A Study in Sherlock: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon

Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon

by Laurie R. King (Editor), Leslie S. Klinger (Editor), Gayle Lynds

In this title, today's top authors - including Number 1 bestsellers Lee Child, Neil Gaiman, and Michael Connelly - pen stories inspired by the Sherlock Holmes canon. Co-edited by leading Holmes experts Laurie R. King and Les Klinger, more than a dozen bestselling superstars unveil stories inspired by the greatest detective. With mystery, comedy and illustrations, "A Study in Sherlock" will reveal new insights into Holmes...

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Crime, Historical Fiction, Detective

388 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

Edgar-winning mystery writer Laurie R. King writes series and standalone novels. Her official forum is
THE LRK VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB here on Goodreads--please join us for book-discussing fun.

King's 2018 novel, Island of the Mad, sees Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes travel from London's Bedlam to the glitter of Venice's Lido,where Young Things and the friends of Cole Porter pass Mussolini's Blackshirts in the streets. The Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series follows a brilliant young woman who becomes the student, then partner, of the great detective. [click here for an excerpt of the first in the series, The Beekeeper's Apprentice] The Stuyvesant and Grey series (Touchstone; The Bones of Paris) takes place in Europe between the Wars. The Kate Martinelli series follows an SFPD detective's cases on a female Rembrandt, a holy fool, and more. [Click for an excerpt of A Grave Talent]

King lives in northern California, which serves as backdrop for some of her books.

Please note that Laurie checks her Goodreads inbox intermittently, so it may take some time to receive a reply. A quicker response may be possible via email to info@laurierking.com.

Reviews

[robyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

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 with just the right mixture of arrogance, intellect, and humor. They're wonderful. It's like watching a magician pull a rabbit, a white mouse, a flurry of doves out of his hat. That's what's missing in a lot of stories 'inspired' by Holmes - just the deduction isn't enough. It isn't the detective we love; thanks to Doyle's artistry, it's the man.

So Solar Pons works because he isn't tongue-in-cheek, he's a sincere and blatant carbon copy of the original. And Nero Wolfe works because he is everything that the original is not. There isn't a middle ground when imitating Holmes.

The detectives and stories in this book may work in another context, but in a collection supposed to be inspired by the canon, they make a poor showing.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 5 out of 5]

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) AS TO "AN EXACT KNOWLEDGE OF LONDON": was it just reproduction of dialogues between one retired Army Doctor and a very-very knowledgable London Cabby, or something more profound? Enjoyable and refreshing.

3) THE MEN WITH THE TWISTED LIPS by S.J. Rozan: one of the most famous canonical cases, recounted by the invisible players who might have been behind the curtains all along.

4) THE ADVENTURE OF THE PURLOINED PAGET by Philip & Jerry Margolin: an adventure involving collectors of Sherlockiana (whose names are bound to ring many-a-bells the moment you read them), a mysterious canonical story (& the drawing accompanying it), and murder.

5) THE BONE-HEADED LEAGUE by Lee Child: an FBI agent getting a chance to "play" Holmes, and its consequences.

6) THE STARTLING EVENTS IN THE ELECTRIFIED CITY by Thomas Perry: a very good pastiche, taking place in Buffalo, U.S.A, with hints of lots of "what if" and "really?" thrown in.

7) THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE UNWRITTEN SHORT STORY by Colin Cotterill: this "graphic" story was a brilliant piece all along, with a rather novel ending.

8) THE CASE OF DEATH AND HONEY by Neil Gaiman: after the astonighing "A Study in Emarald" published many moons ago, the author returns to the arena of Sherlockiana with a cracking read.

9) A TRIUMPH OF LOGIC by Gayle Lynds and John Sheldon: a Judge and a a Lawyer solves a mystery, where the murderer is wiry, "astonishingly" smart, and has a profile like Basil Rathbone!

10) THE LAST OF SHEILA-LOCKE HOLMES by Laura Lippman: a short poignant piece about the truths that may be uncovered by following the path of Holmes, and how they might turn out to be more painful than one can handle.

