I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere: review

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Review: The Strange Case of the Pharoah's Heart

<h4 style="text-align: center;"><b>"...drawn in Egyptian letters..." [STUD]  </b></h4><h4 style="text-align: center;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegaXuvu0g4vrprLFWf9kXBOCeuAVuRSMqWrgrhQJZlf1KFQHxFC8DjhqD6NoIcc0NKyGVQJyhxAHJcxGuH-Tp2pG2S8Z90DxntpVtiQWU0fKxjldyJa4lzo9VoW_gP-LpcYRKJlbHoU6ndHlYEeWWsz_8j8IFEGnw-7JpQWb0XcJot8ldFcVyzFATzaHL/s943/The%20Strange%20Case%20of%20the%20Pharoah's%20Heart%20-%20thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="943" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegaXuvu0g4vrprLFWf9kXBOCeuAVuRSMqWrgrhQJZlf1KFQHxFC8DjhqD6NoIcc0NKyGVQJyhxAHJcxGuH-Tp2pG2S8Z90DxntpVtiQWU0fKxjldyJa4lzo9VoW_gP-LpcYRKJlbHoU6ndHlYEeWWsz_8j8IFEGnw-7JpQWb0XcJot8ldFcVyzFATzaHL/w640-h480/The%20Strange%20Case%20of%20the%20Pharoah's%20Heart%20-%20thumb.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></b></h4><p>Sherlockian pastiche has always acquired inspiration from other literary works, famous historical figures and events, and even supernatural themes. Integrating several of these factors into a single story can lead to very irregular storytelling, focusing less on the mystery and more on the uniqueness of the theme.</p><p>Timothy Miller's <b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/41uBRYG" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Strange Case of the Pharoah's Heart</a></i></b> is a uniquely intriguing piece of Sherlockian writing, integrating real-life historical events and genre themes into a compelling read that deserves your attention.</p><p>Miller's premise is intriguing and unique: in 1923, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson had a serious falling-out over their belief systems. Sherlock Holmes has adopted the philosophy of spiritualism over his usual belief in deduction much to Dr. Watson's chagrin. Although they split, Watson is approached by Lady Evelyn Carnarvon whose father sponsored the expedition that discovered the <a href="https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/archaeologist-opens-tomb-of-king-tut" target="_blank">Tomb of Tutenkamen</a>. Soon, Holmes and Watson are joined by a third character, a woman named Estelle Roberts who is a medium who can communicate with the dead.</p><p>Miller's <b><i><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/93253/9781645060819" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Strange Case of the Pharoah's Heart</a></i></b> also takes a unique narrative approach, splitting the narration between Dr. James Watson and Estelle Roberts. While this may dismay Sherlockian purists, it provides great tension between the potentially rational and potentially supernatural. The dual narrative opens up the story, providing insights and perspectives that could be easily missed in a straightforward pastiche. As the mystery progresses, Miller introduces various characters who help both Holmes and Watson shine.</p><p>Describing the plot in greater detail would be unfair to Timothy Miller, as <b><i>The Strange Case of the Pharoah's Heart</i> </b>provides a great reading experience for Sherlockians. Without spoiling, the last three chapters serve as an afterword with moments of grace, serenity, and finality. </p><p><b><i>The Strange Case of the Pharoah's Heart</i></b> is a great Sherlockian work best enjoyed with an open heart and an eager mind, and worth seeking out.</p><p>Very highly recommended.</p><p>Available on <a href="https://amzn.to/41uBRYG">Amazon.com</a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/93253/9781645060819">Bookshop.org</a>, or wherever books are sold. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiex0nmHHcSmWRZ0Rre2xdrBNthXoWCMgrmu_AvOBtReE3M9JU0ySIk83HkwYC08UceER5pqFPoEUhbc5xwS-1spxX6huxcmOiSyDZggCDUP98W0-GU1yo6ky0uT_iEGsAfKUmHLky8k3jfO6fec2yQGJ0Z0kwFFQybNh5bSulcT-Syz71vpCZYA7p09DD-/s1500/The%20Strange%20Case%20of%20the%20Pharoah's%20Heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="943" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiex0nmHHcSmWRZ0Rre2xdrBNthXoWCMgrmu_AvOBtReE3M9JU0ySIk83HkwYC08UceER5pqFPoEUhbc5xwS-1spxX6huxcmOiSyDZggCDUP98W0-GU1yo6ky0uT_iEGsAfKUmHLky8k3jfO6fec2yQGJ0Z0kwFFQybNh5bSulcT-Syz71vpCZYA7p09DD-/s320/The%20Strange%20Case%20of%20the%20Pharoah's%20Heart.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><i>(Note: a copy of the book was provided for review) </i></p>

Review: The Strange Case of the Pharoah's Heart

"...drawn in Egyptian letters..." [STUD] Sherlockian pastiche has always acquired inspiration from other literary works, famous ...

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by Gordon D

Book Review: Nessie's Nemesis

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> <b>"When we got back to Scotland it was easily hushed up" [BLAC]</b></h4><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebL6PHgBFw79K8WNfoThXgTz2E1m5O7tr8Q1Nr9vKUp0JoUTdsw-fgdRjOQWZ9-rhi4qs5e0ZZ4vZGQDk-bEAamhINUbGaPPAJtSnLER15Ezl32GJpPwqq_ZF6jw0ewc2YEx8n485eMgkkyfdevyoXVYJ_kqMsQM6ucr3uQ0wlNFbcdVr8uit2Vg1gHxs/s826/Nessies%20Nemesis%20header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="826" height="477" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebL6PHgBFw79K8WNfoThXgTz2E1m5O7tr8Q1Nr9vKUp0JoUTdsw-fgdRjOQWZ9-rhi4qs5e0ZZ4vZGQDk-bEAamhINUbGaPPAJtSnLER15Ezl32GJpPwqq_ZF6jw0ewc2YEx8n485eMgkkyfdevyoXVYJ_kqMsQM6ucr3uQ0wlNFbcdVr8uit2Vg1gHxs/w640-h477/Nessies%20Nemesis%20header.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><br /></b></div><p>Addy and Zabel, the investigative couple from <i><a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2021/11/book-review-sherlocks-secretary.html">Sherlock's Secretary</a></i>, return in <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3Lpg4IV" target="_blank">Nessie's Nemesis</a></i>. Addy is still answering letters sent to Sherlock Holmes, which brings them this second case. Like the one in the first book, it has a media connection to the great detective. </p><p>As many know, there's a key scene in the 1970 Billy Wilder movie <i>The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes</i> involving a fake Loch Ness Monster. (If you don't know, don't worry — one character tells another the key facts early on.) In this novel, two video podcasters have journeyed to the lake to document their attempt to raise the head of the prop, but they've disappeared. </p><p><a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2016/04/long-lost-prop-from-private-life-of.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Related: Long Lost Prop from The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes Found</a></p><p>The supporting cast involved in this mystery includes an incompetent local police officer, an incredibly eccentric local lord who's hunting the monster himself, his daughter who runs the estate's conference center, the waiter at the hotel restaurant who hates his customers and isn't afraid to show it, and three authors: a Texan who writes action thrillers starring Ted Testosterone, a TV show parodist, and someone who writes creepy erotic noir. </p><p>Author Chris Chan tells a brisk story, perhaps a little over-seasoned with random bits of trivia, but I enjoyed learning about weird Scottish dishes, for example, and I don't mind dense writing. As with many other modern authors, it's unfortunate that his characters all sound much the same, with the same vocabularies and voices on the page; it's the plotting that's his strength. I stayed curious about finding out what would happen next throughout the 215-page story, and I admired how all the different strands wove together.  </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3Lpg4IV" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="826" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipY2ZrGNwoseHUHnUdfquii1yrX18-kD6lZkbyTHba8StEErnjo4W7mBdYEvD-29Rwty_LgiODg1j26A1_3sF7aTxorTpIX-4Igev35skv3UueRHFq7GORS-UdKLmC9lkX0sLqmpT_IZMztD_nSMauwFgccG2oz6JbkgctI_k4UwI8iZOD1oi2LCvyXbwp/s320/Nessies%20Nemesis.jpg" width="194" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3Lpg4IV" target="_blank">Nessie's Nemesis</a></i> by Chris Chan, published by <a href="https://mxpublishing.com" target="_blank">MX Publishing</a>, September 2023, is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and Kindle format <a href="https://amzn.to/3Lpg4IV" target="_blank">on Amazon</a>.</p><p><br /></p>

Book Review: Nessie's Nemesis

"When we got back to Scotland it was easily hushed up" [BLAC] Addy and Zabel, the investigative couple from Sherlock's Secre...

