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Sherlock Holmes - Tangled Skeins - Stories from the Notebooks of Dr. John H. Watson
Sherlock Holmes’s investigations were not always the neat and self-contained stories that were presented for publication. As Watson writes in his “Foreword”: Holmes’s cases overlapped one another considerably, often with the next beginning while the current was still in motion. Some moved linearly from start to finish without interruption, while others stretched, a piece here and a piece there, across weeks, months, or even years and decades. There are cases from the past that resonated into the present, or times when Holmes’s path was detoured from the middle of one case into a completely different matter without warning. A few never reached any conclusion at all. Sometimes . . . Holmes would find himself surrounded by the returning ripples of a matter that he had believed to be concluded years earlier, with the guilty miscreant supposedly far behind him. Watson chose the stories in this collection to represent this tangled skein. Join us as we ascend the seventeen steps to the sitting room at 221b Baker Street, discovering cases that range from Holmes’s earliest days in practice to his activities during his supposed retirement on the South Downs of Sussex. The game is afoot! Hardback edition.
252 pages, Hardcover
First published April 12, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 1, 2025
Watson is neither critical nor dense—yay!—Holmes is up to snuff, and the stories are engaging. Though the book starts off by saying that many of the mysteries overlapped, that’s not really presented much.
I was disappointed that the second to last mystery ends with a promise of a supernatural sounding mystery in western England near Coombe Tracy (village from HOUNd) but doesn’t follow up on that. But the last story of Holmes’ clearing Wiggins mother of murder is satisfying.
Narration is well-done.
Thanks to MX Publishing for the audio version.
I was disappointed that the second to last mystery ends with a promise of a supernatural sounding mystery in western England near Coombe Tracy (village from HOUNd) but doesn’t follow up on that. But the last story of Holmes’ clearing Wiggins mother of murder is satisfying.
Narration is well-done.
Thanks to MX Publishing for the audio version.
February 5, 2024
Great collection of stories
I have listened to these stories at least three times. I come back to them because I like that the way that all the characters are portrayed. Holmes and Watson seem true to type, to me. I find these stories comforting in some way, especially during these turbulent times. I really appreciate David Marcum's writing style. Thank you!
I have listened to these stories at least three times. I come back to them because I like that the way that all the characters are portrayed. Holmes and Watson seem true to type, to me. I find these stories comforting in some way, especially during these turbulent times. I really appreciate David Marcum's writing style. Thank you!
May 8, 2024
Untangled
Using his formidable knowledge of the Canon, Mr. Marcum untangles the tangled skeins within the purview of the great detective in this excellent collection of entertaining stories.
Using his formidable knowledge of the Canon, Mr. Marcum untangles the tangled skeins within the purview of the great detective in this excellent collection of entertaining stories.
January 17, 2018
Pastiche, but not bad. He makes a few mistakes in speech and grammar, but, on the whole, it's pretty faithful to the originals.
October 25, 2024
Doctor Watson reminiscences with Sherlock Homes upon cases concerning the Wiggins family and their near meetings over the years.
September 5, 2025
Found the narrator of doctor watson very good. Story was entertaining enough, glad it was a short story. If it had gone got on much longer It would have gotten tiresome.
March 27, 2015
According to Wikipedia, “A pastiche is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, or music that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche celebrates, rather than mocks, the work it imitates.”
Tangled Skeins is indeed a celebration of the characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson and the writing style of Sir Arthur Canon Doyle. For Holmes and Watson lovers, there is the pleasure of encountering beloved characters in new adventures. For pastiche lovers, there is the admiration of seeing how Marcum gets the tone and style just right. For lovers of good writing, there is the pleasure of well-crafted, intricately plotted stories that keep the pages turning.
I especially liked the humorous introduction by David Marcum, purportedly the editor of these “undiscovered” tales. In Part I, Marcum recounts his life-long attachment to wearing a Deerstalker hat. In Part II, he takes the reader on his pilgrimage to famous Sherlockian sites mentioned in the canon and in other pastiches. Part III explains how Marcum came by these stories during his London pilgrimage: A strange man had instructions to give a certain tin box to a man in a Deerstalker hat. Inside the box are the stories, along with Watson’s foreword saying he is leaving them temporarily with a friend while he and Holmes finish up a case. Apparently he never came back for them. There are five tales in all:
In “The Mystery at Kerrett’s Root”, Mrs. Grimshaw, Mrs. Hudson’s widowed sister, meets Holmes and Watson on the train when they are returning to London during a case. Mrs. Grimshaw has a ghost story to relate, but in the convoluted tale that unfolds, much more is revealed than the ghost that has frightened her.