11) THE ADVENTURE OF THE CONCERT PIANIST by Margaret Maron: a superlative piece, told from the perspective of Mrs. Hudson, and a prequel to the adventure of "The Empty House".

12) THE SHADOW NOT CAST by Lionel Chetwynd: a taut & grim piece, wher Sherlockian methods are applied by an investigator to unravel the complexities of twin murders and a web of potential ramifications.

13) THE EYAK INTERPRETER by Dana Stabenow: a reworking of the canonical case that it resembles phonetically, but with a lot of 'modern'-embellishments, that made it more enterttaining than its grim nature would have commanded.

14) THE CASE THAT HOLMES LOST by Charles Todd: no, Holmes dod not lose a case in this dark & disturbing mystery, but Sir Arthur DID seem to lose his faith & belief about someone whom he had used to consider as an eminently honourable friend.

15) THE IMITATOR by Jan Burke: an avid follower of Sherlock Holmes and his companions solving a mystery, with hints of many more adventures to come.

16) A SPOT OF DETECTION by Jacqueline Winspear: a failed case of a youngs Sherlockian, beginning of a long journey towards dabbling in "The Simple Art of Murder".

17) A STUDY IN SHERLOCK: AFTERWORD by the two editors of this anthology: an enjoyabler "twinterview" that concludes this anthology on a humorous note.

Overall, very highly recommended, esp. in this season of Christmas, Guy Ritchie, and Sherlock: Season 2.

[Hayden · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Like most short story collections, this one had it's ups and it's downers. Honestly, though, most of these were rather pointless. I didn't even finish "The Mysterious Case of the Unwritten Short Story," given that aside from its basic insipidity, it was kind of a cop-out. And I'd recommend completely skipping"A Triumph of Logic"-- while several of the stories had one or two cases of mild language, that one had some serious, unnecessary swearing. Most of the stories didn't even feel "Holmes-ish" to me.

The notable exceptions are Neil Gaiman's "The Case of Death and Honey," and Margaret Maron's "The Adventure of the Concert Pianist." The first story was odd, but I was eager to try something by Neil Gaiman, since I've heard so much about him but had yet to read any of his work. It didn't disappoint (and I've always liked Holmes's beekeeping anyway, so...) And props to Ms. Maron for her tale: you don't know how long I've yearned for a story from Mrs. Hudson's point of view! And I loved the ending.

"You'd Better Go In Disguise," the first story, wasn't bad and kind of gave me unrealistic expectations for the rest of the book. I wasn't expecting every story to be a gem, of course, but I was at least expecting them to be as decent as the first. I guess my main problem was that so many of them were barely touched by anything in the Canon at all. There were a lot of modern-set stories that didn't have much to do with Holmes, or at least, not as much as I felt needed to be in this collection. Other stories, like "The Startling Events in the Electrified City," The Case of the Purloined Paget," and "The Case that Holmes Lost," weren't amazing, but they weren't entirely bad, either.

Do I want to read the follow-up to this one, In the Company of Sherlock Holmes? I don't know. There will probably a couple good stories in there, but I'm not sure I want to work through the rest to find them, if you know what I mean.

Then again, I have very little resistance to anything concerning the residents of 221b Baker Street... so I might eventually find myself willing.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed bag. 5 of them I liked, the rest were disappointing <2☆.

THE CASE OF DEATH AND HONEY Neil Gaiman
Awesome, 5 stars

THE STARTLING EVENTS IN THE ELECTRIFIED CITY Thomas Perry
I liked this one, it was as good as a Holmes story.

THE CASE THAT HOLMES LOST Charles Todd.
Interesting premise involving Arthur Conan Doyle.

A SPOT OF DETECTION Jacqueline Winspear.
Lighthearted and fun

THE ADVENTURE OF THE CONCERT PIANIST Margaret Maron.
Enjoyed this one, it felt like a plausible Holmes story.