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by Johanna Draper Carlson

Book Review: Sherlock Bones and the Horror of the Haunted Castle

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> “The world is big enough for us. No ghosts need apply.”
[SUSS]</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEgw05hw5-3Wr20XK0_-7xQT_BgUYuqIZBqDOxedgl98MVFKtHZP7SFl-hZGX27Ije9lT6pgoGPgzSdBpRDT7f4C5x0uow5wPCaQvFNMtaqykmXh2rPwyAjFCEVhhIakbabM3QCKsfwn3bGQMg66OVE6lXSLoeu_-eIunHkiZU7QDnrgDpaQEzVNSnmXtx/s452/Sherlock%20Bones%20and%20the%20Horror%20of%20the%20Haunted%20Castle%20big%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="452" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEgw05hw5-3Wr20XK0_-7xQT_BgUYuqIZBqDOxedgl98MVFKtHZP7SFl-hZGX27Ije9lT6pgoGPgzSdBpRDT7f4C5x0uow5wPCaQvFNMtaqykmXh2rPwyAjFCEVhhIakbabM3QCKsfwn3bGQMg66OVE6lXSLoeu_-eIunHkiZU7QDnrgDpaQEzVNSnmXtx/w640-h396/Sherlock%20Bones%20and%20the%20Horror%20of%20the%20Haunted%20Castle%20big%20cover.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>

<br /><br /><a href="https://amzn.to/49vPNmF"><i>Sherlock Bones and the Horror of the Haunted Castle</i></a> is the fourth in a series of Puzzle Quest paperback books from author <b>Tom Collins</b> and illustrator <b>John Bigwood</b>. This “Sherlock Bones” is not to be confused with the character in one of <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/03/the-earliest-sherlock-holmes-star-trek.html">The Earliest Sherlock Holmes-Star Trek Crossovers</a>. <br /><br />The adventure follows Sherlock Bones and Dr. Catson as they help a wealthy dog couple who have inherited their wealthy cousin’s kennel, a castle in the Catpathian Mountains, complete with a ghost. The couple brings the detectives to the castle to help rid them of said ghost. <br /><br />Throughout the mystery Sherlock Bones stays rooted in reality, searching for a perpetrator and motive. Dr. Catson’s breakthrough in the case comes when she trusts her own eyes rather than what others have suggested, which is always a good lesson. Even though Holmes did not find a three-bone problem in this mystery, he did share his latest experiments which involved making chewing bones chewier.<br /> <br /><br />It is satisfying to see that Dr. Catson is portrayed as an action-oriented part of the detecting team, quick to bound after suspects and take risks of her own. Her contributions to solving the mystery are vital. I also agree with her ideas about what does not make fine cuisine. <br /> <br /><br />The target audience for this book is children aged 7 to 9, and this might be a good way to introduce those in your life to the famous detective and his Boswell. The book comes complete with engaging twists and some hair-raising situations. The fourteen chapters tell an interesting tale with several different animals featured.<br /><br />The twenty-eight puzzles that appear as part of the story were fun and also helpful for keeping track of the different characters. The giggle-inducing mention of "underpants" is sure to entertain. All-in-all experiencing the whole book is a great activity. <br /><br />Although I am not in the book’s target demographic, the story was very pleasant and a good read. The characters were fun, and the mystery itself built to a satisfying solution that was not completely obvious. While following Holmes and Dr. Catson along their journey to solve the mystery, I found myself pausing to solve the puzzles. <br /><br /><br />If you have a reader aged 7 to 9 who enjoys mysteries and chapter books, or if you enjoy and collect this genre of pastiches, you should find this an enjoyable book. You and your young reader may also be pleased to see some parallels between this story and <i>The Hound of the Baskersvilles</i>.

<p class="MsoNormal">

</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 71.45pt;">The book is available to preorder, and will be released on 5
March 2024. (<a href="https://amzn.to/49vPNmF" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/93253/9781780559223">Bookshop.org</a>)</p>

Book Review: Sherlock Bones and the Horror of the Haunted Castle

“The world is big enough for us. No ghosts need apply.” [SUSS] Sherlock Bones and the Horror of the Haunted Castle is the fourth in a se...

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by M. M. M.

Review: Sherlock Holmes: The Spider's Web

<h4 style="text-align: center;">“earnest in the investigation”  [RETI]</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSOYiEk1uRQQgLJfMJ5HMPs4ruYmKZvtofcWZCGnb6b28ueagbwuGI2BIPFzYGxIi0wv7dUoDgmaHYLu8CK7WwFZqBcpglJYpemZFy85-HCUoYCo3mR3FfujAu7NEuwr-CD92p7uJyFP7f0JbmO9Wi6IHeS2Awxe3f0D0tx1PBkMK45n4TrkXkFUVQI0gR/s1548/Spider's%20Web%20header.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="1548" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSOYiEk1uRQQgLJfMJ5HMPs4ruYmKZvtofcWZCGnb6b28ueagbwuGI2BIPFzYGxIi0wv7dUoDgmaHYLu8CK7WwFZqBcpglJYpemZFy85-HCUoYCo3mR3FfujAu7NEuwr-CD92p7uJyFP7f0JbmO9Wi6IHeS2Awxe3f0D0tx1PBkMK45n4TrkXkFUVQI0gR/w640-h438/Spider's%20Web%20header.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Who would have thought mixing a traditional Sherlock Holmes pastiche with Oscar Wilde's characters would work so well? Philip Purser-Hallard, that's who. </p><p>I picked up <i><a href="https://amzn.to/44djHsp" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes: The Spider's Web</a></i> because I'd read and enjoyed some of Purser-Hallard's writings on <i>Doctor Who</i>. I was pleasantly surprised to find an authentic-feeling novel with quite the deductions. </p><p>Then a body is found at the Moncrieff house during a ball, and in wanders the cast of <i><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3KO7vr6" target="_blank">The Importance of Being Earnest</a></b></i>. It's all the more complicated when the dead man is claimed to be Bunbury. The case that unfolds is one based on gossip and blackmail, as suits the characters. </p><p>I suspect many of you will already know whether you want to read this at this point, whether or not I continue to say that the book is entertaining, with a deft balance between Wilde's facetiousness and Doyle's adventure. If you enjoy both of these authors, you'll definitely want to see Holmes meet Lady Bracknell. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3P0EXNv" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2410" data-original-width="1548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC6Y-zntHExQIPblOcNJSw0PszWKnOdNvPyqTb-VHOD7VMQacZa0feeBW5HkcWBt5QgG5Xe1bNKqYyTH3frR3IArmAM1vVum5VHzBD_CUgyt1r2qyZpIu3BzgqegV-cAH6LQ2XAcdPmqmzqqfqC37ZryxRezBTC-_vR3tbNTATEdcei7db7qXnmlrQEjNo/s320/Spider's%20Web.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Thankfully, an author's note lists all the various characters and their Wildean sources, as those from <i><a href="https://amzn.to/45zZ4aF" target="_blank">An Ideal Husband</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/44hXrxm" target="_blank">A Woman of No Importance</a>, </i>and <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3qDxtGS" target="_blank">Lady Windermere's Fan</a></i> also appear. </p><p><br /></p><p>The connection between Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle is worth a mention here: both <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/08/langham-hotel-incorrectly-claims-to-be.html" target="_blank">attended a dinner at the Langham Hotel</a> with <b>J.M. Stoddart</b>, editor of <i>Lippincott's Monthly</i>, on 30 August 1889. It marked the first meeting between Arthur Conan Doyle and Oscar Wilde and eventually resulted in <i>The Sign of Four</i> and <i>The Picture of Dorian Gray</i>, both initially published in <i>Lippincott's</i>.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Adventures Continue</h3><p>After this book, Purser-Hallard wrote <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3spmOzY" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes: Masters of Lies</a></i>, a wonderfully twisty double-cross on the reader. Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, and Mycroft Holmes investigate the suicide of a supposed spy, caught up with various document forgeries. It came out from Titan in May 2022. Both books are recommended. </p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3P0EXNv" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes: The Spider's Web</a> </i>by Philip Purser-Hallard, published by Titan Books, October 2020, is available in paperback and Kindle format <a href="https://amzn.to/3P0EXNv" target="_blank">on Amazon</a>.</p><p><br /></p>

