I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

Horrors Enough Before the Night Is Over

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"She listened with parted lips and shining eyes" [SIGN]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRI0vAe4LMHJQPJJEz-AtPNIwolhW3wR2ZGFXEPE9dvf6QJX8II5jdu3znKLMoovMp2EP6Ae-uomdgouiGsy5AnCPqLSo-GOBZqe15R8k7Glh5RAuD02viedPfKN6PpuCKBb8uIbiq6Zb/s1600/Charles+Gray+as+Narrator+in+Rocky+Horror.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mycroft "No Neck" Holmes" border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRI0vAe4LMHJQPJJEz-AtPNIwolhW3wR2ZGFXEPE9dvf6QJX8II5jdu3znKLMoovMp2EP6Ae-uomdgouiGsy5AnCPqLSo-GOBZqe15R8k7Glh5RAuD02viedPfKN6PpuCKBb8uIbiq6Zb/s1600/Charles+Gray+as+Narrator+in+Rocky+Horror.jpg" title="Charles Gray as the Narrator" width="640" /></a></div>
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Chuckie Gray, he's okay, but he's got no neck!<br />
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If you recognize that chant, or maybe have shouted it at a movie screen yourself in the after-midnight hours, and you know what it means when there's a light at the old Frankenstein place, well, you're not a <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2MGN3fj" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rocky Horror Picture Show</a></i> virgin any more.<br />
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(Neither am I. A certain well-known Sherlockian saw to that back in October when she escorted me to a raucous performance at one of the many theatres that show the 1975 film <i>The Rocky Horror Picture Show</i> each year or each month or each week, with a "shadow cast" and audience participation. The same good friend plans to have me repeat the late-night experience, as a sort of booster shot, a few weeks from now. Enough said about that.)<br />
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Chuckie, or rather Charles, Gray is the distinguished actor who played Mycroft Holmes in several of the Granada Television <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2MKXyhM" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</a></i> and subsequent series 1985-1995. In <i>Rocky Horror</i> he is the scholarly Narrator (or Criminologist), with wing collar, cravat and cigarette holder — and, it has to be admitted, pretty much no neck. Audiences love to mock him, but then they love to mock all the characters. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0336509/?ref_=tt_cl_t3" target="_blank">Gray</a>, who died in 2000, also appeared in a couple of James Bond films and scores of other vehicles, and had a long stage career at places like the Royal Shakespeare Company.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj60eRhjPkOqZ8iovO31jeNhVxF_tTERuKTEUIWL_LxzgfHElG3WE7JsukVqcBB71X-OZN2QTLvl3AZOAu2j19w29LNody11ZFLxPddAmt7ZNw3bqZw9agqCU9Z_BwIUdRSNZVbLctWyRqQ/s1600/Charles+Gray+as+Mycroft+in+GREE.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj60eRhjPkOqZ8iovO31jeNhVxF_tTERuKTEUIWL_LxzgfHElG3WE7JsukVqcBB71X-OZN2QTLvl3AZOAu2j19w29LNody11ZFLxPddAmt7ZNw3bqZw9agqCU9Z_BwIUdRSNZVbLctWyRqQ/s1600/Charles+Gray+as+Mycroft+in+GREE.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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He's not the only <i>Rocky Horror</i> actor who appeared in the Granada series, which starred Jeremy Brett (or Charles Gray without Brett in the case of the regrettable late episode "The Mazarin Stone"). Jonathan Adams, who is Dr. Scott in <i>Rocky Horror</i>, played the scheming Jonas Oldacre in Granada's "The Norwood Builder."<br />
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Feverish imaginations have occasionally called for a Holmes-Rocky crossover. One fan's blog suggests a film that would be<br />
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"loosely based on "The Final Problem." Sherlock has to stop Moriarty (a global rock superstar) from dominating the music world after discovering his evil plan to delete all other recordings bar his. It all comes to a head during his final open air gig at the Reichenbach Falls."</blockquote>
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Playing, perhaps, Touch-a-touch Me? Maybe. For the time being, <i>Rocky Horror</i> fans are being titillated by news of a stage version this spring of <i>Shock Treatment</i>, a feeble 1981 film that follows some of the Rocky Horror characters into musical comedy territory. But there's a good chance the original <i>Rocky Horror Picture Show</i> will be in a cinema near you some Friday night soon, complete with audience yells aimed at Chuckie — sorry, Charles — Gray.<br />
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Horrors Enough Before the Night Is Over

"She listened with parted lips and shining eyes" [SIGN] Chuckie Gray, he's okay, but he's got no neck! If you recog...