[Jonathan K (Max Outlier) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some pretty interesting stories that are all connected in various ways to Holmes.. Like any book of short stories, some are better than others, though overall I think this is worth reading if you enjoy creative spins on the topic. While reading these it dawned on me that I hadn't read many of the Sherlock stories, so that is where I'm headed next. As Holmes would say, "Elementary!"

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

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, Laura Lipman, and Dana Stabenow chapters as well, and the Jacqueline Winspear more than I was expecting to. I wasn't a huge fan of the rest, and I spent most of the book wondering what organizational paradigm had been used only to finish, look at the cover, and discover that it's alphabetical by author (but *why* is it arranged alphabetically by author????).

[Ron · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a disappointment to me. I expected more Sherlock Holmes and less "Stories Inspired by Holmes" in this book. I guess I should have read the title more closely. If you are into mysteries and like Holmes, you might find this enjoyable. If you're more into Holmes, I'd suggest reading The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. These are about Holmes and Watson (although some of them are really out there).

[Zoe Kaplan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stories range from fine to dire, with one exception: The Eyak Interpreter by Dana Stabenow, which was a really good time

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

“A Study in Sherlock” is an anthology first published in 2011. The stories allegedly take inspiration from the Holmes canon. The problem is, sometimes the inspiration is so obscure that even the most dedicated Sherlockian can’t spot the bloody thing.

The anthology was edited by noted Sherlockian Leslie S. Klinger (who is currently up to his arse in a lawsuit) and author Laurie R. King. I am being honest that I would think twice about picking up an anthology edited by them again. “A Study in Sherlock” did not meet my expectations. Too many of the stories had modern settings and did not feature Sherlock Holmes and John Watson at all.

Two stories, however, made up for much of my disappointment with the rest of the book. One was by Tony Broadbent and featured a London taxi driver who as well as name checking almost ever actor who has played Holmes and Watson, had a lovely rant about the cab driver being a serial killer in the very first Sherlock episode “A Study in Pink”.

The other story was by Lee Child, an author I normally don’t enjoy. However, his story, also with a modern setting, involving an FBI agent and the murder of an American in Baker Street, was delightful.

If you are just after interesting detective stories, then by all means pick up a copy of “A Study in Sherlock”, but I would steer any Sherlockian or Sherlock fan well away from it.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories I read from this collection are:

'The Case of Death and Honey' by Neil Gaiman

As always, Neil Gaiman's perspective -- in this case, of Sherlock's later years -- is interesting. However, this is not on the same level as his other Holmes pastiche, 'A Study in Emerald.'

'The Mysterious Case of the Unwritten Short Story' by Colin Cotterill

This was a chuckle-worthy graphic novel that I would have enjoyed more if I found it in the funny pages instead of in an otherwise serious Sherlock Holmes collection.

'The Last of Sheila-Locke Holmes' by Laura Lippman

My least favorite story in the collection. The first strike was that it didn't feature Sherlock Holmes. The second was that it didn't feature a real mystery or any detection. The third and final strike was that it wasn't interesting as a short story besides that.

'The Bone-Headed League' by Lee Child

A solid short story and modern day nod to 'The Red-Headed League' involving an anglophile FBI agent stationed in London.

'The Case That Holmes Lost' by Charles Todd

My favorite story in the collection, because it was so wonderfully meta and featured Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as a character.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 the great detective, but I'm glad I checked this out from the library and not bought it at the bookstore :)

[Terence · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decidedly "bleh" homage to Sherlock Holmes, which reaches a nadir of unreadability with "The Startling Events in the Electrified City." I couldn't finish the story and thought of giving up on the collection entirely.

I persevered, however, and the remaining stories weren't too bad. Just not "too good."

Except for one story, "The Last of Sheila Locke-Holmes," which has nothing to do with Holmes but is about a young girl dealing with her parents' marital problems, and quite good.

And I will mention one more story - "The Adventure of the Concert Pianist" - to say that it shamelessly steals the murder plot from Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose, except there's no insane monk.

[Tinneal · Rating 3 out of 5]

What sets this collection apart from other Sherlockian collections, is that it’s not so much stories about Holmes and Watson’s adventures, but stories that are inspired by Sherlock Holmes and the canon.