Review: Sherlock Holmes: The Spider's Web

“earnest in the investigation” [RETI] Who would have thought mixing a traditional Sherlock Holmes pastiche with Oscar Wilde's character...

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by Johanna Draper Carlson

Review: Ka Pōhaku Makamae

<h4 style="text-align: center;">“even the smallest of problems are of interest to me” [BLUE]</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSI3aHAupPgExWNAIMDmz5r_riomALbF1Fc5rYX29GlIQxqij-0GZ3hv2OUfN_JnQtuXNShgK3J_1lRa6L_SlTGOx4YSRA8Yqb_ugO4kWzFusipr5pNNJoheGTqnf6RKYf-X0WIkQRam48uiWVF7-ZTe1-kn7VLM_ZJ164kfRCvOba4wm7YnlpwTllOA/s600/Ka%20Pohaku%20Mkakamae%20-%20header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSI3aHAupPgExWNAIMDmz5r_riomALbF1Fc5rYX29GlIQxqij-0GZ3hv2OUfN_JnQtuXNShgK3J_1lRa6L_SlTGOx4YSRA8Yqb_ugO4kWzFusipr5pNNJoheGTqnf6RKYf-X0WIkQRam48uiWVF7-ZTe1-kn7VLM_ZJ164kfRCvOba4wm7YnlpwTllOA/s16000/Ka%20Pohaku%20Mkakamae%20-%20header.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>

Reviewing <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2021/01/he-huli-ulaula-study-in-scarlet.html"><strong><i>He Huli ʻUlaʻula: A Study in Scarlet</i></strong></a> in 2021 was a great revelation. Leilehua Yuen's introductory tale of Kamalka Holmes and Fevronia Watkins was a delight with the desire to read more stories. Thankfully, the recently released <strong><a href="https://amzn.to/3oRBkiC" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Ka Pōhaku Makamae: The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle or The Adventure of the Christmas Goose</i></a></strong> is also a delight and a worthy follow-up to Ms. Yuen's first book.</div><div><br />

Taking its inspiration from the canonical story “<a href="https://sherlock-holm.es/stories/pdf/a4/1-sided/blue.pdf">The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle</a>,” <b><i>K</i></b><strong><i>a Pōhaku Makamae</i> </strong>provides a great holiday-themed Holmesian pastiche that provides a rich and unique setting. </div><div><br /></div><div>Intended to be the third in a series, <strong><i>Ka Pōhaku Makamae</i> </strong>has a great mix of hope and melancholy in telling its tale. Although finding a gem in the neck of a Christmas goose is a key element, the story finds Kamalka Holmes and Fevronia Watkins looking into several of the strange circumstances around this blue gem.</div><div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwVdsgpq38KX29yG7sAiGPrvxCEdXd31pMoWS_AsA_6F9GQZiQfcD29xFD9-floOJEEaHxu9EfVdn8I78HKOLuk7b5Gtzzfw9Uob_RnLfNwtKrnghWNNh287B51TtpOvlSzd-Egv3bjcWlnMJNjj1kd5unGU9rqx9kGY_KW8VQErWJf6eGjbZC6kuPg/s809/Ka%20Pohaku%20Mkakamae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="489" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwVdsgpq38KX29yG7sAiGPrvxCEdXd31pMoWS_AsA_6F9GQZiQfcD29xFD9-floOJEEaHxu9EfVdn8I78HKOLuk7b5Gtzzfw9Uob_RnLfNwtKrnghWNNh287B51TtpOvlSzd-Egv3bjcWlnMJNjj1kd5unGU9rqx9kGY_KW8VQErWJf6eGjbZC6kuPg/s320/Ka%20Pohaku%20Mkakamae.jpg" width="193" /></a></div><br /> <br />Like <strong><i>He Huli ʻUlaʻula</i></strong>, Ms. Yuen crafts an engaging tale that uses late 19th-century Hawaii in the same way Conan Doyle used Victorian London. Not only is the plot of <strong><i>Ka Pōhaku Makamae</i> </strong>engaging, but it provides an intriguing backdrop that provides insight into a little-known era of history. </div><div><br /></div><div>There are tantalizing details that would be worthy of further stories (like the suggestion that a Hawaiian prince desired to fight in the American Civil War), However, Ms. Yuen's mix of everyday family issues within the overall plot provides a strong emotional core that compliments the overall mystery.</div><div>  <br />But <strong><i>Ka Pōhaku Makamae</i> </strong>also provides some great resources at the end of the book. In addition to a character list, <strong><i>Ka Pōhaku Makamae</i> </strong>contains several appendices which include a glossary, an essay on historical context, and a list of Scottish Christmas recipes reflecting Fevronia Watkin's background. These appendices provide a great reading experience on their own as they serve as the foundation of the book's world-building. It also fosters the holiday-themed spirit within the story, providing some extra benefits to an already great story.</div><div>  <br />

<strong><a href="https://amzn.to/3oRBkiC" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Ka Pōhaku Makamae - The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle or The Adventure of the Christmas Goose</i></a></strong> is a must-read for any Sherlockian. This great holiday-themed pastiche is a worthy follow-up to <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2021/01/he-huli-ulaula-study-in-scarlet.html"><strong><i>He Huli ʻUlaʻula</i></strong></a> is an excellent gift idea, for yourself or the Sherlockian in your life. </div><div><br />

<strong><i>Highly recommended</i></strong></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b>

<em>(NOTE: An electronic copy was provided for purposes of review) </em></div><div><em><br /></em></div>

Review: Ka Pōhaku Makamae

“even the smallest of problems are of interest to me” [BLUE] Reviewing He Huli ʻUlaʻula: A Study in Scarlet in 2021 was a great revelatio...

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by Gordon D

Can You Survive the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes?

<h4 style="text-align: center;">“my judgment may survive the ordeal.” [SIGN]</h4><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYFwXcWVp1pptbAqBfQPvD4f0i2AWIPfD4qoz8iATdnOLivLdy5EdY9gxnJRML7HVX2jGmtrj9boSfX38GS9yNemr54CpR6mdiZ5bAKxW9eRT0fAwl8w4MHXQMMMYTKr1RJZVL2__l3qvdcBdIOXHpF5Lhd2NQSbsLFe4GmRMASJUYDYgAVl7iWJc1Q/s1600/Can%20You%20Survive%20header.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1257" data-original-width="1600" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYFwXcWVp1pptbAqBfQPvD4f0i2AWIPfD4qoz8iATdnOLivLdy5EdY9gxnJRML7HVX2jGmtrj9boSfX38GS9yNemr54CpR6mdiZ5bAKxW9eRT0fAwl8w4MHXQMMMYTKr1RJZVL2__l3qvdcBdIOXHpF5Lhd2NQSbsLFe4GmRMASJUYDYgAVl7iWJc1Q/w640-h502/Can%20You%20Survive%20header.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><i><br /></i><p></p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/41IP2Tr" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Can You Survive the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</a>? </i>combines the interactivity of a choose-your-own-path book with three classic Sherlock Holmes stories: "The Red-Headed League," "The Speckled Band," and to say the other would be giving things away. </p><p>The reader gets to pretend to be Sherlock Holmes himself, which is fun, particularly as you can't be too cautious. You're told at the start that Moriarty may have sent you a case as a trap, but if you turn down too many, or you get too many deductions wrong, you might go out of business as a consulting detective. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/41IP2Tr" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2285" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk2e7Wo1WAWj92CJHMNIRced1b5Wnw5s9Wkhqw7DpDaQ1hD9aRR9PAveSdAz1WCuoF1aIZOiedozMTucOJ9-0PACc7NiOoCfz9c719e8Slmp5z170rt_7UV5U2ZogwTbqftuTOO50xwQxUDdBa2uZ0v9MvMmfd4ucTRvWfz-p4ieUaTz3vgDod-nj0hA/w140-h200/Can%20You%20Survive.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>Of course, if you've read the stories (and it's a rare Sherlock Holmes fan who isn't familiar with those two), you have a great advantage here. Even so, it's fun to see how choices — and alternate endings — have been inserted into these familiar tales. You might solve the case, or you may fail, or you or your client might even die! <p></p><p>The publisher recommends this book (and others in the series, including ones for <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3oyK4d9" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dracula</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/41uuxtd" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Wizard of Oz</a></i>, and <i><a href="https://amzn.to/41u7LSj" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Call of the Wild</a></i>) for ages 9-13, and that seems about right. It would be fun to read this through with a child, argue about which choices to make, and then talk about how these versions compare to the original stories. </p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/41IP2Tr" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><br />Can You Survive the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes?</a></i> by Arthur Conan Doyle, Ryan Jacobson, and Deb Mercier, published by Lake 7 Creative, October 2022</p><p><br /></p>

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Can You Survive the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes?

“my judgment may survive the ordeal.” [SIGN] Can You Survive the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ? combines the interactivity of a choose-your...

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by Johanna Draper Carlson

Early Review — Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened

<h4 style="text-align: center;"> “our review of the situation” [SHOS] </h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoVlch8mPs-kKedc8WrpyQkds53qimavjDLWCi2URP7sDxOyl0SM8dVQBvQQEYpyoVyuSmjwFcmXEwpvcUGnbyDvaWOFtOkzsq0hE9XH-4XDK_W5nB_7dijwo8HdgalsZzPwHg8yztSJlJtxItk06y-g1gO1PmEVyDrlcO-1Rj4wrDOUJfrjKuBWwNQ/s616/SH%20The%20Awakened.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="616" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoVlch8mPs-kKedc8WrpyQkds53qimavjDLWCi2URP7sDxOyl0SM8dVQBvQQEYpyoVyuSmjwFcmXEwpvcUGnbyDvaWOFtOkzsq0hE9XH-4XDK_W5nB_7dijwo8HdgalsZzPwHg8yztSJlJtxItk06y-g1gO1PmEVyDrlcO-1Rj4wrDOUJfrjKuBWwNQ/w640-h366/SH%20The%20Awakened.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>In a private Facebook group we run called <a href="https://ihose.co/strangersroom" target="_blank">The Strangers Room</a>, one of our members posted a review of the new video game <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/1949030/" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened</a>.</p><p>The game is described by its creator as "a Lovecraft meets Sherlock Holmes crossover, <i>The Awakened</i> puts you up against the legendary Cthulhu Mythos."</p><p>Here's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZOtzu5E8-k&ab_channel=IGN" target="_blank">the official trailer</a> for the game:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uZOtzu5E8-k" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>It's a fascinating concept. Here's what member Ro had to say after playing the demo version: </p><p></p><blockquote><p>Frogwares, the studio behind all the best Sherlock Holmes video games, gave access to their demo of <i>Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened</i> game remake to certain tier <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/frogwares/sherlock-holmes-the-awakened" target="_blank">Kickstarter</a> backers last week. I spent some time playing through it on regular and master difficulties and I can say I’m pretty impressed. </p><p>It’s a huge step up from the original and builds on what the devs have been improving over the years on all their Sherlock Holmes games! The story seems like it will be fun to go through as well with the premise of Holmes and Watson now being early days in their partnership.</p><p><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/1949030/" target="_blank">This demo is now available on Steam</a> for the next week for anyone to enjoy (PC only), so for anyone with access, I would highly recommend checking it out.</p><p>For those who are not able to or might not have an interest in playing the game, but still want to see what this is all about, linked here is my playthrough of the hardest difficulty without any commentary, and edited to be as cohesive as I could make it (without any fumbling around).</p></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6mpPwXTtbiA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Ro also posted <a href="https://youtu.be/qaHs4KeYLBk" target="_blank">a version with commentary</a>:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qaHs4KeYLBk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The full version of <i><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1949030/Sherlock_Holmes_The_Awakened/" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened</a></i> will be released some time before April 2023.</p><p>If you've had a chance to play the demo, leave us a comment below and let us know what you thought of it so far.</p><p><br /></p>

Early Review — Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened

“our review of the situation” [SHOS] In a private Facebook group we run called The Strangers Room , one of our members posted a review of ...

