (free worldwide delivery) and in electronic formats – iTunes (iPad), Kindle, Nook and Kobo.

“The title of The 1895 Murder by Dan Andriacco (MX Publishing,

www.mxpublishing.co.uk; £9.99/$16.95/€12.99) refers neatly to a play

based on ‘The Bruce-Partington Plans’, written by Professor Sebastian

McCabe of St Benignus College, Erin, Ohio. As he proved in No Police

Like Holmes and Holmes Sweet Holmes, Mac is a devoted Sherlockian

and a highly skilled detective, so when a man is shot dead outside the

theatre where he’s playing Mycroft Holmes, he and his brother-in-law

Jeff Cody are pleased to help find the killer. Well, mostly. Jeff‘s mind,

naturally, is on his impending wedding and the need for diplomacy with

his fiancée’s rather unpredictable parents. It’s a pleasure to visit Erin

again and to watch the solving of a particularly baffling mystery.”

The 1895 Murder is available from all good bookstores including in the USA  Amazon, in the UK Waterstones and Amazon, and for everywhere else Book Depository who offer free worldwide delivery. In ebook format there is Kindle, Nook, iPad and Kobo.

“This author is new to Sherlockian fiction, with his only previous book a history of U-Boat warfare in the Gulf of Mexico.  For a first effort at Sherlockian fiction, or any fiction, for that matter, this book is remarkable.  The events recounted take place in the 1980s and the story is hard to define.  It is a mystery and a horror story and a romance, all combined.  It has supernatural elements if one chooses to read it that way, yet it is also intimately involved in psychology and, of all things, Theology.  Perhaps I can explain my viewpoint best by recalling a lesson in Theology passed to me long ago.  “The God of Christians is a God of Infinite Love.”  The point of this lesson was that damnation is not a process enforced on a person by God, but rather it is a process that the person chooses, freely, over the chance to love.

There are many reasons that people choose not to love, mostly from fear of rejection or of revealing oneself to the intimate knowledge of another, but all have their roots in pride.  People choose pride over love and lose what they most desire, a chance to give and to receive love.  This book presents a series of characters who are given chances to love and to place the well-being and happiness of others before their own.  This book tells us their stories, although that is not what it looks like until well along in the tale.

The protagonist is a retired New York policeman who was injured in line of duty.  As a retirement hobby, he has taken up Sherlockian inquiry and has specialized in “The Hound of the Baskervilles.”  After some years of writing and corresponding, he is invited to be a guest lecturer in Literature at Oxford with expenses paid and a small stipend.  In the depths of winter, a power failure at the University disrupts classes and living accommodations, so our hero elects to visit Dartmoor during this enforced vacation.  Time spent in a small country inn introduces other guests and local problems and the moors exercise their own magic.

The story begins with our hero trying to recover from his experiences on the moors and to put his life back together after a complex experience.  His nightmares and his increasing rejection of his surroundings are pushing him into madness and the process of curing him is one of teaching him to love, first himself, and then others.

The book is well-edited, thoughtful and moving.  Americanisms are appropriate to the narrator and the setting and viewpoint are intrinsically Sherlockian.  It contains something for every taste, action, mystery, horror, supernatural events and romance.”

Mark of The Baskerville Hound is available from all good bookstores including in the USA Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Classic Specialities, in the UK Amazon, Waterstones,  and for everywhere else Book Depository who offer free worldwide delivery. In ebook format there is Kindle, Nook, iPad and Kobo.

“This collection includes seven novellas drawn from a variety of times during Holmes’ career.  The letter by Dr. Watson that precedes the stories explains that these tales were not told earlier for a variety of reasons but mostly to prevent further harm to the victims.  There seems to be no common thread or theme among the tales included.

