Sherlock Holmes: A Year of Mystery 1888

by Richard T Ryan, Josh Reynolds, Derrick Belanger

1888 was a busy year for Holmes and Watson. If Dr. Watson is to be believed, The Sign of Four, “A Scandal in Bohemia,” and “The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor” all took place in this year (I would also argue that The Valley of Fear is set in the same year - ed.). As if all that weren’t enough, 1888 is remembered (albeit infamously) as the year that Jack the Ripper unleashed an autumn of terror on the citizens of London. While there are no Holmes vs. the Ripper stories in this volume, the authors of the later stories have all alluded to the atmosphere of terror permeating Holmes’s London at that time.1888 STORIESJanuary – The Adventure of the Two Mudlarks – Josh Reynolds

February – The Lear Letter Mystery – DJTyrer

March – Sherlock Holmes and the Winter Spectre – Shelby Phoenix

April – An American Through and Through – Derrick Belanger

May – The Problem of Mark of the Diamont – David Cisler

June – The Bishop’s Painful Path – David Marcum

July – The Case of the Foreman’s Spirit – Rob Nisbet

August – The Great Grouse Massacre – Paul Hiscock

September – The Adventure of the Acquisitive Collector – George Jacobs

October – The Case of the Blue Nautilus – Naching Kassa

November – A Gunshot from the Undergrowth – Gustavo Bondoni

December—The Christmas Conundrum – Katy Darby

Bonus – A Scoundrel in Bavaria – George Gardner

Bonus 2 – The Broker – Mike Adamson

410 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 14, 2025

Reviews

[Tony Ciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic stories by great Authors about the year 1888, love them!!!

[Christopher Lutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 I greatly enjoyed this collection of stories. For me 1888 is perhaps THE banner year for Sherlock Holmes as some of his most famous cases occur and the 19th century’s most infamous real world crime takes place. Framing this collection based on the course of the entire year is a great format and the decision to keep the ripper killings on the periphery was smart, it allowed these strong tales to stand on their own while still influencing the London atmosphere in which they take place. The final tale of the Holmes brothers making their first moves against Moirarty’s criminal network was my favorite.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing compared to some of the others in the series. Maybe since the author only 'hinted' at the Ripper cases, those stories included 'paled' in comparison?

[Robert A. Benfer · Rating 1 out of 5]

not a book, just cover pieces

Not a book, just an incomplete short story, not worth the time. Onee, two, three, four, five, six, seven, last