You’d Better Go in Disguise by Alan Bradley: A very well-done story to kick off this collection. It’s written almost entirely in dialogue, and there is very little action, but the tension of the story builds quickly. It starts off with the narrator in a park, when he notices a man watching him from a nearby bench. He approaches the man, and they have a conversation as the narrator tries to determine what this man wants. The story is very interesting from start to finish, and the identities of the characters are left ambiguous until the end, leaving the reader to do their own bit of detective work. [5 out of 5 stars]

As to “An Exact Knowledge of London” by Tony Broadbent: Not really much actual plot. Just a cab driver going on and on to his passenger about his extensive knowledge of various renditions of Holmes, from the very old, to the very recent, as well as his knowledge of the canon. Although the conclusion of the story has a rather clever twist, it still wasn’t worth the slow and somewhat boring pace of everything previous. [2 out of 5 stars]

The Men with the Twisted Lips by S J Rozan: This is a story that is the lead up to the events of the original Doyle story “The Man with the Twisted Lip”, as told from the point of view of the owners of the opium den where the main events of the original story take place. The owners are plotting together to surreptitiously draw Holmes in, using him to get rid of a local beggar who is threatening their business. It’s an interesting point of view, but just as with the previous story, I found it to be too slow and lacking in plot. [2 out of 5 stars]

The Adventure of the Purloined Paget by Phillip and Jerry Margolin: This story tells of a small group of wealthy Sherlockian collectors, who are invited to a grande but lonely estate. Here, they are told they will get to participate in a secret auction of a rediscovered and previously unknown drawing of Sherlock Holmes by the famous illustrator, Sidney Paget. When the owner of the picture is found murdered, the collectors get a chance to imitate their favourite detective, as they try to determine which one of them did it, in this ‘locked room’ style mystery. [4 out of 5]

The Bone-Headed League by Lee Child: Set in modern-day London, an FBI agent and self-proclaimed Sherlockian is caught up in an investigation that has just a few too many similarities to the canonical story “The Red-Headed League”. ‘Bone-headed’ is a very appropriate description, as I found the narrator to be a bit thick. The only mystery to this story is how he didn’t see such a dark and twisted end coming. [3 out of 5]

The Startling Events in the Electrified City by Thomas Perry: This is certainly one of the more Doyle-esque stories I’ve read. Holmes and Watson are called to America to help US President McKinley fake his own assassination, at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, thus allowing Theodore Roosevelt to take his place. [5 out of 5 stars]

The Mysterious Case of the Unwritten Short Story by Colin Cotterill: A very meta illustrated story that tells of how much trouble the author had writing it. Although I enjoyed the humour and conclusion, it doesn’t seem to fulfill the criteria of being Holmes-inspired, and as a result, felt out of place in the collection. [3 out of 5]

The Case of Death and Honey by Neil Gaiman: Sherlock Holmes, bees, and Neil Gaiman. What more can I say? It’s not a surprise that this is my favourite Sherlockian story, and, I think, one of my favourite short stories overall. How appropriate it is that Mr Gaiman should write two Holmes stories, with one taking place at the very beginning of Holmes and Watson’s story (A Study in Emerald), and this one, taking place at the end. As in most of Gaiman’s writing, the reader spends the first chunk of the story wondering exactly what’s going on, but it all comes together in the end, in a wonderful realisation as to what Holmes has accomplished with his bees, and what he intends to do with it. [5 out of 5]

A Triumph of Logic by Gayle Lynds and John Sheldon: This is a story of an American lawyer and judge, who investigate after the suspicious suicide of a colleague. The story puts logic against loyalty and proves that you can’t always have a happy ending. Aside from the main characters’ names being obvious canonical references, there isn’t much to link this story back to Sherlock Holmes. [2 out of 5]