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by Chris Redmond

Saturday Matinee: Sherlock Holmes' Greatest Case - The Sign of Four (1932)

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"for the fourth time" [BRUC] </h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyzATV5AAWJdxwW7R9cHE5f30pB1Pssx9_W6Do5nqQ5AmM6R4B9WN7-VXCfTSp9HwONLjKn5upb3_oYolhYAcFOkpLgPIn_YSzcMJcyEbL2b5kYAwIF8iY5fPR7ei207Mw9qTnWILJ4_p7/s1600/The+Sign+of+Four+lobby+card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Arthur Wontner as Sherlock Holmes in The Sign of Four" border="0" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyzATV5AAWJdxwW7R9cHE5f30pB1Pssx9_W6Do5nqQ5AmM6R4B9WN7-VXCfTSp9HwONLjKn5upb3_oYolhYAcFOkpLgPIn_YSzcMJcyEbL2b5kYAwIF8iY5fPR7ei207Mw9qTnWILJ4_p7/s1600/The+Sign+of+Four+lobby+card.jpg" title="Lobby card for Arthur Wontner's The Sign of Four" width="640" /></a></div>
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[<i>Editor's note: this is the fourth in <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/search/label/Arthur%20Wontner#.VNZp7_nF_14" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a series of four posts</a> on the Arthur Wontner Sherlock Holmes series, as reviewed by David Lee Andrews of <a href="http://www.comicbookandmoviereviews.com/2015/01/sherlock-holmes-greatest-case-sign-of.html#.VNWObfnF_14" target="_blank">Comic Book and Movie Reviews</a></i>]<br />
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After closer inspection I've deduced that the following 75 minute movie made in 1932 was directed by Graham Cutts; and starred Arthur Wontner, Isla Bevan, with Ian Hunter. And how did I know such a thing? Well, I purchased a copy and watched it of course. And so should you, too.<br />
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<b>The Story</b></h4>
Now calm down, Ms. Morstan (Isla Bevan). Please. There's no need for you to cry anymore. You're safe now, and completely out of harm's way. Although I wish I could have said exactly the same thing about some of your relatives.<br />
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Well, quite time ago your father partnered up with a Major from the British army called Sholto (Herbert Lomas), so they could both steal a box of treasure from a known felon named Small (Graham Soutten). However, during this arduous encounter Sholto murdered your father in cold blood and spent the reminder of his days over here in London.<br />
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Yet, the strange thing about this, my dear, is that as the years passed by he eventually came to the realization that his life of luxury was built on very fragile ground. And so, when it finally came time for Sholto to take his final breath, he told his two sons about what he had done, and they in turn hastily decided to send you some of his loot - in the form of a diamond necklace - for fear of Small''s return. <br />
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Of course, Small did return, didn't he? And that's why you're here to see me today. Indeed, earlier one of his tattooed henchmen approached you at your florist's.<br />
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But please, don't concern yourself, Ms. Morstan. I will now leave you in Doctor Watson's (Ian Hunter) more than capable hands, because what next transpires all begins anew when I say to myself those immortal words, "Come Sherlock (Arthur Wontner). The game is afoot." As an inept policeman makes a wrong arrest - a drunken Sherlock becomes a damn right pest - Watson and Mary take a trip to the fun-fair - and at the end of the day, a kiss from a fair lady, spells that love is in the air.<br />
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<b>The Review</b></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQbK_k8CWKuTTmiAMElDEkWEs8E_-v1OKOxqW9GYycfyoccKzBenClgeLjea-YnqAckb3TciuPix5r-gQmyYwntrYm-HPXDKXzH1ZYX0oFNmSiUna3z5wFTCTkPPmc5VqGsF228UzeJOr/s1600/The_Sign_of_Four_FilmPoster.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQbK_k8CWKuTTmiAMElDEkWEs8E_-v1OKOxqW9GYycfyoccKzBenClgeLjea-YnqAckb3TciuPix5r-gQmyYwntrYm-HPXDKXzH1ZYX0oFNmSiUna3z5wFTCTkPPmc5VqGsF228UzeJOr/s1600/The_Sign_of_Four_FilmPoster.jpeg" width="263" /></a></div>