In “The Curious Incident of the Goat Cart Man”, Watson joins Holmes, Inspector Patterson, and several detectives at Paddington Station on a case involving Professor Moriarty when another case intrudes. The new case includes two brothers and a recluse whose life may be in danger, Sir Giles Gidley-Hall. Sir Giles, impoverished by debts, now resides at the edge of his former park. He’s eccentric, riding around the park in a cart pulled by a goat, and the revelations solving his plight lead eerily back to Moriarty.
“The Matter of Boz’s Last Letter” features an auction and a letter by Dickens that outlines his ending to The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Or does it? Or is it really by Dickens? Whatever the truth, the contents are incendiary and could be dangerous to the Crown. Soon both Mycroft and Sherlock are at work on surprising and interwoven aspects of the case.
In “The Tangled Skein at Birling Gap”, Sherlock is retired, but as Watson visits his friend in Sussex, the reader learns that Holmes still consults when his assistance is needed. At Birling Gap, a boy has been kidnapped for ransom. While Holmes and Watson are planning their approach to the kidnapper, they learn that Officer Warren at the coast guard residencies has been murdered. Holmes narrows down who the killer is and why. Not surprisingly in a Sherlock story, these two cases are related. But no spoilers here. You’ll have to read this satisfying story yourself.
My favorite in the collection is “The Gower Street Murder”, a story within a story that features the Wiggins family. In the original canon, the Baker Street Irregulars were street urchins spying for Holmes, who made Wiggins their leader. In this story, before Watson ever knew him, Holmes helped clear Peter Wiggins’s mother of a false murder charge. Watson encounters the grown Peter on return from an errand for Holmes on a current case, and he’s invited to join Holmes at Wiggins’ home for his mother’s funeral. The tale of how Holmes cleared Mrs. Wiggins unfolds in bits and pieces by Holmes and by Lestrade, also attending the funeral. Simultaneously, their current case also progresses, and Peter has a role in its success. A long story, beautifully told.
Tangled Skeins is indeed a celebration of the characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson and the writing style of Sir Arthur Canon Doyle. For Holmes and Watson lovers, there is the pleasure of encountering beloved characters in new adventures. For pastiche lovers, there is the admiration of seeing how Marcum gets the tone and style just right. For lovers of good writing, there is the pleasure of well-crafted, intricately plotted stories that keep the pages turning.
I especially liked the humorous introduction by David Marcum, purportedly the editor of these “undiscovered” tales. In Part I, Marcum recounts his life-long attachment to wearing a Deerstalker hat. In Part II, he takes the reader on his pilgrimage to famous Sherlockian sites mentioned in the canon and in other pastiches. Part III explains how Marcum came by these stories during his London pilgrimage: A strange man had instructions to give a certain tin box to a man in a Deerstalker hat. Inside the box are the stories, along with Watson’s foreword saying he is leaving them temporarily with a friend while he and Holmes finish up a case. Apparently he never came back for them. There are five tales in all:
In “The Mystery at Kerrett’s Root”, Mrs. Grimshaw, Mrs. Hudson’s widowed sister, meets Holmes and Watson on the train when they are returning to London during a case. Mrs. Grimshaw has a ghost story to relate, but in the convoluted tale that unfolds, much more is revealed than the ghost that has frightened her.
In “The Curious Incident of the Goat Cart Man”, Watson joins Holmes, Inspector Patterson, and several detectives at Paddington Station on a case involving Professor Moriarty when another case intrudes. The new case includes two brothers and a recluse whose life may be in danger, Sir Giles Gidley-Hall. Sir Giles, impoverished by debts, now resides at the edge of his former park. He’s eccentric, riding around the park in a cart pulled by a goat, and the revelations solving his plight lead eerily back to Moriarty.
“The Matter of Boz’s Last Letter” features an auction and a letter by Dickens that outlines his ending to The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Or does it? Or is it really by Dickens? Whatever the truth, the contents are incendiary and could be dangerous to the Crown. Soon both Mycroft and Sherlock are at work on surprising and interwoven aspects of the case.
