The Darkened Village: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure

by Barry Clay (Editor)

Deciphered from a recently acquired manuscript, this previously unpublished novel of Sherlock Holmes by his chronicler, John H. Watson, M.D., is sure to delight fans of the first "consulting detective."

The curate of Wenlock Edge and his wife are embarrassed to ask for help from Sherlock Holmes. They are aware that their problem appears trival, but ask they do. Fortunately for them, there is an unusual item in their story that piques Holmes's interest, and he accepts their case.

Anticipating that the solution shouldn't be too difficult, unusually time consuming, or dangerous, Holmes suggests to Watson, that both of them could enjoy a country visit before Watson's upcoming nuptials with the lovely Mary Morstan, and Watson readily agrees.

In short order, Holmes and Watson discover that something very odd is indeed happening in the village, many members of which have already decided what is responsible: the ghost of the Mad Monk. Strange happenings have oppressed the villagers. While they go about their daily tasks, they do so with apprehension and an expectation of something fearful just around the corner.

And they are not far wrong.

Genres: Mystery

183 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 27, 2019

About the author

I live close to Harrisburg, PA and have been married since 1990 to a wonderful woman who puts up with me disappearing into my study more often than she would like. I have four children, two of whom are still at home, and four very cute grandchildren -- and one on the way!

I am a graduate of Red Land High school in Lewisberry, PA, and a summa cum laude graduate of Shippensburg University, also in PA, with a BA in English. Shippensburg provided a good education at a reasonable price. For years before my marriage, I performed on stage in area community theaters, directed and music directed stage and musical shows, and otherwise kept myself occupied until, on a blind date, I met my wife. Unlike previous dates where either I or the lady I was a dating knew from the first we weren't a match, I was nearly positive my wife was the woman for me. (She was less certain.) I am very, very glad I waited for the right woman. Who else would tolerate me?

I have had many jobs over the years. I've dug ditches, stocked grocery shelves, tutored for room and board, cleaned restrooms, mopped floors, taught cartooning, worked in a bank, asked if you'd like fries with that (and cooked the fries to boot), ordered carpet for cars, and worked commission sales at Sears before it went to the shopping mall in the sky. I retired after 37 years as a civilian For the United States Navy. Believe it or not, I and my employees saved you money, which was no doubt shamelessly spent somewhere else in the government. You can read about my government career in one of my books: "Close Enough for Government Work."

I am the volunteer conductor of the Central Pennsylvania Home School Orchestra (CPHOmusic.org) in our area. I have volunteered as conductor for 25 years (and counting), and I'm told they'll keep me - if for no other reason than I'm willing to do the work for nothing.

I have been writing stories for decades in different genres. I've added spice to my writing life by switching from comedy, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and horror as the muse strikes me. I try to keep my stories mature, but not so mature your children couldn't read them. The exception would be "Collisions" and its sequels, which depicts some adult situations. While not graphic by today's standards, adults should use discretion in allowing their children to read it.

My big sellers are my Sherlock Holmes and Charlie Chan pastiches, all of whom have (generally) good reviews.

I also write non-fiction. I have been a Christian for over 50 years, and I decided to write a book on theology for the layman, "Solid Ground." While written primarily for believers (to provide the grounding in the faith I missed because I was not raised in a Christian home), it also should provide easy access to the unbeliever who wants to know more about how the every day Christian he may meet approaches his or her faith. You can buy the complete tome, or you can by individual chapters as eBooks and some as printed books.

In addition to the books and stories you will see on Amazon, I've written four musicals (two of which were performed locally to good reviews), three piano sonatas, one etude, ten works for Christian choirs and ensembles, over 40 works for young orchestra, and even have a passel of cartoons I drew when I was a working level employee.

In my spare time, I play piano, am a chain reader, volunteer in church, clean the kitchen.

Some nights, I sleep, too.

Reviews

[Christa Saccullo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done

That was immensely satisfying! Many times I thought, "Now that is Watson's voice." I really enjoyed the more filler scenes when interacting with people.
The easy camaraderie of Holmes and Watson are definitely there. I thoroughly enjoyed their conversations. I believe this certainly did just to the originals.
I also appreciated the way this story was handled. It's likely something along these lines would've appeared during Holmes' career. The subtle sense of God's hand, to stop such blatant evil, was kinda cool....

Christa

[Robert Ham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading Holmes pastiches for fun for a couple months now, and have found they're all over the place in terms of quality. I've read one whole series of eight books and several by other authors. This is the first one I've read by Barry Clay, and I can say without any reservation that it's the best one I've read by a country mile. Great story, interesting characters, well paced, and most importantly, it sounds like Sherlock Holmes in my head. He's only written a few of these, and I intend to read them all.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining Holmes listening 🏙😎🎵🐈✨

This kindle e-book novella is from my Kindle Unlimited account

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are ask to investigate why animals are going missing? It turns out to be a lot more when the Lord is murdered. Scotland Yard arrives and the case gets more involved. It all comes to a happy ending 😆.

I would recommend this novella and author to fans of Sherlock Holmes and readers of British mystery novels 🤔😉. 2024 😎🌎

[Scott P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good writing and plotting!

I have read many Holmes/Watson "second generation" works as well as the canon itself more than once. This is one of the better of the new breed, especially with regard to the accuracy of Conan Doyle/Watson's voice. Solid plot and interesting characters. A very accurate Holmes, emphasizing his humorous bent. I will check out more by Mr. Clay.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, even better than Doyle.

Holmesian fans should not miss this book! The story is captivating, written in Conan Doyle’s style convincingly, but even better. The voice of Dr. Watson as narrator lends humanity and warmth to his character and humor to the story. Very entertaining indeed.

[John Bookout · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite thorough

True to “the Sherlock mystic “. Well developed for such a twisting and turning tale of pure mystery and discovery. It’s length and intricacies made it arduous at times, but recommended nevertheless.

[Joseph Forgue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not too subtle, but quite enthralling

Could hardly put it down, once begun. The undercurrent of new scientific knowledge altering certitudes is well done, without being obtrusive.

[jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding!

Excellent blending of multiple storylines, with rich descriptions in the narratives. I look forward to reading this author's next work.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the secondary characters and the setting. I also thought Holmes and Watson were faithfully portrayed. However, the idea that one of the characters began beating his wife and joined a Satanic cult because he read Darwin's Origin of the Species..my God that's laughable.

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

While you can't avoid knowing how it will end, it's competently written, Holmes and Watson are fairly solid, and even if the bad guys are a tad over-done, it's a pretty good read.