I'm afraid to say that this will be my last <a href="http://www.comicbookandmoviereviews.com/search?q=Arthur+Wontner">Arthur Wontner</a> Sherlock Holmes movie review because there aren't any more for me to see. It's a shame really, isn't it? Because on the whole most of them conveyed somewhat intriguing story lines that lavished us with pathos, mystery, plus an authentic vibe spearheaded by Arthur's portrayal of the Sherlock Holmes character.  <br />
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Take this film for instance. In it, you will see him doing everything Holmes does in the books. You will see him poking fun at Watson and the police without a care in the world. You will hear him making one of his many articulate yet engrossing summations that'll make anyone think, "Wow!" And you'll even see him in disguise mixing in with the locals.<br />
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But having said that, dear reader, do you know what impressed me the most about this mystery? It was that the camera work on show was very innovative for its time. Every now and then a scene was shot from a high perspective looking down to give it a sinister edge. Other times the film was sped-up to give it a more kinetic flow. And here and there you could see Holmes - or one of the other characters - through an object which was placed in the foreground, as if to give this scene a more artistic flourish!<br />
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Also, something else I best mention about this movie was how Doctor Watson kept flirting with the Mary Morstan character. Honestly, my friends. When I saw what he was doing I couldn't help but cheer him on and applaud his more debonair antics. And without giving anything away, at the very end of it a friendship was sealed in a very 'to be continued' sort of manner.  <br />
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Now on the flip side of things there were two aspects about this adventure I wasn't too keen on. Firstly, on occasion the sound quality was rather mumbled in note, and difficult for me to hear what was being said. And secondly, I had to wait for over twenty minutes before I could see Sherlock in front of the camera.<br />
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Apart from that though -- hey! -- this was one marvelous movie. And these are its cinematic facts. </div>
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<ol>
<li>Associated Talking Pictures first released this production in London, England on the exact same month Al Capone entered Atlanta Penitentiary convicted of income tax evasion. It was in May, 1932.</li>
<li>This film was loosely based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's second Sherlock Holmes story, <i>The Sign of the Four</i>, which was published by Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, in February, 1890.</li>
<li>The majority of this movie was shot at Ealing Studios, situated within the city of London.</li>
<li>I'm afraid to say that this adventure made one grievous factual error. Sherlock Holmes' residence isn't located at 22A Baker Street; it's located at 221B Baker Street.</li>
<li>To follow on from my previous fact, you might like to know that this movie makes three slight departures from its original source material. Firstly, Sholto doesn't murder Morstan. Secondly, "The Tattooed Man" doesn't make an appearance. And thirdly, it was set in 1887 and not the 1930s.</li>
<li>From 1914 to 2001 this story was re-made ten times in total.</li>
<li>This was the first feature length film to star the Shakespearian actor, Roy Emerton.</li>
<li>After this adventure saluted King and country, Arthur Wontner starred in the next <a href="http://www.comicbookandmoviereviews.com/search/label/SHERLOCK%20HOLMES">Sherlock Holmes film</a>, <i>The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes</i>; Isla Bevan starred in the filmic-short, <i>The Star Reporter</i>; and Ian Hunter starred in the romantic comedy <i>Marry Me</i>.</li>
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Overall I'd say <i>The Sign Of Four</i> was a great way for me to end my reviews on the Arthur Wontner series of Sherlock Holmes films. It had a great story line that was dynamic in places and authentic in attitude. And if you can look past some of its cosmetic flaws, all in all this is a must watch movie for any of you Sherlockian cinephiles out there<br />
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<b>The Rating: A-</b></h4>
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Saturday Matinee: Sherlock Holmes' Greatest Case - The Sign of Four (1932)