The Last of Sheila-Locke Holmes by Laura Lippman: A loss of innocence story about a young girl who idolises Sherlock Holmes, and so one summer she changes her name and opens her own detective agency. She only solves one case, which causes her to learn a secret about her parents. After that, she closes her agency for good. As with the previous story, aside from vaguely similar character names, there isn’t anything to tie it to Sherlock Holmes. [2 out of 5 stars]

The Adventure of the Concert Pianist by Margaret Maron: This story takes place just before the canonical story, “The Adventure of the Empty House”. Although Holmes is not physically present in the story, he is certainly present in spirit. His deductive and reasoning skills are well demonstrated by Watson and Mrs Hudson, as they use what they have learned from Holmes to help discover who has been poisoning Mrs Hudson’s niece before it’s too late. [4 out of 5]

The Shadow Not Cast by Lionel Chetwynd: This is a story of a military investigator and his student sidekick. Together they investigate various cases, and encounter plenty of red herrings along the way. This story has even less than the previous stories to tie it to Sherlock Holmes. This is merely a mystery story whose main character happens to be skilled in observation and deduction. [3 out of 5]

The Eyak Interpreter by Dana Stabenow: This story stars a pre-existing character who belongs to the author, Dana Stabenow, and I was still able to read this story without having any prior knowledge of the character. It was an okay story, but aside from being a modernised rewrite of the canonical story “The Greek Interpreter”, featuring Stabenow’s characters instead of Doyles, I would not consider this to be a Sherlockian story. I’m also not a fan of the blog-style writing. [2 out of 5]

The Case that Holmes Lost by Charles Todd: Doyle is informed that someone is anonymously suing his fictional creation, Sherlock Holmes, to prevent the upcoming story from being published. Although this story was interesting to read, I felt a bit cheated as a reader, as Doyle ends up solves what little mystery there is, using clues not provided to the reader. [3 out of 5]

The Intimidator by Jan Burke: Again, this story has very little to do with Sherlock Holmes, aside from one of the characters being a fan of him. Wasn’t a terribly entertaining or memorable story. [2 out of 5]

A Spot of Detection by Jacqueline Winspear: A young boy who thinks he may have witnessed a murder, uses what deductive skills he has learnt from reading the canonical Holmes, to try and solve it. A cute story with a cute ending, but again, not really a Sherlockian story. [2 out of 5]

I think that if I was rating these stories as stand-alones, or as part of a collection that wasn’t ‘inspired by Sherlock Holmes’, then I would have been a bit more lenient on them, as they’re not terrible stories, but because they are in this collection, they must be held up to what the collection claims. This collection started out strong, but quickly lost steam as too many of the stories are too far from being Sherlockian or even Sherlockian inspired.

[Kritika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review can also be found on my blog, Snowflakes and Spider Silk

Sherlock Holmes has always been a part of my life - from the time I was little, my parents introduced me to this mystery-solving madman, and I have continued to be intrigued and awed by this eccentric character. It's clear that I'm not the only one, as many of the authors here say the same things. This anthology is quite an eclectic collection of stories based on Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - from the usual murder mystery to stories with a hint of the supernatural to conspiracy theories to contemporary adaptations, this book really does have it all. Unfortunately, because of this incredibly wide mix, some stories were pretty dull in comparison to the others. Here are a few thoughts on each of them:

- You'd Better Go in Disguise, Alan Bradley (****)
This first story was very clever and I liked the familiarity of the Holmes character. An interesting twist: LOVED how the guy Holmes was talking to was actually the killer. Unreliable narrators whoohoo

- As to "An Exact Knowledge of London", Tony Broadbent (**)

The writing style was melodramatic and very tedious, especially at the beginning. I didn't enjoy this one as much, especially the narrator's preoccupation with technology and going on about modern adaptations of Sherlock. It was almost like the author wanted to prove that he knew all the major adaptations of Sherlock Holmes (everything from the BBC show to Robert Downey Jr.) It just tried too hard to be modern retelling. I appreciated twist at the end though where the fumbling man that the cabbie thought was a Watson impersonator was actually Watson pretending to be an impersonator, and Holmes and Watson were hundreds of years old and trying to avoid being discovered.
- The Men with the Twisted Lips, SJ Rozan (**)

This story had an interesting idea - that Sherlock Holmes isn't the mastermind, only a tool that other masterminds used for their own means. I liked the concept a lot, but I was generally very confused about the explanation of how using Sherlock Holmes helped the opium traders. That might have been me being really tired when I read this one though.