'The Adventure of the Poisoned Affair' tells of Holmes’ involvement, at the request of the new widow, in the investigation of an apparent suicide by poison.  Anomalies at the scene convince Holmes that the ‘suicide’ is actually a murder.  'The Adventure of the Yellow Handkerchief' leads Holmes and Watson into the world of Thuggee.  Inspector Lestrade asks Holmes to help with a series of murders that are otherwise unrelated except for yellow handkerchiefs left at the scenes.  The story also presents a selection of other potential clients and their problems.

'The Adventure of the Haunted Hotel' presents a mystery with its roots firmly placed in the past.  Holmes and Watson are faced with hatreds and superstitions based on a pirate raid carried out at the beginning of the Eighteenth Century.  The solution requires drastic action and careful planning.  'The Adventure of the Acquitted Client' details a well-organized and executed scam based on common legal practice in Victorian England.  Again, the solution calls for a great deal of planning and active detective work.

'The Adventure of St. Mary’s Murder' has Holmes called in to help the local police on another series of murders.  Attractive young women are being murdered and left in churches in the Manchester area.  There seems to be no connection except the youth and attractiveness of the victims.  Holmes and Watson manage to identify and trap the monster responsible, along with evidence to convict for multiple murders.  'The Adventure of the Diamond Jubilee' has Inspector Lestrade seeking Holmes’ help in dealing with an apparent threat by Muslim extremists against the Queen at Her Diamond Jubilee.  A resurrected Moriarty seems to be at the base of this problem and Holmes must persuade the Queen to accept his advice and control of events in order to ensure Her safety.

The final story, 'The Solved Problem', rewrites some elements of 'The Empty House' and reveals the details of the death of Mary Morstan Watson.  In addition, the elements of the renewed Moriarty presence mentioned in earlier stories is explained and examined.  Many elements of this tale are quite personal and painful for Watson and telling it is difficult and revealing.

This book was fairly well edited.  I found only a couple of spelling errors, but there were a number of homonym errors.  For example, writing 'past' for 'passed' and visa-versa occurred several times, along with various, similar errors.  There were also odd errors in subject/predicate agreement and a few other such problems.  Another problem for Sherlockians is the difference between these tales and those from the Canon.  I cannot put my finger on the stylistic details, for Watson is kept thoroughly in the dark by Holmes, but the difference is one of taste and viewpoint, so don’t look for new Canonical tales.  On the other hand, these are interesting and puzzling mysteries and the author worked to recreate the world of The Canon.”

The Untold Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is available from all good bookstores including in the USA Barnes and Noble and Amazon , in the UK Amazon and Waterstones and fans outside US and UK can get free delivery from Book Depository. In ebook format it is in Kindle, iTunes, Kobo and Nook.

“Sherlock Holmes and The Case of The Edinburgh Haunting by David Wilson is a great read and an excellent addition to the fund of Sherlock Holmes stories. The availability of free online copies of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s works led us to read his entire Sherlock Holmes output not so very long ago and the two overriding impressions that emerged were, firstly, how superbly crafted his stories were, and, secondly, how disappointing it was that he did not write more of them. MX Publishing have stepped into this gap, and ’The Case of The Edinburgh Haunting’ is one of a range of Sherlock Holmes books they have published by a number of different authors.

We are familiar with David Wilson’s own storytelling abilities from his ’The King’s Park Irregulars’, so we approached his take on Sherlock Holmes with high expectations, which were certainly not disappointed. It is March 1882 and Sherlock Holmes accompanies Dr Watson to visit the latter’s cousin, another doctor, in Edinburgh. The trip is intended to be a holiday, but no sooner have they arrived than they come across the scene of an unexplained death following a series of mysterious events. Over the following days, while Dr Watson finds himself spending time at Edinburgh’s renowned medical school, Sherlock Holmes becomes increasingly involved in the mystery that has sparked his interest, despite strong opposition from elements of Edinburgh’s police force.