"for the fourth time" [BRUC] [ Editor's note: this is the fourth in a series of four posts on the Arthur Wontner Sherl...

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by Scott Monty

Baker Street Roleplaying Game Expands

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"curious to learn what this new quest might be" [TWIS]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8csU6u4FZZDpMckgpB6oAPr_co9COE_ZvHbg8sIgnaSU6mcDR8l5wo8w4dvBZbywinH2TJX71n9L5DXVQOcahbFS2aw7u3uH3tR47oIEnPGWCp7lLv1GmypZyBBeKkTFgo3MLPwHegf3N/s1600/Baker+Street+RPG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8csU6u4FZZDpMckgpB6oAPr_co9COE_ZvHbg8sIgnaSU6mcDR8l5wo8w4dvBZbywinH2TJX71n9L5DXVQOcahbFS2aw7u3uH3tR47oIEnPGWCp7lLv1GmypZyBBeKkTFgo3MLPwHegf3N/s1600/Baker+Street+RPG.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Fans of the <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/02/a-quick-look-at-baker-street-rpg-on.html#.VQzLao7F-Sp">Baker Street RPG Kickstarter</a> project of last year will be pleased to hear that there are now eight new cases for players to solve.<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/browse/pub/7735/Fearlight-Games" target="_blank">Baker Street: Roleplaying in the World of Sherlock Holmes</a></i> takes players back to Victorian-era Baker Street to aid Watson in keeping up with crime in Holmes’ absence after Reichenbach. The game provides a unique “Clue Card” system with investigation scenes acting as the driving force of the game. Now, the <a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product/146408/Baker-Street-Casebook-1-Roleplaying-in-the-World-of-Sherlock-Holmes?manufacturers_id=7735" target="_blank">Baker Street Casebook #1</a> (below, center) features brand new mysteries for intrepid investigators.<br />
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<a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product/142228/Baker-Street-Roleplaying-in-the-world-of-Sherlock-Holmes?manufacturers_id=7735" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgT4KEYWSzIk1OINe8e01xhkq4XBMvttRhJBXm1uB-rD4sH25xkgJEBCyhaXfmY0hcwIA9SHqS2eAWKC5Zs2o2_GfNaSC5fKQYhNuYFqtPfKhHN4BBK_yG2zyxdR3RFTca0NYIbZELOqIpP3sEqCGtxiiLVwQ=" width="140" />  </a>   <a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product/146408/Baker-Street-Casebook-1-Roleplaying-in-the-World-of-Sherlock-Holmes?manufacturers_id=7735" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhJzA-pFqe31rGHnKuQgbOZgH02iSDVz86ebuaAbnQSsuYkWIzKds1jmMBS5-fhtgPilQOOynhz_vnnW6GQniwdOtYTFEQJ1l3Hkfh-xLZ1rD_yfRvBMtALjhaPBCjcA2-lg3q-I9e2ocnkzF0=" width="139" />  </a>   <span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product/146238/The-Case-of-the-Missing-Artifact?manufacturers_id=7735" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGkP3rRO5Tqjpz3JeIonfI58W_eNvg6PPaNQfgx3t_Pmh_GSYw-Mwe1fev6H6k0nam81fr1W5J5vykrKQQw1gUxS4RBrZYvmioYP35yXwsDkbRRW6oDFgGdQ-VW7_xqYOK_yIhhPRHhh_p/s1600/Baker+Street+RPG+2.jpg" width="154" /></a></span></div>
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This is an expansion; the original game is needed in order to play. If you have the core set, then you can now add such cases as “The Case of the Mantis Murderer”, “The Adventure of the Mummy’s Curse” or “The Case of the Angry Goddess” to your campaign. And if you'd like to connect with other like-minded RPGers, there's <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/113134645050347484316" target="_blank">a Google+ community of Baker Street players</a>.<br />
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Baker Street and its expansion are published by Fearlight Games and are available to purchase on <a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/browse/pub/7735/Fearlight-Games">RPGNow</a>. The game design is by Bryce Whitacre. The new Casebook adventures are written by Matt DeForrest, Jeff Grubb, Steven S. Long, Matt Lopshire, Mark Plemmons, Jeff Siadek, Bryce Whitacre, and Skip Williams.<br />
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Enter the world of Sherlock Holmes in this imaginative and authentic set of adventures!</div>
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Baker Street Roleplaying Game Expands

"curious to learn what this new quest might be" [TWIS] Fans of the Baker Street RPG Kickstarter project of last year will ...

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by Katie Magnusson

Did Conan Doyle Discover the True Identity of the Ripper?