- The Adventure of the Purloined Paget, Phillip and Jerry Margolin (****)

This one was a very inventive way of including Sherlock Holmes and his famous deductions. It centers on a newly discovered Paget painting and a bunch of friends that bid on the priceless possession. Of course, there is some foul play involved with such a high prize to win. I enjoyed the mystery of the Paget!


- The Bone-Headed League, Lee Child (*****)

This was one of the best stories in this anthology. My reaction as I finished was literally a gasp followed by a "wow." What a chilling and clever way to incorporate Sherlock Holmes into the story! The ending atually did made me gasp: Sherlock trivia as a decoy for the FBI agent, distracting him long enough to allow terrorists access into America. Less than 24 hours of following red herrings, and the FBI agent's whole life (and countless others) destroyed!

- The Startling Events in the electrified city, Thomas Perry (**)

A very dull conspiracy theory about the assassination of President McKinley, and hardly included Holmes. I didn't see why Holmes was necessary for this plan, nor did I enjoy the story.

- The Case of Death and Honey, Neil Gaiman (*****)

My favorite story in the anthology, and actually the reason I picked up this anthology in the first place. This is a fantastical reimagining of Sherlock Holmes, and is about what happens once Sherlock Holmes has retired from solving criminal cases. He turns instead to larger, more abstract mysteries...
This reimagining was both realistic and satisfyingly preternatural. The secret of the bees was very interesting indeed!

- A Triumph of Logic, Gayle Lynds and John Sheldon (****)

This story is about an American judge and lawyer who discover something unsettling about a fellow lawyer (and friend). This story really pits logic against loyalty, and the characters were quite witty and fun.


- The Last of Sheila-Lock Holmes, Laura Lippman (*)

I really didn't like this story. I thought it was subpar as loss of innocence story, and even worse as a Sherlock Holmes adaptation.

- The Adventure of the Concert Pianist, Margaret Maron (****)

I liked this story, which is told from the POV of Holmes and Watson's landlady, Mrs. Hudson. The mystery is about Mrs. Hudson's niece, the wife of a concert pianist. I thought the conclusion of this mystery was inventive in some aspects yet predictable in others. I loved Mrs. Hudson's POV though!

- The Shadow Not Cast, Lionel Chetwynd (****)

This one was very clever (the title is very significant, actually), and I liked the mentor/mentee relationship between Maggie and Jackson; I also liked that it was only loosely based on Sherlock - there weren't any forced allusions, so that was refreshing.

- The Eyak Interpreter, Dana Stabenow (***)

This story is really interesting in that it is formatted as a series of blog posts (comments are included too!). I thought the mystery was interesting, and some of the comments were really funny, but I felt like the ending wasn't much of an ending.


-The Case that Holmes Lost, Charles Todd (****)

This one isn't directly about Sherlock Holmes; instead, it is about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I thought the concept of this one was really cool, since it's about someone suing Doyle for his interpretation of how Sherlock would solve an existing case.


- The Imitator, Jan Burke (***)

I was very confused when I read this (I was very sleepy at the time - probably lost half the details in the half-asleep fog) so I don't have much to say about this one. It's about a guy who thinks himself Sherlock Holmes (the reasons for this are very sad - it has to do with a childhood trauma and wanting to make sense out of the little things in the world) who tries to explain the strange occurrences around the area. The mystery itself wasn't that hard to figure out, but I thought the characters were interesting.

- A Spot of Detection, Jacqueline Winspear (****)

This is a cute story about a boy who reads a Sherlock Holmes story and decides to put his own deductive reasoning to the test. He finds all these clues in an attempt to help the police with a case, but... and in the end, the shots he heard and the sentences that were spoken were all part of rehearsal for a local play!.