The success of a book like this depends heavily on how convincingly a modern author can draw the reader into a world originally constructed by someone living at the time, and David Wilson does an admirable job in staying true enough to Conan Doyle’s style to do exactly this. He also has some fun while doing so. This is particularly true when Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson meet Dr Joseph Bell, the real life lecturer in medicine at the University of Edinburgh whose deductive approach to diagnosis originally inspired Conan Doyle to come up with the character of Sherlock Holmes. You almost begin to wonder whether Conan Doyle himself might put in a cameo appearance in the book, before remembering that by the the time this novel is set, he was practising as a doctor on the south coast of England.”

Sherlock Holmes and The Case of the Edinburgh Haunting is available from all good bookstores including in the USA Barnes and Noble and Amazon, in the UK Amazon andWaterstones. For elsewhere Book Depository offer free delivery worldwide. Released also in ebook format – Kindle, iPad and Kobo.

(Source: undiscoveredscotland.co.uk)

“A Chronology of the Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle” by Brian Pugh - revised edition

“Passenger Brian Pugh has updated his seminal work after three more years research. The new version has increased in page count by over 30%. Brian’s book has been a definitive work on Conan Doyle’s life for more than a decade and is an invaluable reference tool. Due out on 1st November, it will be available though online retailers such as Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and free delivery worldwide through Book Depository.  Wholeheartedly recommended.”

Sydney Passengers

"In The Many Watsons Kieran McMullen takes a look at fifty-four actors, male and female, who have played Dr Watson or a Watson character on screen. It’s good to see the Watsons getting their share of attention, though the text needs proofreading, and I could wish that the actors had been dealt with in alphabetical or chronological order. Should there be a second edition, I hope Mr McMullen will include some at least of the radio Watsons – Leigh Lovell, Alfred Shirley, Norman Shelley, Michael Williams, Andrew Sachs, Larry Albert… Royalties from this light, lively collection of essays will go to the Undershaw Preservation Trust."

Roger Johnson

The Many Watsons is available from all good bookshops including in the USA Amazon and Barnes and Noble , in the UK Amazon and Waterstones . For elsewhere Book Depository who offer free delivery worldwide. In ebook format there is Kindle , iPad , Nook and Kobo . 

The Real Sherlock Holmes

The Real Sherlock Holmes  is a book that explains the deductive techniques that con-artists and charlatans use to garner facts about people - many of which are used by the world's most famous consulting detective Sherlock Holmes. The title of the book comes from a major US newspaper reporter who, on witnessing Riggs's deductive skills, dubbed him 'the real Sherlock Holmes' and the name stuck.

'The Real Sherlock Holmes' is available from  all good bookstores including  Barnes and Noble ,  Amazon , and in all formats including  Amazon Kindle  and now on the  iPad  too. Fans outside the US and UK can get free delivery from  Book Depository . 

"Audiences have been fascinated with Sherlock Holmes since the first story with him as a character was published. Over the years, a number of books and films have been made, typically adding a twist on the original material.  Author P.C. Martin presents her vision of Holmes with the novella,Steampunk Holmes:  Legacy of the Nautilius. The author very successfully captures the style of Arthur Conan Doyle and the essence of the characters.  Holmes is his typical self; scintillating and Watson is well written with his blend of intelligence and naiveté, especially when it comes to beautiful women. One of the more interesting things is the reconceptualization of Mycroft as a sister rather than a brother. This sets up a different kind of interplay between Sherlock and Mycroft, as well as between Watson and Mycroft.

The plot is nicely laid out and the steampunk gadgets and weapons are a fun addition to the Holmes world.  According to the author’s website, this novella and subsequent Holmes adventures will eventually be interactive, which will be interesting to see and hear. For now, though, fans of Sherlock Holmes will have to content themselves with enjoying this fun take on the classic character."

Reviewed By Barbara Cothern

Steampunk Holmes: Legacy of The Nautilus   is available from all book bookstores including in the USA Barnes and Noble , Amazon and in the UK Amazon and Waterstone s. For elsewhere Book Depository offer free delivery worldwide. Also available on Kindle.