I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

"A Woman's Quick Intuition" [BOSC]

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2575/4181741621_43b298b17b_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2575/4181741621_43b298b17b_m.jpg" /></a></div>We've just received notice of the publication - or rather re-publication - of a novel by Abbey Pen Baker: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Winter-Abbey-Pen-Baker/dp/1901091392?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">In the Dead of Winter</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1901091392" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />. Originally published in 1994 by St. Martin's Press, it is being reissued in advance of a late 2010 publication of a follow-up novel Death at the Round Table. Here's a synopsis, from Ms. Baker's publicist: <blockquote>Myrl Adler Norton was, by all accounts, one of the most remarkable women of the twentieth century. The daughter of the acclaimed opera singer Irene Adler, she was a respected professor of logic at Smith College as well as one of the most famous consulting detectives of all time. The books of her exploits, written by her lifelong friend and confidante Faye Martin Tullis, are among the most popular in the history of detective literature. Now, with this previously undiscovered manuscript, the true story behind the meeting of these two friends and their first case comes to light.</blockquote><blockquote>In 1918, while a student at Smith College, Faye first encountered Myrl, an enigmatic figure with an interesting past. When a local actress is found dead amid bizarre circumstances, Myrl takes an interest in the murder, and the two travel to Brattleboro, Vermont, to investigate.</blockquote><blockquote>There they uncover a twisted conspiracy, one far more dangerous than simple murder - and learn the truth about Myrl's real father, the world's most famous consulting detective.</blockquote>Kirkus Reviews said: "Baker juggles her large cast and their secrets dextrously ... Recommended for readers who aren't sick of the centenary glut of Holmes pastiches, and even for those who are." And a blurb from Laurie R.King: "The Great Detective as a woman? Yes, with all the quirks, foibles, and misanthropy, all the genius, and all the darkness that runs through that remarkable mind. I look forward to more of Myrl Adler and her faithful Watson." Interestingly, Ms. Baker's work was written in the same time period as Laurie R. King's first Mary Russell novel (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beekeepers-Apprentice-Segregation-Suspense-Featuring/dp/0312427360?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Beekeeper's Apprentice: Or On the Segregation of the Queen</a>) and both  concern clever women who play a Holmes-like role. We have a theory about the timing: the small screen and now the large screen have influenced the popularity of each. In 1994, the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Complete-Granada-Television/dp/B000RPCJB6?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Jeremy Brett Granada series</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000RPCJB6" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> was coming to a close, and now, as we see this novel republished and its sequel being queued up, we've just seen a major success with the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Blu-ray-Robert-Downey/dp/B001OQCV6K?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">large screen version from Hollywood</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001OQCV6K" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />. A clever use of the natural publicity and revived interest in Sherlock Holmes, or mere coincidence? Your thoughts?

"A Woman's Quick Intuition" [BOSC]

We've just received notice of the publication - or rather re-publication - of a novel by Abbey Pen Baker: In the Dead of Winter . Origi...

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by Scott Monty

"Running a Tunnel to Some Other Building" [REDH]

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2638/4165374138_f640734b21_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2638/4165374138_f640734b21_m.jpg" /></a></div>In the "nothing new under the sun" department, news reports indicate that <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE63305R20100404">"termite" gangs have been tunneling into a bank in France</a> - the third such occurrence. Reuters has reported: <blockquote>Would-be robbers armed with a pneumatic drill dug a tunnel from a Paris subway station into the basement of a bank in the early hours of Sunday but failed to seize any cash or valuables, police said.</blockquote>[SPOILER ALERT] For those of you who have read the Canon, it sounds like a page directly out of the original stories from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Sherlock-Holmes-Complete-Unabridged/dp/B0019QVG6G?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</a> - notably "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Sherlock-Resident-Patient-Red-Headed/dp/B000060MV1?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Red-Headed League"</a>.<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000060MV1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <blockquote>"I could think of nothing save that he was running a tunnel to some other building... The only remaining point was what they were burrowing for. I walked round the corner, saw that the City and Suburban Bank abutted on our friend's premises, and felt that I had solved my problem."</blockquote>As Holmes said in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Study-Scarlet-Illustrated-Classics-Sherlock/dp/1402770820?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">A Study in Scarlet</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1402770820" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />: "Read it up - you really should. There is nothing new under the sun."

"Running a Tunnel to Some Other Building" [REDH]

In the "nothing new under the sun" department, news reports indicate that "termite" gangs have been tunneling into a ban...

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by Scott Monty

"The Intelligence Which You Have Shown" [HOUN]

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So it would seem that most of our readers are fairly savvy. This year, that is. 
 
You see, yesterday (April 1, for those of you following along at home) <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2010/04/inconceivable-sequel-empt_1.html#.VT6geyFViko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">we shared some news</a> that was, well...not really news. As many of you already intuited, the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Blu-ray-Robert-Downey/dp/B001OQCV6K?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes</a> sequel news was not entirely true. While there have been reports that filming will begin this summer, there's no word on the script at this point. 
 
If you were a reader of this blog some three years ago, you may remember the April Fool's prank we pulled - again about the movie - <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2007/04/is-long-row-veil_1.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">that announced that Nicholas Rowe would be filling the title role</a>. That year, a number of blogs and news outlets <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2007/04/had-fooled-us-3gar_2.html#.VT6hYSFViko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">picked up on the rumor and ran with it</a>. Punk'd! 
 
No such luck this time around, we fear. Ah well, we're glad everyone enjoyed the joke! If you'd like to take a look at the <a href="http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/top-10-april-fool-s-day-hoaxes/ufxq3xmn">Top 10 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of all time</a>, click on the link.

"The Intelligence Which You Have Shown" [HOUN]

So it would seem that most of our readers are fairly savvy. This year, that is. You see, yesterday (April 1, for those of you following ...

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by Scott Monty

"The Inconceivable Sequel" [EMPT]

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For anyone who saw the Robert Downey, Jr. film <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Robert-Downey-Jr/dp/B001OQCV6A?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes</a>, it should have been patently obvious that the studio was prepping the audience for a sequel. The shadowy presence of one certain mathematics professor certainly paved the way for that. And with box office results to date that top the $500 million mark according to <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=sherlockholmes.htm">Box Office Mojo</a>, it's no question that studio executives would want to see this kind of success repeated. In fact, Screen Rant reports that <a href="http://screenrant.com/sherlock-holmes-2-shooting-summer-2010-ross-41126/">shooting will begin this summer</a>. 
 
But for those who await the actual script, there are questions that remain: what will the sequel cover? Will it pick up where the first film left off? Will Hollywood go with a conventional title like "The Return of Sherlock Holmes"? 
 
We're happy to be able to share some inside news that is exclusive to the <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere</a>. Because of our prominence within the Sherlock Holmes community and connection to Warner Brothers and the literary world, we're in a unique position. Fellow <a href="http://bsiweekend.com/">Baker Street Irregulars</a> include <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fentity%2FLeslie-S.-Klinger%2FB002LABYP2%3Fie%3DUTF8%26ref_%3Dntt%5Fathr%5Fdp%5Fpel%5F2&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Leslie Klinger</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, BSI ("The Abbey Grange"), who was a technical advisor to the first film; and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fentity%2FLaurie-R.-King%2FB000AP5DZ2%3Fie%3DUTF8%26ref_%3Dsr%5Ftc%5F2%5F0%26qid%3D1270093784%26sr%3D8-2-ent&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Laurie R. King</a>, BSI ("The Red Circle") author of the <a href="http://www.rj-anderson.com/russell/index.html">Mary Russell</a> and Kate Martinelli books <a href="http://laurierking.com/">among others</a>. Between the two of them, we have all the inside scoop we need at this point. 
 
In the first outing, Rachel McAdams portrayed a wily, if sexed up, Irene Adler. It was probably a little more than Holmes fans expected out of the woman. When juxtaposed with the so-called "bromance" between Holmes and Watson, it was an odd threesome. Evidently, the new script contains another threesome, but one of a different sort. 
 
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We have credible information that Professor Moriarty will in fact play a significant part in the sequel, but Watson will be relegated to the background as he enjoys married life with Mary Morstan, his finacee from the first film. Set five years after the conclusion of the original, we're told that the screenwriters have dipped into a related series and have written in a very apt assistant to Sherlock Holmes, albeit taking liberty with the timeline of the novels. That's right: Sherlock Holmes will be joined in the sequel by none other than Laurie R. King's <a href="http://www.laurierking.com/etcetera/mary-russells-world">Mary Russell</a>. The two team up and decipher clues that lead them to Moriarty's fiendish plan: to eliminate a sizable portion of London's upper class by poisoning the water supplied by plumbing - which only that strata of society would be likely to have. 
 
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<a href="http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/78/l_5362f099fe6150f8d022db4bfa732014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/78/l_5362f099fe6150f8d022db4bfa732014.jpg" width="247" /></a>For those who don't know Ms. Russell, she is the protagonist in Ms. King's novels which began with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beekeepers-Apprentice-Segregation-Suspense-Featuring/dp/B001W6RRHA?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Beekeeper's Apprentice</a>. And although the novels have her meeting Sherlock Holmes in 1915, we have been told that the script very convincingly brings her back about 20 years into the mid-1890s, although the details at this point seem a little vague. 
 
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQsfcYpvY6h3BzfQ1jM-v8yUpr2GmDmsw5qU46gJLg1nfsEMn0nIuToIsSFFoAs21u7QQDZmzHi5zAQlztKei57j99YDEugWblfEpdAOsAc3Jg-6pZ0wMvXfD0aLtXGZpFO5ZXBZOFxFy/s1600/amy_adams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQsfcYpvY6h3BzfQ1jM-v8yUpr2GmDmsw5qU46gJLg1nfsEMn0nIuToIsSFFoAs21u7QQDZmzHi5zAQlztKei57j99YDEugWblfEpdAOsAc3Jg-6pZ0wMvXfD0aLtXGZpFO5ZXBZOFxFy/s200/amy_adams.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
In terms of casting, we understand that actress <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0010736/">Amy Adams</a>, most recently so notable in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Julie-Julia-Meryl-Streep/dp/B002RSDW80?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Julie & Julia</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002RSDW80" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />, is being considered for the role. As a petite, blue-eyed strawberry blonde, it would seem like the casting directors finally got something right this time around (although Jude Law's turn as Watson was well done). 
 
We haven't yet heard about who will fill the role of Moriarty. We certainly hope that it's not a certain actor that we heard rumors of last year (see <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2009/09/back-to-pitt-sixn_14.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"Going Back to Pitt" [SIXN]</a>). But with Ms. Adams filling the title female role, we could deal with whomever they throw at us. 
 
Will the new film be as successful as the first? Will Mary Russell devotees be as open-minded and enthusiastic as some Sherlock Holmes fans were? Will Moriarty be cast believably? Will this sequel allow for yet another? Those and other questions still remain. Perhaps there are <a href="http://aprilfoolsdayontheweb.com/">some answers out there</a>. But for now, we're satisfied with the current news. 
 
What do you think?