The anthology closes with a conversation on twitter between the editor and Mary Russell, Sherlock Holmes' wife. It was pretty entertaining!

Overall, a four-star anthology.

[Sandra]

Not rating. Super unimpressed with the collection, but it always feels mean to rate something poorly that will show on the authors of the few parts I liked too!

1-You'd Better go in Disguise- strong start!
2-As to an Exact Knowledge of London- and a hard stop! kind of interesting unfinished idea sketch sandwiching an IMDB jumble.
3-Men With the Twisted Lips- interesting take but i'm iffy with anyone playing straight with Doyle's at best Victorian-orientalist characterizations
4- purloined paget- sort of interesting, but felt more Poirot than Holmes. I kept expecting mustaches and tisane to be mentioned.
5-Bone-headed league- eh
6-electrified city- long winded
7-death and honey- excellent, but it's Gaiman so of course I've run across it before!
8-triumph of logic- uhm, not sure on this one, interesting but somehow unsatisfying
9 shelia-locke holmes- not a bad story, but not really related to sherlock holmes except in name, not even a mystery
10 concert pianist- too much name of the rose to really appeal to me, even though it was one of the better formatted stories
11 shadow not cast- unengaging
12 interpreter- modern kid blog retell of greek interpreter seems unecessary
13 case- eh
14 the imitator-meh
15 spot of deduction-this one was fun

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed, to tell the truth, as Laurie King herself did not contribute a story. Her novels set in the Holmes universe are terrific. These stories are extremely uneven. The first one, by Michael Connolly, was quite good. The rest are okay at best--some are completely incomprehensible. I've got the original volume on order from the library, but if those stories aren't better, I'll probably skip it.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book as a change of pace from novels. I was pleased that I was familiar with many of the writer-contributors. At he end of each story there is has a paragraph about the author and that has given me a starting point for trying other books that he/ she has written.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A enjoyable multifaceted look at the great detective and the Holmes that resides in is all.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of pseudo Sherlock Holmes stories from various authors. I read this book solely because of the Neil Gaiman offering and after reading several mediocre stories I reached it and found I had already it before. Grrr. I read two more stories, which were fortunately the best of the bunch. While I’m not a bonafide “Sherlockian”, I know enough to feel these aren’t all that Holmes-ish.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories range the whole spectrum of awful to fantastic. I really enjoyed at least three of them, so I think it was worth the read.

[Jonathan Terrington]

I have heard it said that more books have been written about than by Franz Kafka (although frankly you could almost say that about almost every past classic author). In the same way there have been more stories written about Sherlock Holmes than were actually penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Here is yet another collection of such stories. Or should I say rather that this anthology contains stories which pay homage to the great detective.

The overall quality of the stories was fantastic, only let down by several of the more unforgettable tales. Yet each story had its own unique aspect and was a worthy story that paid tribute to the aspects of Holmes that each notable writer identified appealed to them.

There was a new Holmesian story told from the perspective of a criminal and another tale retold in part from the same type of perspective. There were several forgotten Holmes' adventures told by Holmes himself or by Dr. Watson or even Mrs. Hudson. And there were those tales set in the modern world which paid homage to the genius of Sherlock Holmes through graphic-story form or plain narrative. Personally these tales which did not include the detective himself were in many ways the greater tales. They were pure crime stories which revealed how the detective has influenced the genre, has established several of London's landmarks or even how perhaps it could be plausible for a criminal to ape on the detective's own enemies in their fiendish machinations.

What these stories did better than any other similar 'fan-fictions' about Sherlock Holmes is to reveal the powerful and intricate nature of the plots. And one of my favourite stories featured Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and indicated the link between the fictional world of Sherlock and reality. Somewhere along the lines Sherlock Holmes has become as real to readers as Jane Eyre or Hamlet. And what these stories do so well is neatly link themselves to the fictional while also remaining grounded in reality and so reveal the power of Doyle's creation.