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by Scott Monty

Review: Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles

<h4 style="text-align: center;">“he has a picture-book under his arm” [GREE] </h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKequyGUVUaV3s0jKvVT1cVsGlXCIDzXuFT2eev7RQcG-E0jclLS7ZwkKpuLDJII873zhF2hQF7CGIfQnZgA1S9U5G4YqNtLTVmNsWi7pXGeXQ9B8KaMZoVmyTxNTL7ndfDRVXpEEZUb94xzkdC7AAvCl8V9bty4z0cuyabVM8eIO8I_K7wIcswlU-lg/s1500/Noel%20-%20Sherlock%20Holmes%20HOUN%20cover%20cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="929" data-original-width="1500" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKequyGUVUaV3s0jKvVT1cVsGlXCIDzXuFT2eev7RQcG-E0jclLS7ZwkKpuLDJII873zhF2hQF7CGIfQnZgA1S9U5G4YqNtLTVmNsWi7pXGeXQ9B8KaMZoVmyTxNTL7ndfDRVXpEEZUb94xzkdC7AAvCl8V9bty4z0cuyabVM8eIO8I_K7wIcswlU-lg/w640-h396/Noel%20-%20Sherlock%20Holmes%20HOUN%20cover%20cropped.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>It's the way the world works. I wrote a survey of all of <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles </i>graphic novel adaptations, and as soon as I'm done, I find another one. </p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3AWamsn" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles</a></i> is an "old book by Arthur Conan Doyle" featuring "new doodles by Jack Noel."</p><p>Although labeled a "Comic Classic," I was somewhat relieved to find that this isn't really a comic.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgka8l_B-z5GIyz8KPhGDgWppZgaNkwX_zQrTXqQO5K-GkEn7dFaCIEQD7GxcFGllQSMPLsbymY-5ynzY8Dg13N5Qt228HXhInFn17k-r4LvZLhr86HzD6fQiFmtKQoR97l5mGbfXnekM-mgLA6G-RlpaFaROtXb5JHnF8GmEq4_SFMK03Qu1w-rN7w2w/s2118/Noel%20-%20Sherlock%20Holmes%20HOUN%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2118" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgka8l_B-z5GIyz8KPhGDgWppZgaNkwX_zQrTXqQO5K-GkEn7dFaCIEQD7GxcFGllQSMPLsbymY-5ynzY8Dg13N5Qt228HXhInFn17k-r4LvZLhr86HzD6fQiFmtKQoR97l5mGbfXnekM-mgLA6G-RlpaFaROtXb5JHnF8GmEq4_SFMK03Qu1w-rN7w2w/w284-h400/Noel%20-%20Sherlock%20Holmes%20HOUN%20cover.jpg" width="284" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Instead, this enjoyable read is formatted in illustrated diary format, as made popular by <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3KR1o49" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Diary of a Wimpy Kid</a></i> and its many imitators. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB4CDAlG_Ys1tA8VWM5vvvTiDJe6Rqf8-GzfChQp-sOgQbes3dCSPcyw2mOt-Rlb49jTY6OBM7U1pM0ni31atVyfDpUUJ-T0fotKKh4Fml9V-lZKltKW97ad6Szo7UcSAYVIoxap1bKzDZ0N_JpyWaLz6-6vJTg2GS2uatkUaJt1bS8LM62fm28bCC0w/s1436/Noel%20-%20Sherlock%20Holmes%20HOUN%20inside%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="1436" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB4CDAlG_Ys1tA8VWM5vvvTiDJe6Rqf8-GzfChQp-sOgQbes3dCSPcyw2mOt-Rlb49jTY6OBM7U1pM0ni31atVyfDpUUJ-T0fotKKh4Fml9V-lZKltKW97ad6Szo7UcSAYVIoxap1bKzDZ0N_JpyWaLz6-6vJTg2GS2uatkUaJt1bS8LM62fm28bCC0w/w640-h468/Noel%20-%20Sherlock%20Holmes%20HOUN%20inside%201.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>Text; small, cartoony images; character portraits; and various diagrams are scattered across the pages in such a way that there's always something new to look at. Plus, there are occasional comments on the action, often in joking fashion. <div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGiYplA1QGuSrONM20FMUtepYO7ob2DBHGXNqLyYQtbJqU-Vla6-2-bQrGLkniF0YeME9VnvHkBilMCSl9iLb6FHVlMHUwXmsKsTQmSQaLCMEbWhX7rpT5t7EQgdtxdhP802uAah5WDGJttNhfkkspqeKVCQ8T9RSvyluU07FqibXeYfjPx8NSdWRIw/s1416/Noel%20-%20Sherlock%20Holmes%20HOUN%20inside%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1014" data-original-width="1416" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGiYplA1QGuSrONM20FMUtepYO7ob2DBHGXNqLyYQtbJqU-Vla6-2-bQrGLkniF0YeME9VnvHkBilMCSl9iLb6FHVlMHUwXmsKsTQmSQaLCMEbWhX7rpT5t7EQgdtxdhP802uAah5WDGJttNhfkkspqeKVCQ8T9RSvyluU07FqibXeYfjPx8NSdWRIw/w640-h458/Noel%20-%20Sherlock%20Holmes%20HOUN%20inside%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>The whole thing is punctuated by the use of an electric lime color that adds to the air of something creepy going on. Various captions, drawn to resemble post-it notes, highlight questions and clues that underline the mystery. </p><p>It's an amusing, modern way to tell the story for kids. I laughed several times, particularly when Watson's statement, "I spent the day at my club and did not return to Baker Street until evening," had a tiny note attached that ran, "Yes, I have my own life without Sherlock, thank you very much." </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3SUCtRWNEIAJeghVe6VlvoGfdoN8vB0LpzLO74m-pX01vQfqSiuIfatZlY40TkE1mD11MDVVdP6CKhtEiORsFicfRXiviyVF0FH9h9p-KMhVj970HJkRj6xdj32whaLqLLdouLnShEahrtlzGwJsuapak74twod5kVuRa3-BVGt5g7danhgwLFfjnA/s1403/Noel%20-%20Sherlock%20Holmes%20HOUN%20inside%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1018" data-original-width="1403" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3SUCtRWNEIAJeghVe6VlvoGfdoN8vB0LpzLO74m-pX01vQfqSiuIfatZlY40TkE1mD11MDVVdP6CKhtEiORsFicfRXiviyVF0FH9h9p-KMhVj970HJkRj6xdj32whaLqLLdouLnShEahrtlzGwJsuapak74twod5kVuRa3-BVGt5g7danhgwLFfjnA/w640-h464/Noel%20-%20Sherlock%20Holmes%20HOUN%20inside%203.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The sense of humor is appreciated, but the author also maintains the classic mood of the story, with plenty of spookiness and all the key points included. The additions are cute, entertaining, and surprisingly informative, giving the reader greater understanding of what's going on. It's a fun way to reread the most famous Sherlock Holmes story. </p><p>The publisher recommends the book for ages 7-9 and has posted an <a href="https://www.farshore.co.uk/resources/hound-of-the-baskervilles-activity-pack/" target="_blank">activity pack</a>. </p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3AWamsn" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Comic Classics: Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles</a></i> abridged by Lucy Courtenay, designed and illustrated by Jack Noel, published by Farshore, November 2021</p><p>--</p><p><br /></p></div>

Review: Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles

“he has a picture-book under his arm” [GREE] It's the way the world works. I wrote a survey of all of The Hound of the Baskervilles gra...

