Watson, Mrs. Watson, Librarians and Jack the Ripper

Happy Memorial Day holiday to all.  I was talking to my dad yesterday about World War II (he's 93) and his memories were very strong and indelible.  I can't imagine him flying a propeller plane all over the world.  I get sick in an elevator these days.  Modern life is not conducive to bravery.

On that note, there are some very brave fictional characters  that I have enjoyed reading about this week.  Molly Carr's A Study in Crimson, continues the adventures of Mrs. Watson and Mrs. St. Clair as they search for the Holy Grail.  I love the way Carr works in Rossetti, Raffles, Moriarty and the Mafia through her narrative.

Watson's Afghan Adventure by Kieran McMullen gives us a look at Watson's life pre-Holmes.  Watson's war experiences in the far east not only give us an excellent look at the past conflict in this area but give us an insight into the character of the man that we know and love as Holmes' right hand man and companion.

Can I review a non-MX book about Holmes?  Hope so, so here goes.  Dust and Shadow by Lyndsay Faye.  A great book about Holmes and Jack the Ripper.  Faye's descriptions of Victorian London are superb.  And the plot is original and that's no small deed as so many authors have attempted Jack the Ripper interpretations.

Thanks to all for the continued praise of my book The Murder in the Library.  I look forward to speaking at book clubs this summer.  To the gentleman from Evanston who said he and his wife read my book while traveling in London and visiting the Sherlock Holmes Society, and enjoyed it very much,  I say thanks!

More Sherlock books and thoughts about writing.....

Murder will out and a Review of Murder at the Populaire

Thanks to all for the great comments about The Murder in the Library which is out on amazon.com in book and kindle.  Hope you all enjoy it!

I finished reading Rendezvous at the Populaire by Kate Workman.  It's great to have Sherlock meet another notorious figure like the Phantom of the Opera. (instead of Jack the Ripper!)  Sherlock, after sustaining an injury has to reinvent himself.  By switching points of view between Holmes and Watson Workman gives us some Sherlockian psychology along with action, great locales and mystery.  This would make a great film, especially when they are all below the Opera House in the depths of the Parisian sewers.................
I enjoyed the pacing, the plot and the insight into Holmes' and Watson's feelings.  Check this one out!

For all us Yankees who watched the Royal Wedding all I can say is WOW.  Absolutely beautiful, amazing and London is so gorgeous in the spring.  I started to cry when I saw Elton John in the cathedral, can't help thinking back to another wedding.

Enjoy spring, my fellow Sherlockians, we're waiting for the sunshine here in the midwest, maybe one day and until then I'm on to the next book!

Sociopaths, Butterflies and a Review of Shadowfall

Murder in the Library 4-28 available from Amazon and cool bookstores- the Library game is afoot!

You’ve got to love the Victorians- they were into spiritualism, mediums, vampires, exotic flora and fauna- and all these goodies work their way into the stories of Sherlock Holmes.  I can visualize Stapleton chasing butterflies across the moor in The Hound of the Baskervilles.  How often collectors of butterflies and small animals are also collectors of human souls.  Read John Fowles The Collector and compare Clegg to Stapleton.  Both characters exhibit the classic behavior of sociopaths.  

Sherlock Holmes as Gandalf?  Sherlock Holmes as Dumbledore?  Sherlock as Merlin?  Can it work?  It does work in Shadowfall, a Novel of Sherlock Holmes by Tracy Revels.  This novel combines many of the traditional elements of Holmes and Watson with a fantasy theme that you’ve got to read, I won’t tell you about it and spoil it.  Suffice it to say if you’re into fairies, zombies, voodoo, grave robbers, ravens at the Tower and priceless jewels of the crown you will enjoy Shadowfall.   A most unusual treatment of Holmes and Watson with exciting action scenes.

The Lost Stories of Sherlock Holmes

Murder in the Library coming April 28^th - available on Amazon and Amazon uk .   The library game is afoot!

Unsolved cases and lost stories of Sherlock Holmes- what better method than to extend the mystique and the presence of the denizens of 221b Baker Street?  In 1954 Adrian Conan Doyle writing with John Dickson Carr created The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes a collection of adventures based on unsolved cases.  Adrian Conan Doyle, the youngest son of Sir Arthur, wrote these stories at the same desk his father used.  Definitely the spirit of Sherlock pervades these tales.

Published in 2010, The Lost Stories of Sherlock Holmes are cases that were never made public by Dr. Watson.  The stories were discovered by Tony Reynolds upon the death of his grandmother, Emma Mary Reynolds, (née Watson).  Mr. Reynolds has edited these tales and for our reading pleasure has published them into an eight story collection.  Of singular merit are the stories The Adventure of the Medium and The Adventure of the Gypsy Girl.  Naturalists will especially enjoy The Giant Rat of Sumatra.  Let us hope that Mr. Reynolds finds more locked deed boxes among his relative’s effects that belonged to Dr. John Watson.

A Study in Pink and Eliminate the Impossible

Murder in the Library April 28th  The library game is afoot!

A Study in Pink and Eliminate the Impossible by Alistair Duncan

 I just reread a A Study in Scarlet this week and watched again A Study in Pink, the newest Sherlock offering from the BBC.  I recommend both to everyone.  Read the story and then watch the show.  There are some subtle and not so subtle hints, nods and absolute spot-on characterizations.  Watson is really defined here, a scarred but game figure, who likes the ladies and admires Sherlock immensely and not without exasperation.  Sherlock is as always, eccentric, brilliant and capable of great charm when moved out of his bouts of lethargy or energy.  I’ve watched it 20 times already.

After reading Eliminate the Impossible by Alistair Duncan I move that every university immediately creates a Sherlock Holmes course and curriculum and I nominate Mr. Duncan to be the head professor.  He can then train all us willing to spread the Sherlock canon by using this very well written book for the class text.  Major characters are defined, a timeline of works is listed and then every story is reviewed and outlined in several well written pages.

If you have never read the stories, then use this book for reference as you read.  If like me you are attempting to re-read the entire canon in chronological order, then this is indispensible.  Then Duncan reviews all the stage and film Sherlocks up until 2008. 

This is a great reference tool and immensely manageable both in scope and size. 

Holmes and more Americans and The Sign of Fear by Molly Carr

Murder in the Library coming April 28th.  The library game is afoot!

In the Adventure of the Yellow Face, Americans again play a part.  When Grant Munro asks Holmes to investigate the mysterious stranger living in a cottage near his home, Holmes deduces that Munro's wife, Effie, must have hidden her first husband there.  She had said her husband and child had died from the yellow fever in Atlanta, Georgia.  This is one of Holmes' less notorious cases, and one can surmise that this is due to the fact that this case is one of his "failures" and also due to the racial overtones of the story.
A daring tale of mixed races for the times, perhaps the sympathy that Doyle shows in his writing is due partially to his Jesuit education and artistic temperament.  This story deserves another read by all.

In The Sign of Fear author Molly Carr presents a Holmes adventure unlike no other.  Watson's wife, Mary, unhappy at being left so often by Watson as he pursues adventures with Holmes, decides to do a bit of sleuthing on her own.  She is a strong character with decidedly un-Victorian views of a woman's behavior and sexuality.

She investigates a jewel theft and the murder of a Duke with some assistance from Raffles and Miss Jane Marple's mother!  This Sherlockian pastiche is a roller coaster ride of characters, shifting points of view and plot twists.  The story has a decidedly Travels with my Aunt feel to it so if you are a Graham Greene fan you will enjoy The Sign of Fear by Molly Carr.