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"These massacres are invariably concluded" [SIGN] </h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTXpswC6FFb4TaBKukzGipfz-3ScOcieNlxVOTfiyrcWYT3fzQ79op1za_bmhAw3cJaXzk119FqeyrfedPvjDrlziHAD5yQwevvdJbRxsLfW9yfvZMdmNBOVCxgnUwneLSZLR01jit6y1d/s1600/Conan+Doyle+Notes+-+Secret+of+Jack+the+Ripper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Conan Doyle Notes - Secret of Jack the Ripper by Diane Madsen" border="0" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTXpswC6FFb4TaBKukzGipfz-3ScOcieNlxVOTfiyrcWYT3fzQ79op1za_bmhAw3cJaXzk119FqeyrfedPvjDrlziHAD5yQwevvdJbRxsLfW9yfvZMdmNBOVCxgnUwneLSZLR01jit6y1d/s1600/Conan+Doyle+Notes+-+Secret+of+Jack+the+Ripper.jpg" title="Cover - Conan Doyle Notes Secret of Jack the Ripper" width="640" /></a></div>
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In September of 2014, the <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/has-jack-the-rippers-identity-really-been-revealed-using-dna-evidence-9717036.html" target="_blank">news broke</a> that author Russell Edwards working with molecular biologist Jari Louhelainen, had analyzed DNA evidence from one of the Ripper victim's shawls.  This evidence seemed to single out Ripper suspect Aaron Kosminski, a polish immigrant whose DNA was a match to that found on the shawl.  So, was the case closed? <br />
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Not so fast!  Author <a href="http://www.dianegilbertmadsen.com/#!the-conan-doyle-notes/c1a5" target="_blank">Diane Gilbert Madsen</a> claims that not only has the DNA evidence against Kosminski has fallen apart, she also claims the mystery was solved long ago, by none other than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  and Joseph Bell. Madsen names the killer in her latest book, <a href="http://amzn.to/1NxrfI2" rel="nofollow" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">The Conan Doyle Notes: The Secret of Jack the Ripper</a>. [Amazon]<i> </i> I interviewed Ms. Madsen over email about her book, the Ripper case, and Sherlock Holmes.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: The Conan Doyle Notes is a modern day mystery starring your literary sleuth, DD McGil.  What made you decide to write the story in modern times as opposed to a historical mystery starring Doyle and Dr. Bell?  </b></h4>
<b>Diane Madsen:</b> The Conan Doyle Notes is the third book in the DD McGil Literati Mystery Series, the first being about Robert Burns and the second about Hemingway.  The entire series takes place in modern times as opposed to being period-piece historical mysteries.  The main character, DD McGil, is a very contemporary person, and her persona would not transfer well back to Victorian England where she would be shunned, ostracized and probably even locked up in Bedlam.  I also set <i>The Conan Doyle Notes</i> in modern times because it gave me a chance to use all of the resources that have accumulated since 1888 concerning both the Ripper murders and Conan Doyle -- information I could not have used if it had been written as a contemporaneous mystery.  I did, however, do a great deal of research on both Doyle and the Ripper case, and I’ve tried to use only historical facts throughout the book.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: Like Doyle's London, Chicago is an important part of your story such that the setting almost feels like a character.   Why did you find Chicago was the perfect city for telling this tale?  </b></h4>
<b>DM: </b>I was born and raised in Chicago.  I love the City and enjoy making Chicago a character in my DD McGil Literati Mystery series because there is a distinct feel about the place and its people.  Chicagoans tend to be down to earth and hard working and perhaps a little sentimental.  We love our heroes and hate our villains.  We support our city, our teams, our schools and our friends; and above all we display an enduring hope for the future. These characteristics come from our connective, collective experiences living in the city.<br />
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First of all, we must contend with our name which, taken from the Ojibwa Indians, means ‘skunk.’   Then too, we used to be known as the Second City before LA went on steroids.  We knew we were number two, not number one, and we were never allowed to forget it.  That mind set fostered a certain perverse twist to our egos and our ids.  Then there’s our weather.  Let’s face it, when it’s nice, it’s really nice, but when it’s not, it’s horrible.  And it’s horrible usually six months out of the year.  That’s why we don’t act like carefree Californians.  No – we need our coats, our scarves and our gloves.  We don’t go naked into that good sunlight in January, and it marks us for life. On top of that, as fans of the Chicago Cubs, we were doomed to never win a pennant, thus scarring our whole outlook on life, luck, talent and ball club owners.<br />
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On the positive side, even though we’ve lost Marshall Fields, Chicago’s still got the Lake, the Loop, the EL, Lake Shore Drive, Water Tower, Wacker Drive underground, and a heck of a lot of monumental architecture – good and bad. Chicagoans have risen above our name, our teams and our size.  We’re the Windy City.  We’re the City of Big Shoulders, and my characters in the DD McGil Literati Mystery Series are like the city – we rise above the difficulties and rely upon internal characteristics that come from our roots and our passions about the city.<br />
<br />
In setting my books, I’ve used many well known Chicago landmarks such as Soldier Field, Wrigley Field, and Graue Mill, the oldest working mill in the area and where I served as a Board Member.  I’ve also used Chicago’s weather seasons to give readers a feel of the hardiness it takes to be a Chicagoan. And, as with every writer, my characters are connected to my own life and experiences in the city.  My main character, DD McGil, lives in Wrigleyville, as I did, and she’s a Cubs fan, as am I.  Her university connections come from my own associations with the University of Chicago which I attended as an undergraduate.  Like Chicago, DD is stubborn, sassy, determined, and loyal to her friends.  .<br />
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<h4>
<b>IHOSE: This is a tricky question because I don't want to give anything away, nor do I want you to in your answer. You have said you feel that the DNA evidence used to name Aaron Kosminski as the killer is problematic.  What makes you feel that you've come to the correct conclusion in your book?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPi7FvsxAfXpsu2w1VRoAOWL5IUAWPd6sZM36_qOLdQ4cn2mnCwNK_YaViekOXgEDopD6_IOp0enLZQTKWUch7nOwQJza_A5nssrYYcItagxM0AScnUOScVZXL2LRBJpGAhzBDScIEQ4uR/s1600/Conan+Doyle+Notes+-+Secret+of+Jack+the+Ripper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPi7FvsxAfXpsu2w1VRoAOWL5IUAWPd6sZM36_qOLdQ4cn2mnCwNK_YaViekOXgEDopD6_IOp0enLZQTKWUch7nOwQJza_A5nssrYYcItagxM0AScnUOScVZXL2LRBJpGAhzBDScIEQ4uR/s1600/Conan+Doyle+Notes+-+Secret+of+Jack+the+Ripper.jpg" width="276" /></a></div>
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<b>DM: </b>You are so right.  This is a tricky question.  First, let’s tackle the DNA evidence used to identify Aaron Kosminski.  When a group of DNA experts poured over the findings, they found that the molecular biologist made a fundamental error in calculations.  The fatal flaw was <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/jack-the-ripper-id-hinges-on-a-decimal-point-as-scientists-flag-up-dna-error-in-book-that-claims-to-identify-the-whitechapel-killer-9804325.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">an error in nomenclature</a>.  The smoking gun is that the biologist referenced the wrong mutation (314.1C) – a rare mutation -  from the michtochondrial DNA database.  The correct mutation (315.1C) which he should have used is not rare at all.  It is so common that it’s shared by 99 percent of people of European descent.  So the same DNA match would  have been seen with almost anyone who had handled the shawl over the years – including perhaps hundreds of people.<br />
<br />
Secondly, let’s look at my suspect, who here will remain nameless because I hope people will be interested enough to <a href="http://amzn.to/1bLGvWe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">read the book</a>.  When I began looking at the Ripper case, it struck me that each of the suspects became a suspect because someone advocated their guilt from the bottom up.  I love to do research, and I had the advantage of starting with a huge amount of materials.  I tried putting the pieces together as a modern police officer might do on a cold case, from the top down, without any preconceived notions.  I used the Sherlockian method to develop 10 clues which lead to my suspect.  While nobody today can say with certainty who the Ripper was, I believe that my solution takes into account all of the available evidence and considers things that various advocates find it convenient to minimize or ignore.  I'd love to hear from readers about what they think of the clues I propose and the solution I offer in the book based on those clues.  I tried to make everything in the book about the Ripper case as accurate as possible.  I looked at what the police involved in the case said (often that they knew who the Ripper was but wouldn’t say), and at the news coverage, the eye-witness testimony, and the suspects.  I also looked at what happened to various suspects and police after the murders.  My suspect is chosen based on the ten clues I offer in the book.  These clues link a chain of evidence – much of it circumstantial – but strong enough when taken together to confirm the suspect I identify as Jack the Ripper.<br />