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by Johanna Draper Carlson

Review: A Man Named Baskerville

<h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Trebuchet MS",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"...swear
that they have seen such a creature upon the moor" [HOUN]</span></h4><h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoY_2zLl6uYPM1RDD2Cq7bNuzML_hBVh1O6_CdgOqufo20SFytiRzVpQKi519Ewg7d3BBFKFCpHxYxw6UJJhqj_BPt3AVscByeMaWO0qFQAuxTaeZtfGFveF6M_GHRbDPjVyIDJyzaTxE3KSbLV9sBY7dlWAHIIu5tak5DTDv6ExSDuRv5KTNZFd8QPg/s1072/A%20Man%20Named%20Baskerville%20header.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="1072" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoY_2zLl6uYPM1RDD2Cq7bNuzML_hBVh1O6_CdgOqufo20SFytiRzVpQKi519Ewg7d3BBFKFCpHxYxw6UJJhqj_BPt3AVscByeMaWO0qFQAuxTaeZtfGFveF6M_GHRbDPjVyIDJyzaTxE3KSbLV9sBY7dlWAHIIu5tak5DTDv6ExSDuRv5KTNZFd8QPg/w640-h454/A%20Man%20Named%20Baskerville%20header.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></h4><br />In full disclosure, <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i> remains one of my favorite stories. This is due to Watson's role, the story itself being counter to the literary agent's interest in the supernatural, and the timing of the release of the original story. After mourning Holmes's demise, this would have seemed a great gift. <br /><br />Jim Nelson's <a href="#"><i>A Man Named Baskerville</i></a> seeks to turn the narrative of the Hound on its ear by a clear assertion that Stapleton's father and by extension, he, are the real victims. For simplicity, the man named Baskerville, will be referred to as "Stapleton" in this review. <br /><br />Telling two detailed stories in parallel is a challenging undertaking, juggling the flow of multiple story lines. Long sections of expository narrative were used in Part II of <i>A Study in Scarlet</i> or the journey back in time and location to which we are invited in Part 2 of <i>The Valley of Fear</i>. Instead, this book flips back and forth between the events after the story that we know, and "Stapleton's" dark origin story. <br /><br />One of the threads is memoirs that evolve from short-hand journal entries to a more formal memoir as Stapleton and the current story pick up steam. In the other thread, we follow Stapleton through several aliases and situations as he travels from South America to Central America to the north of England where is the headmaster of a school in Yorkshire. <br /><br />We track the events in his progress during his quest to exact revenge and obtain his true inheritance. The body count and swindled victims grew, as the original targets of revenge are joined by those who had grown suspicious or inconvenient. <br /><br />Not surprisingly, Stapleton told a story that put Sir Charles in a bad light. Rather than the published version of the Baskerville's story, Sir Charles' treatment of his young brother in this version is unfathomable. Then Stapleton dragged Sir Henry, Holmes and Watson into that same unflattering light. <br /><br />We most often see Holmes through the eyes of Watson, rarely though his own eyes ("The Blanched Soldier" and "The Lion's Mane") or, most rare, through a third person ("His Last Bow"). <br /><br />Sometimes we hear reports of how Holmes is viewed through a villain's eye, usually underestimating him or spouting erroneous assumptions such as Dr. Roylott's calling Holmes "the Scotland Yard jack-in-office" ("The Speckled Band"). <br /><br />But it is difficult to imagine a Victorian man dancing around a corpse. While this is offered as an unfiltered view, perhaps this is a clue to some of the distorted alternate versions of events offered by Stapleton. <br /><br />Not unlike the original telling, both stories hinge on the fact that Stapleton could have progressed in his schemes by impressing the members of the British elite with his accent and social engineering skills. This telling also hangs on the belief that the people around the moor knew everything, and that Holmes had either been fooled by them or was too incompetent to uncover the truth. <br /><br />It was a tad disappointing that there was so little attention to Laura Lyons. Given that there was more to their story together, the book does not expand on what we knew from the original canon. <br /><br />Threads of Stapleton's misogyny are woven through the "love and punishment" training approach that he uses for both animals and people. Sir Henry bargained for Beryl's hand as one would purchase livestock. <br /><br />In the Afterward, the author makes clear that "abusive violence on dogs is unacceptable." Presumably it is left to the reader to determine if abusive violence, swindling, and murder of humans are also unacceptable. <br /><br />While this tale is intended to be Stapleton's counter to what Watson's published version of the events would be, it rather exposes a horror within that cannot be saved by the loyalty of a good friend, the love of a woman or the faithfulness of a dog.<br /><br /><br /><i>Note: a complimentary copy was provided for review. </i><br /><br /><br /><a href="#"><i>A Man Named Baskerville</i></a> by Jim Nelson (218 pages, independently published)<div><br /><script type="text/javascript">
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Review: A Man Named Baskerville

"...swear that they have seen such a creature upon the moor" [HOUN] In full disclosure, The Hound of the Baskervilles remains one...

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by M. M. M.

Review: Mr Doyle's Class Presents A Study in Scarlet

<p style="text-align: center;"><b> “a small brochure, with the somewhat fantastic title of ‘A Study in Scarlet’” [SIGN]</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGoivW8VHQ4Al5jxzK9s5eIj8R0Ovi5gSZlWS7-UVwkvWlDSfg3FOxjrzZljPqkwg3gEkfxXbBD0Inxy52ynvhx3yysBLWfIYVtJWNonfY9yyI8hk17luD1-9cdtIn4JEeQkimB31g7o5D22hwuOuYHoJC1PT0hqJ1u7uCBZoHFdrfEAq_1dLu-q8qDA/s460/doyle%20class%20study%20scarlet%20cropped.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGoivW8VHQ4Al5jxzK9s5eIj8R0Ovi5gSZlWS7-UVwkvWlDSfg3FOxjrzZljPqkwg3gEkfxXbBD0Inxy52ynvhx3yysBLWfIYVtJWNonfY9yyI8hk17luD1-9cdtIn4JEeQkimB31g7o5D22hwuOuYHoJC1PT0hqJ1u7uCBZoHFdrfEAq_1dLu-q8qDA/s16000/doyle%20class%20study%20scarlet%20cropped.jpeg" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>This charming graphic novel aims to present "the original Sherlock Holmes story reimagined for a modern audience," and it succeeds wonderfully. </p><p>It's adapted by Matthew Hardy, illustrated by Russell Mark Olson, and published by the Portsmouth City Council, who also maintains the Richard Lancelyn Green collection. The goal is to introduce the novel, originally written in Portsmouth, to readers of all ages. </p><p>A group of present-day schoolchildren are learning about <i>A Study in Scarlet</i>. Under Mr. Doyle's direction, they're staging it as a play. Through the magic of imagination, the kids meet the originals, with the incorporation of the classic train car image from "Silver Blaze" in which Sherlock Holmes, in deerstalker and caped coat, explains to Dr. John Watson. </p><p>The comic format is used gracefully. The book opens with the modern-dressed kids peering around a Victorian street as snatches of dialogue float by. This illustrates the clash of cultures and times while still putting the reader in the center of the action. The current characters are drawn against classic settings, the blend making the story feel fresh. </p><p>The colors are all shades of a soft red. Although monochrome, the variety of tones adds depth to the art. The teacher is used to clarify some artistic choices. </p><p>The setting, on the stage, allows for focus on the most famous or most exciting moments, while stepping back, as necessary, to set context. For example, Sherlock Holmes is played by Scarlet Achary. Another student complains that Sherlock Holmes should be a boy, only to be told, "This is a play... Anyone can be anything they want." In a story about imagination, that's a welcome piece of advice. </p><p>The Utah section is abbreviated, accompanied by original illustrations, and summed up with the children concluding that anyone who doesn't listen to a woman's wishes is a creep. That's a nice way to highlight the still-relevant messages from this long-ago tale of revenge. </p><p>My only complaint is that the lettering is awfully small. Younger readers shouldn't have a problem, though, and it makes for a book comfortably sized for smaller hands. </p><p>The book can be ordered from the <a href="https://museumshops.uk/product/a-study-in-scarlet/" target="_blank">Portsmouth Museums website</a>, and <a href="http://www.alteredinstinct.com/2020/05/book-review-mr-doyles-class-presents.html" target="_blank">this review by Leo McBride</a> has included preview art panels. </p><p><br /></p><p><b><i>Mr Doyle's Class Presents A Study in Scarlet</i> adapted by Matthew Hardy, art by Russell Mark Olson, published by Portsmouth City Council, February 2020</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk58g2N30hFc5wBARPuCkah19WncWDYPoAMPyD2-nkGS3rzZjPONnkoPtiKUQ6aBHs_eYV58iRgkijWU3na6gmdmFRV9SHJBBMDTeMUIdK1K5WqNGOV_KHkwE09o2TaNkm8fPkAYm9IIYs6F_75txiMeDzCrSrUNjV11843iFvX0Gl7mOlR2VqH9_4yg/s640/doyle%20class%20study%20scarlet.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="460" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk58g2N30hFc5wBARPuCkah19WncWDYPoAMPyD2-nkGS3rzZjPONnkoPtiKUQ6aBHs_eYV58iRgkijWU3na6gmdmFRV9SHJBBMDTeMUIdK1K5WqNGOV_KHkwE09o2TaNkm8fPkAYm9IIYs6F_75txiMeDzCrSrUNjV11843iFvX0Gl7mOlR2VqH9_4yg/s320/doyle%20class%20study%20scarlet.jpeg" width="230" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b><br /></b></p>

Review: Mr Doyle's Class Presents A Study in Scarlet

“a small brochure, with the somewhat fantastic title of ‘A Study in Scarlet’” [SIGN] This charming graphic novel aims to present "the ...