[Mickey · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 in Love by Sena Jeter Naslund- mercifully out of print and one of the many reasons I loathe the woman- is a prime example. If you haven't read it, do yourself a favor and don't)



Just when I was ready to throw in the towel, Mom struck again. This time it was The Beekeeper's Apprentice, by Laurie R King. What an amazing read! (Come to think of it, I should post a review for that one) I love Ms King's explorations of Mary Russell and her quirky relationship with the great detective. So, seeing that she was part of this collection, I decided to give it a go. I'm so glad I did. The stories themselves vary in content. Some authors chose to feature Sherlock himself, others alluded to him. Some were set in the past, some in the present. I can honestly say I liked almost every story in this book, and it's given me a few new authors to try. The only story I didn't care for was the rather lengthy comic/graphic novelette one. I'm just not that into that style and it may be a good story- I just couldn't get into it.

[Liz Jenkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 Neil Gaiman's "The Case of Death and Honey," the Margolins' "Adventure of the Purloined Paget," and "The Last of Sheila Locke-Holmes," by Laura Lippman.

Not every case is well-written or particularly interesting, and it should be noted that these aren't, strictly speaking, Holmes stories. John and Sherlock feature in some, but not all; most feature characters who are "inspired by," using deduction to solve cases. Still, for those who aren't strict Holmes fanatics, this is a fun collection and a way to check out the works of authors which which you mightn't be familiar. Not art, but occasionally entertaining. (With the exception of Gaiman's--as you might expect, Mr. Gaiman produces a short story both mysterious and artistically satisfying.)

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 succeeded in putting together a collection of stories which entertain and amuse but also challenge the reader's expectations of what Sherlockian pastiche qua genre is and can be. Though the quality of the stories vary from excellent to good (there are no stinkers in this one), each one excels at inviting/daring/tricking the reader into re-interpreting the essence of a 'Holmes story'. Klinger and King have put together a unique and groundbreaking collection of pastiches that is essential for every Holmes library.

[Tales Untangled · Rating 4 out of 5]

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, who was observant to an uncanny degree, takes the ex-RAMC around all of London ending on Baker Street. And this is when the real twists in the plot are revealed.

In The Case of Death and Honey Neil Gaiman provides the story that explains Holmes longevity. I also enjoyed knowing why Holmes had such a fascination with bees after solving so many other mysteries. The world of bees is definitely a mystery worth exploring.

Some installments deserve more stars than others.

To read my full review go to http://talesuntangled.wordpress.com

[aPriL does feral sometimes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laurie King, whose books I adore, and Leslie Klinger, contacted 18 well-established mystery authors and asked them to write a short story about or reflecting the character of Sherlock Holmes, originally created by Arthur Conan Doyle. The result is this collection. Equivalent to internet fan fiction in their inventive settings and different first person observers of either Sherlock himself or, more commonly, about youths and adults who use Sherlock Holmes-inspired methodology to solve mysteries, big and small, in their own lives, but I can assure you these stories are quite professional and worthy of the authors who undertook King's challenge. Some of the author's who contributed a story were S. J. Rozan, Phillip Margolin, Lee Child, Thomas Perry, Neil Gaiman, Laura Lippmann, and Dana Stabenow. There is also a twitterview with Mary Russell. : D

This is definitely a light read, but fun.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

These aren't straight pastiches, but I love that about it. But it has the same problem that plagues short story collections; some stories you like, some stories you don't. I like Neil Gaiman's (and that story actually was a pretty straightforward pastiche, if a little... Neil Gaiman-y), and the collection did introduce me to some mystery writers I have heard about but haven't read yet (like Alan Bradley, Dana Stabenow, and Jacqueline Winspear) who did pretty decent stories. The one story that I hated was the comic by Colin Cotterill, but only because it wasn't my sense of humor at all. What is my sense of humor? I have been told that I'm "the funny one" and also that I don't have a sense of humor at all. HAHAHA!!!

[Stacy Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 put them down and it doesn't mess with the continuity of your reading. I think I'll make one of my children dress as Sherlock Holmes for Halloween. They'll love it because they get to "smoke" a pipe. Hmmm..... maybe I'll be Sherlock.