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<h4>
<b>IHOSE: You've written other DD Mcgil mysteries in the past.  This is your first to focus on Doyle.  Will we see more of DD in the future?  Any chance she will return to the realm of Doyle or Holmes?</b></h4>
<b>DM: </b>People tell me that DD McGil is a very interesting character, so yes, I intend to give her more outings.  Her next adventure is entitled, <i>The Cardboard Palace</i>, and it contains some of the work that Bram Stoker did as the Literati character.<br />
<br />
The Literati Series is a continuing series, and DD’s encounter with Conan Doyle has marked her and made her into a Sherlockian.   In future DD adventures,  watch for DD to be quoting Sherlock Holmes and talking about Holmes plots and even joining a Sherlockian Society.<br />
<br />
On a slightly different note, I’m working on a deadline to finish a non-fiction work entitled <i>Cracking the Code of the Canon,</i> a look at how Sherlock Holmes made his decisions, to be published this summer by <a href="http://www.mxpublishing.com/index.html" target="_blank">MX Publishing</a>.  <br />
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<h4>
<b>IHOSE: The question all Sherlockians dread!  If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have one Sherlock Holmes story with you, which would it be and why?</b></h4>
<b>DM: </b>This is my favorite question, and I don’t have to think twice.  It would most definitely be "The Musgrave Ritual."<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
[SPOILER ALERT -<i> Ed.</i>]</h3>
Not only is this my all time favorite Holmes story because of the connection with the Stuart monarchy and the royal regalia, but it’s also a gem of a story because the butler did it.  It would be even more valuable to have it with me if I were stranded on an island.  Halloa, I would use the text within The Musgrave Ritual as a guide to my escape. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"'Where was the sun?'<br />"'Over the oak.'<br />"'Where was the shadow?'<br />"'Under the elm.'<br />"How was it stepped?'<br />"'North by ten and by ten, east by five and by five, south by two and by two, west by one and by one, and so under.'</blockquote>
<br />
I would seek to follow this ritual catechism with the hopes that it would lead me to a path off the island.  (Given the island would have oaks and elms and an “under” of course. If not, I’d have to work to decode the message.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>IHOSE: Any other future projects you would like to comment on?</b></h4>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUb2YesBjgZWgZE8EWPvSeuNDBzB-kEATgPN9853Xeh_l_FtWVju38xZNzngIHNuJ9wFMgHiGHkuSpG95etOouqyTuqnUHAR3ZNZdU4jBM4YpJ4eVtZWijkO0DlAk4KYWmgfkzpoe6Z-Zz/s1600/DGM+w+Corona+%233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUb2YesBjgZWgZE8EWPvSeuNDBzB-kEATgPN9853Xeh_l_FtWVju38xZNzngIHNuJ9wFMgHiGHkuSpG95etOouqyTuqnUHAR3ZNZdU4jBM4YpJ4eVtZWijkO0DlAk4KYWmgfkzpoe6Z-Zz/s1600/DGM+w+Corona+%233.JPG" width="195" /></a><b>DM: </b>I’ve already mentioned the upcoming non-fictional <i>Cracking the Code of the Canon: How Sherlock Holmes Made His Decisions</i>,” coming out this summer, as well as the next book in the DD McGil Literati Mystery Series, <i>The Cardboard Palace</i> featuring Bram Stoker.  I also have two more DD McGil plots – one entitled <i>Dark As Shadows</i> featuring Robert Louis Stevenson, and one on Edgar Allan Poe entitled <i>Restless Bones</i>.<br />
<br />
I have submitted a screen-play to my agent entitled <i>Young  Hemingway</i>, which is currently at Paramount.   <br />
<br />
I’ve also been asked by Hallmark Mysteries to submit six DD McGil Literati Mystery plots for a possible TV series on their network.<br />
<br />
And, as a result of <a href="http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-11-07/did-arthur-conan-doyle-and-the-real-sherlock-holmes-solve-the-jack-the-ripper-mystery" target="_blank">an extremely good article</a> on <i>The Conan Doyle Notes</i> in Radio Times by the terrific writer Paul Jones, I’ve been approached by a London TV and film producer  who is putting together a TV series on Doyle, Dr. Joseph Bell, and the Ripper case.  <br />
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<h4>
<b>IHOSE: Any last thoughts?</b></h4>
<b>DM: </b>THINK HOLMES.  It’s always 1895.  Seriously.</div>
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