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by Johanna Draper Carlson

The Case of Sherlock Holmes: A Book Rich with Insights

<h4 style="text-align: center;">"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes." [HOUN]</h4><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilWf73jMWACAFJGfiMtbJhhVmYZSooxI6JNbIKvS-fAPVd0Ua9ZXoYeIVsp6qQlEl3uDuUGWWKkYlg30nnZXGxejqXq0arDB_TlSD7WYpgv1_T5n_fBAoMffKt_EoYbsU47WojCkut6Iru7zIIGxvkmaBvMCq3XTBEJYrxa-cq0QfZUBrrxgCTajuQEQ=s1200" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilWf73jMWACAFJGfiMtbJhhVmYZSooxI6JNbIKvS-fAPVd0Ua9ZXoYeIVsp6qQlEl3uDuUGWWKkYlg30nnZXGxejqXq0arDB_TlSD7WYpgv1_T5n_fBAoMffKt_EoYbsU47WojCkut6Iru7zIIGxvkmaBvMCq3XTBEJYrxa-cq0QfZUBrrxgCTajuQEQ=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image credit: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Royal_United_Services_Institute_interior_13.jpg" target="_blank">Royal United Services Institute Interior</a>, Wikimedia Commons (public domain - <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en" target="_blank">CC BY SA 4.0</a>)</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div> It is always 1895 — and it was precisely 1895 when an elegant building was erected at 61 Whitehall, in London's government district, for the <a href="https://rusi.org/" target="_blank">Royal United Services Institute</a>, a think tank focusing on military issues. From this somewhat unlikely venue, and specifically from RUSI researcher Andrew Glazzard, comes a new book rich with insights into what makes the Sherlock Holmes stories what they are.  <br /><br /><br /> I have been reading about the Sherlockian Canon for decades, and rarely have I learned as much from one book as I did from this 250-page work, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3inQYvh" target="_blank">The Case of Sherlock Holmes</a></i>, published by the Edinburgh University Press (hardback 2018, paperback 2020).</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3inQYvh" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="266" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLgzQD4aVHHy_gLryblWf0tt6rWHeBP8gEsbscE1oAUNMlVru8hO-jYh8CW2YEmkB8r889G1dVGgaNZFXhFb-HxavxmZ90-b1R2MeqAsOPErxkeNGB05ZpjIriEoB8-y5LqK032nWQd-1r2LaozBxrEAYg7Tjr8uO_c9cKvnHU6bf6JGxtw-7Br9V38w=w266-h400" width="266" /></a></div><br /> <br /> It speaks strongly to Sherlockians even though Glazzard is not a Sherlockian himself (he certainly spends no time on the so-called canonical Game) but an academic, whose previous book was about Joseph Conrad. There have been other academic books about the creator of the great detective, of course, such as <i><a href="https://amzn.to/34ZdlEp" target="_blank">The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Detecting Social Order</a></i> (1995) by Rosemary Jann and <i><a href="https://amzn.to/37COHdw" target="_blank">Arthur Conan Doyle and the Meaning of Masculinity</a></i> (2000) by Diana Barsham, but this one is strikingly readable and moves along briskly. <br /><br /><br /> An example of Glazzard's insights comes in a chapter titled "The Guardians of Securities", where he points out a curious change in emphasis between the very early Sherlock Holmes stories and the ones written after 1892.<br /><br />From <i>The Sign of Four</i> to "The Beryl Coronet," the early stories have largely been about physical treasure: gold bullion, counterfeit half-crowns, a massive blue jewel. But the later stories, from "The Stock-Broker's Clerk" to "Black Peter", begin to emphasize paper wealth such as stocks and bonds, or at least to include passing references (Sir Charles Baskerville got rich on South African investments, for example).<br /><br /> The details are often surprisingly current. Hall Pycroft in "The Stock-Broker's Clerk" was out of work because of developments in Venezuela; Glazzard the RUSI researcher points out that Venezuela did, in reality, suffer a revolution and a civil war starting in 1889, something Arthur Conan Doyle must have noticed in the newspapers that he loved to read. <br /><br />He also probably started reading the stock quotations; Glazzard credits Conan Doyle biographer Andrew Lycett with pointing out that after the success of the first dozen stories from <i>The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</i>, Conan Doyle was suddenly comparatively wealthy and would naturally have started to take an interest in investment opportunities, as Watson did at the time of "The Dancing Men."<br /><br /> Something like 30 of the 60 canonical stories get the spotlight in chapters headed "Finance", "Class", "Family," "Sex," "Race," "War," and "Secrecy." The book doubles down on the widely recognized homosexual subtext to "Wisteria Lodge," then finds a similar theme in "The Blanched Soldier" — and for good measure suggests that there is evidence of pedophilia in "The Priory School."<div><br /><br /> Glazzard looks at story after story identifying themes that interested Doyle and, even more, themes that were already preoccupying his readers in the <i>Strand </i>and other popular media. </div><div><br /></div><div>Divorce law and dysfunctional families, a nation crawling with foreign spies, the scandalous behaviour of the aristocracy, "the growing political power of women and industrial workers," the Canon has them all. Few of the things Glazzard points out are particularly obscure; anyone who has read a little about Victorian history has heard of them. But like poor Watson, we see but we do not observe until somehow they are shown to be relevant.  <br /><br /> Several decades after the RUSI building opened in 1895, <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/SK4kvMxtFdLo1WmD6" target="_blank">an equestrian statue was erected</a> in the middle of the road just outside the front door, honoring World War I commander Douglas Haig. Haig's reputation among historians is now dubious, but the living man made such an impression on Arthur Conan Doyle during the Great War that his autobiography, <i>Memories and Adventures</i>, includes an embarrassingly effusive fanboy tribute. </div><div><br /></div><div>Glazzard quotes ACD's words about Haig in a late chapter of his book titled "That Secret History of a Nation," a phrase borrowed from "The Bruce-Partington Plans." He places several canonical stories in the context of the spy fiction that fascinated the British public in the late 19th and early 20th century, in anticipation of the Great War that was to come.  <br /><br /><br /> One of his insights explains a lot about the Canon's espionage stories, as illustrated by the names given to three top-level spies: Hugo Oberstein, Louis LaRothière, and Eduardo Lucas — a German, a Frenchman, and a Spaniard. They represent "geopolitical reality" as interpreted by Conan Doyle, the author says, explaining a major shift within barely a decade: "Where France had been the presumed enemy in 'The Naval Treaty', 'The Second Stain' was first published in The Strand in December 1904, shortly after the Entente Cordiale was agreed between Britain and France," making Germany the popular foe.<br />   <br /><br /> This volume arrives on Sherlockian and Doylean shelves as Edinburgh University — Arthur Conan Doyle's alma mater — begins to establish itself as a centre of scholarly studies about the author and his greatest literary creation.  It's eminently worth attention from any serious Sherlockian. </div><div><br /></div><div>If I have one cavil about the book, it would be the subtitle, "Secrets and Lies in Conan Doyle's Detective Fiction." There may be secrets, there may be lies, but mostly there are themes that interested the author, that were totally familiar to the Canon's original readers, and that will show today's Sherlockians where to find much more in the text than they knew was there.     </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Editor's note:</h3><div>You might want to check out the related episode of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere, a conversation with Marsha Pollak, BSI ("A Small But Select Library") and Michael Quigley, BSI ("A Large, Brass-Bound Safe"): <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose213" target="_blank">Corporals, Colonels, and Commissionaires</a>:</div><div><br /></div><div><iframe allowfullscreen="" data-dashlane-frameid="516" data-dashlane-rid="3ca8520fe50b2bdd" data-form-type="" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="//play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/18532706/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/614b79/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><script type="text/javascript">
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The Case of Sherlock Holmes: A Book Rich with Insights

"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes." [HOUN] Image credit: Royal United Services Institu...

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by Chris Redmond

Review: Sherlock Holmes' Little Book of Wisdom

<div><div><h4 style="text-align: center;">"It is better to learn wisdom late than never to learn it at all" [TWIS] </h4></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjR7qWj1itsctb9Ynx4RRsGzgglUL4dKmAmbVISdSoKtSHUNs6_tQTFyK7_7cfc4xvQ6OibZZBR0uBVKoDKMSOAP1j3-eEmy0K7KvzAqPkvTF_-rHiyDhjLjb4cLKYQ9nuRdLdEgWgDBGyHtJEa48f7jnV8eZPCAnS2W_OW618-uPrwjWRNZnCf3kxCRw=s1057" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="1057" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjR7qWj1itsctb9Ynx4RRsGzgglUL4dKmAmbVISdSoKtSHUNs6_tQTFyK7_7cfc4xvQ6OibZZBR0uBVKoDKMSOAP1j3-eEmy0K7KvzAqPkvTF_-rHiyDhjLjb4cLKYQ9nuRdLdEgWgDBGyHtJEa48f7jnV8eZPCAnS2W_OW618-uPrwjWRNZnCf3kxCRw=w640-h410" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Cartoonist Glenn Dakin has turned his skills to an illustrated set of short, inspirational essays in <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3KwjSGk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes' Little Book of Wisdom: How to Deduce What on Earth Is Going On</a></i>. </div><div><br /></div><div>He aims to show the reader how to apply the detective's skills to everyday life, with chapters on the topics of observation, deduction, fisticuffs, setting a trap, and others. As Dakin explains in his introduction: </div><div></div><blockquote><div>"Instead of being dazzled by Sherlock’s genius, as others are, we have taken a good look at the limited range of skills he considered important, sorted them into helpful areas, and deduced some wisdom that can be applied to your life.</div><div><br /></div><div>"For example, Holmes is a master of disguise. But this book won’t tell you how to successfully portray a drunken groom or an old Italian priest. It will, however, look at how disguise is used in everyday life, online and in the media, to confuse and deceive you." </div></blockquote><div></div><div><br /></div><div>The inky, scratchy caricatures are appealing, capturing Holmes' unique blend of awareness, presence, and grumpiness. There's a dark humor to some of them that suits the general air of knowing cynicism in the advice and examples. </div><div><br /></div><div>There are a number of quotes from Holmes and other characters, used by Dakin as a jumping-off point for advice and observations. He reinforces the importance of detail, of carefully curating your knowledge to be useful, thinking through the strategy of fighting, techniques to gain information, and the importance of friendship. </div><div><br /></div><div>In between, he draws life lessons from specific stories, including <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i>, "The Blue Carbuncle," "The Red-Headed League," and "The Man With the Twisted Lip." Some of the points he aims for can seem a bit of a stretch, but at least his suggestions are thought-provoking. </div><div><br /></div><div>This small, slim hardcover is aimed at the gift market. It can be difficult to find new things for the Sherlockian in your life; this would make a good choice. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3KwjSGk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes' Little Book of Wisdom</a></b></i> by Glenn Dakin, published by Hero Collector, December 2021</div><div><br /></div><div><i>A complimentary digital copy of the book was supplied for the purpose of a review</i>.</div></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Related:</h3><div>Our interview with Glenn Dakin on <a href="https://ihose.co/ihose230" target="_blank">Episode 230</a> of the I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere podcast.</div><div><br /></div><div><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1178722342&color=%23ce1a21&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere">I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock/sherlock-holmes-little-book-of" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Sherlock Holmes' Little Book of Wisdom">Sherlock Holmes' Little Book of Wisdom</a></div><br /></div><div>--</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>

Review: Sherlock Holmes' Little Book of Wisdom

"It is better to learn wisdom late than never to learn it at all" [TWIS] Cartoonist Glenn Dakin has turned his skills to an illus...

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by Johanna Draper Carlson

Book Review: A Study in Crimson: Sherlock Holmes 1942

<h4 style="text-align: center;">“a ghastly crimson halo of blood” [REDC]</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0BqLJa8drcSgZH5eaX7wSw9eHatW-3YCwHFBXZ6LbXZZpbJjpCo9Bidb92FVlBMbQUrMYr8MmumElJ9bpFI5-s_hIBnnON6q78vzKDJ5ZSKfcPeSgnMUc6Md975G9063WN4ddiH6aTgB/s1400/a+study+in+crimson+header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="1400" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0BqLJa8drcSgZH5eaX7wSw9eHatW-3YCwHFBXZ6LbXZZpbJjpCo9Bidb92FVlBMbQUrMYr8MmumElJ9bpFI5-s_hIBnnON6q78vzKDJ5ZSKfcPeSgnMUc6Md975G9063WN4ddiH6aTgB/w640-h474/a+study+in+crimson+header.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>There have been many Sherlock Holmes stories and pastiches set in both the classic (1890 <span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px;">– </span>1910, or thereabouts) and modern eras. <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3qpOyl2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Study in Crimson: Sherlock Holmes 1942</a> </i>takes a different approach, with a setting inspired by the 1940s Universal Pictures film series starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. </p><p>As told by Robert J. Harris, someone calling himself "Crimson Jack" is recreating the murders of Jack the Ripper. The book beautifully sets the stage with a minor case that introduces us to a Sherlock Holmes, who's been taking up government work and a John Watson who's volunteering at a hospital to do his part for the war effort. They're in their fifties, shaped by their service in the previous conflict (where Watson was wounded, as their backstories have been updated in time). </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTfHJsu2cA1CxxZF-9DjKjzFXMfNKfNJ4zEmogF-hnJLiXSoS7cqzz9FCss0A9XTo9Io9nUXo04dEsyMoAwHm1Z2bz_VVRxED-G2uysRMsSbXBLcsITY7nC_P9qe349jBAul0xcEkZTaN/s2048/a+study+in+crimson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTfHJsu2cA1CxxZF-9DjKjzFXMfNKfNJ4zEmogF-hnJLiXSoS7cqzz9FCss0A9XTo9Io9nUXo04dEsyMoAwHm1Z2bz_VVRxED-G2uysRMsSbXBLcsITY7nC_P9qe349jBAul0xcEkZTaN/w133-h200/a+study+in+crimson.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>In a world of blackouts and sandbagged buildings and missing young men who have gone off to war, Holmes and Watson hunt a serial killer. The immediate mystery takes place against larger political questions: about supporting a fading empire, maintaining public morale, and changing professions and roles. <p></p><p>That's best seen with one of the new characters, Gail Preston, an American radio journalist. She's brash, smart, and puts Watson quite off-balance. She plays "charming and eccentric" quite well, manipulating suspects into divulging information. Then there's Commander Phil Rayner of military intelligence, sent to work with the group by Mycroft Holmes, and of course, old friend Inspector Lestrade.  </p><p>The language nicely gives a historic flavor while still being immensely readable. The Holmes we see here is witty and a bit prickly. He tends to investigate in disguise and keep his cards close, while Watson (our narrator) doggedly follows along where instructed. Harris does a nice job keeping Watson baffled without descending into the idiocy that has been the public perception of Bruce's portrayal. </p><p>I blush to admit that I haven't actually seen those movies (yet!), so I had some concern about how much I'd enjoy this version (coupled with a feeling that Jack the Ripper is as overdone as Moriarty), but I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed it! The characters work whenever you set them, I believe, but the wartime environment plays up the drama. I'm eager to see the films that inspired this novel, now, as well as more in this series. A recommended read. </p><p><br /></p><p>Find <i>A Study in Crimson: Sherlock Holmes 1942</i> on <a href="https://amzn.to/3qpOyl2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amazon</a> or wherever books are sold.</p><p>--</p><p><script type="text/javascript">
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