In “The Tangled Skein at Birling Gap”, Sherlock is retired, but as Watson visits his friend in Sussex, the reader learns that Holmes still consults when his assistance is needed. At Birling Gap, a boy has been kidnapped for ransom. While Holmes and Watson are planning their approach to the kidnapper, they learn that Officer Warren at the coast guard residencies has been murdered. Holmes narrows down who the killer is and why. Not surprisingly in a Sherlock story, these two cases are related. But no spoilers here. You’ll have to read this satisfying story yourself.
My favorite in the collection is “The Gower Street Murder”, a story within a story that features the Wiggins family. In the original canon, the Baker Street Irregulars were street urchins spying for Holmes, who made Wiggins their leader. In this story, before Watson ever knew him, Holmes helped clear Peter Wiggins’s mother of a false murder charge. Watson encounters the grown Peter on return from an errand for Holmes on a current case, and he’s invited to join Holmes at Wiggins’ home for his mother’s funeral. The tale of how Holmes cleared Mrs. Wiggins unfolds in bits and pieces by Holmes and by Lestrade, also attending the funeral. Simultaneously, their current case also progresses, and Peter has a role in its success. A long story, beautifully told.
February 14, 2016
Marcum smacks another Home Run!
Sherlock Holmes: Tangled Skeins by David Marcum
“The Mystery at Kerrett’s Rood”
Mrs. Grimshaw, sister of Mrs. Hudson, meets Holmes and Watson on the train. They are returning from Stoke Moran and the events of SPEC.
She has the story of a haunting. Her and her husband cared for a man named Clifton Felton, a criminal who lived at Kerrett House. They lived in a small cottage on the estate, Kerrett’s Rood.
When the father died in unusual circumstances, his son Ted Felton was a reported suicide. Now she has seen him in the main house, which she is paid to keep up.
The case has connections to an old case Holmes had thought over years ago. The twists and turns are excellent! Five stars
“The Curious Affair of the Goat-Cart Man”
Brothers Walter and Henry Forsyth are passing Paddington Station when they hear that Holmes is there in a case. Henry Forsyth has been attacked, drugged, and hit in the head. His brother Walter seems to be doing all he can to keep him away from Holmes.
But Henry is concerned about a neighbor, Sir Giles Gridly-Hall. The man once owned the land where the tenements that Henry lives in were built. He is eccentric, dashing up to passersby in a cart pulled by a goat with wild looks and brandishing a cane. He is harmless enough, but now he seems to be missing.
This one has an amazing twist ending! Five stars
“The Matter of Boz’s Last Letter”
The letter in question is apparently from Charles Dickens, written the day that he died. In the letter, Dickens supposedly accuses the Crown of many social ills, either directly or indirectly by claiming the Crown did nothing while atrocities like Jack the Ripper happened.
The Letter is presented as an ending for Dickens’ unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. The letter was found in a desk belonging to Charles Dickens, now in the possession of Baron Maupertius, whom Holmes battled over the Netherlands Sumatra Company…
This story has the twist of being officially sanctioned by Mycroft Holmes on behalf of the Crown… Five stars
“The Tangled Skein at Birling Gap”
This is actually two cases so intertwined that solving one without the other may be impossible. One is a case of the kidnapping of the Earl of H----‘s son. The other is the death by cyanide poisoning of Lieutenant Andrew Warren.
The author refers to other cases throughout, some written by himself, some by others, and some not yet written. The story is well written, well-paced and masterful in scope! Five stars
“The Gower Street Murder”
Holmes and Watson are invited by Peter Wiggins to his mother’s wake. Peter and his brothers and sisters and cousins were all part of the Baker Street Irregulars at on time or other. Holmes and Lestrade begin to recount the tale of how Holmes saved Mrs. Wiggins from the gallows when she was falsely accused of murder.
Much is explained about Holmes’ unique relationship with the Wiggins family. The story is superb! Five stars
This collection has the true ring of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I think I will use the author’s own words in giving praise to this book. He weaves a tapestry of mystery with the guilty party “sewn into the pattern of the story one stitch at a time.” No one could say it better. David Marcum, I salute you sir! Marvelous! Five stars Plus
Quoth the Raven…
Sherlock Holmes: Tangled Skeins by David Marcum
“The Mystery at Kerrett’s Rood”
Mrs. Grimshaw, sister of Mrs. Hudson, meets Holmes and Watson on the train. They are returning from Stoke Moran and the events of SPEC.
She has the story of a haunting. Her and her husband cared for a man named Clifton Felton, a criminal who lived at Kerrett House. They lived in a small cottage on the estate, Kerrett’s Rood.
When the father died in unusual circumstances, his son Ted Felton was a reported suicide. Now she has seen him in the main house, which she is paid to keep up.
The case has connections to an old case Holmes had thought over years ago. The twists and turns are excellent! Five stars
“The Curious Affair of the Goat-Cart Man”
Brothers Walter and Henry Forsyth are passing Paddington Station when they hear that Holmes is there in a case. Henry Forsyth has been attacked, drugged, and hit in the head. His brother Walter seems to be doing all he can to keep him away from Holmes.
But Henry is concerned about a neighbor, Sir Giles Gridly-Hall. The man once owned the land where the tenements that Henry lives in were built. He is eccentric, dashing up to passersby in a cart pulled by a goat with wild looks and brandishing a cane. He is harmless enough, but now he seems to be missing.
This one has an amazing twist ending! Five stars
“The Matter of Boz’s Last Letter”
The letter in question is apparently from Charles Dickens, written the day that he died. In the letter, Dickens supposedly accuses the Crown of many social ills, either directly or indirectly by claiming the Crown did nothing while atrocities like Jack the Ripper happened.
The Letter is presented as an ending for Dickens’ unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. The letter was found in a desk belonging to Charles Dickens, now in the possession of Baron Maupertius, whom Holmes battled over the Netherlands Sumatra Company…
This story has the twist of being officially sanctioned by Mycroft Holmes on behalf of the Crown… Five stars
“The Tangled Skein at Birling Gap”
This is actually two cases so intertwined that solving one without the other may be impossible. One is a case of the kidnapping of the Earl of H----‘s son. The other is the death by cyanide poisoning of Lieutenant Andrew Warren.
The author refers to other cases throughout, some written by himself, some by others, and some not yet written. The story is well written, well-paced and masterful in scope! Five stars
“The Gower Street Murder”
Holmes and Watson are invited by Peter Wiggins to his mother’s wake. Peter and his brothers and sisters and cousins were all part of the Baker Street Irregulars at on time or other. Holmes and Lestrade begin to recount the tale of how Holmes saved Mrs. Wiggins from the gallows when she was falsely accused of murder.
Much is explained about Holmes’ unique relationship with the Wiggins family. The story is superb! Five stars
This collection has the true ring of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I think I will use the author’s own words in giving praise to this book. He weaves a tapestry of mystery with the guilty party “sewn into the pattern of the story one stitch at a time.” No one could say it better. David Marcum, I salute you sir! Marvelous! Five stars Plus
Quoth the Raven…
May 20, 2016
This is an excellent follow-up to Marcum’s earlier collections, The Papers of Sherlock Holmes, Volumes I and II. The title—Tangled Skeins—arises (as Watson explains) from his efforts to untangle events that occurred simultaneously, so to arrange them as individual, coherent stories. Hence, Marcum’s pastiches often intersect with cases and characters from the original Canon. Woven entertainingly into his narratives are Mrs. Hudson’s sister, a grown-up Wiggins from “The Baker Street Irregulars,” Baron Maupertuis, and Moriarty. Besides old friends and enemies, Marcum also references other Victorian writers (Dickens and Stevenson), real and imaginary statesmen (Lords Salisbury and Holdhurst), and actual historical events. As in his earlier volumes, the coming war of 1914 looms on the horizon. The stories themselves are well-crafted traditional pastiches, written in a style that is fully compatible with Conan Doyle’s, while making his characters a bit more approachable for modern readers. Again, Marcum offers new biographical details, fleshing out the lives of Holmes and Watson as imagined by their original creator. For casual fans or serious Sherlockians, Tangled Skeins is a volume not to be missed. –Thomas A. Turley, author of “Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Tainted Canister”
(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...)
(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...)
February 11, 2016
I have been a fan of David Marcum's stories for some time, and every time I pick up another book of his I'm not disappointed. He offers the readers brilliant traditional Holmes stories. Readers will enjoys the mysteries he's crafted in this collection. If convenient add this to your collection, if inconvenient do it all the same!
March 24, 2015
Sherlock Holmes is vibrant and I love how he solve mysteries.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews