I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

Harper Collins Needs to Do More Detective Work for The Crime Club

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"what do the public, the great unobservant public...care about the finer shades of analysis and deduction!" [COPP]</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgITbF8qFP4JN-Y62gD0yua_QUTKtXkuHy85Z9IK_XlI3UkL8qcJmEOWRxfEzUP92I35lTBbbNyOzz38V_R3-Pe-Fi70a4ma0zwcv9u9svEsy57LaKqN3nu_BS_FSAJs2nO0slPGva2Pa9A/s1600/The_Problem_of_Thor_Bridge_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgITbF8qFP4JN-Y62gD0yua_QUTKtXkuHy85Z9IK_XlI3UkL8qcJmEOWRxfEzUP92I35lTBbbNyOzz38V_R3-Pe-Fi70a4ma0zwcv9u9svEsy57LaKqN3nu_BS_FSAJs2nO0slPGva2Pa9A/s640/The_Problem_of_Thor_Bridge_04.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I really don't have time for this. My second daughter Esther was born the day before yesterday, and right now I have to spend the rest of my spare time finishing the English version of my book <i>From Holmes to Sherlock</i>. So you will all understand that I have plenty of important things to do - and writing this blog post was definitely not on that list.<br />
<br />
However, that British newspaper <i>The Sunday Times</i> makes it impossible for me not to react. Today they published the utmost rubbish (<a href="http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/literary-sleuth-unmasks-conan-doyle-as-plot-thief-gsrkfvflq" target="_blank">"Literary sleuth unmasks Conan Doyle as plot thief"</a> [paywall] regarding Conan Doyle, and I just get so annoyed. It seems that anyone can claim whatever they want about Conan Doyle – and the newspapers will believe it. Even <i>The Sunday Times</i>.<br />
<br />
We have seen it so many times before. Just mention Conan Doyle's name, and the journalists will lose all interest in checking the credibility of the source. Especially if the source is not at all a Conan Doyle expert. In the newspaper world anyone saying anything about Conan Doyle is an expert. In the case of<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/02/conan-doyle-didnt-write-lost-sherlock.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the Scottish man who found a short story last year</a> that he thought was written by Conan Doyle, he even said himself that he was no Conan Doyle expert, yet the newspapers treated his views on the authenticity of the story as the views of an expert. And they saw no need to contact a real Conan Doyle expert before spreading the extraordinary news over the world. (The Scottish man was <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/03/the-final-word-on-lost-sherlock-holmes.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wrong</a>, of course.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This time it's Harper Collins that just want publicity for a forthcoming anthology. So they contacted <i>The Sunday Times</i>. On June 16 they will publish <i><a href="https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9780008137335/the-crime-club" target="_blank">The Crime Club</a></i> – and this is h<span style="background-color: white;">ow they describe the book on their web site: </span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">"The Detective Story Club’s first short story anthology is based around a London detective club and includes three newly discovered tales unpublished for 100 years, plus a story bearing an uncanny resemblance to a Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes story but written some seven years earlier."</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">The story with the "uncanny resemblance" is a short story from 1915 with a plot that is extrem</span>ely close to the plot of "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Problem_of_Thor_Bridge" target="_blank">The Problem of Thor Bridge</a>", which Conan Doyle wrote in 1921 and published in 1922. According to <i>The Sunday Times</i> it was the proof reader Hugo Lamb who noticed this resemblance, and David Brawn at Harper Collins "has no doubt that Lamb has solved a literary crime." Brawn concludes, "It's real plagiarism."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh, please. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;">Why not take the time to do some research before you contact <i>The Times</i>? Or here's a stretch: how about <a href="http://lmgtfy.com/?q=thor+bridge+plot+origin" target="_blank">a good old fashioned Google search</a>? I tried – it took me two minutes to search for "thor bridge plot origin", which led me to search for "thor bridge hans gross" – and then I had all the material I needed.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;">This is no secret – anyone can find it in e.g. Leslie S. Klinger's </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;"><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="0393059162" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="866f1592d72ea067d1f364502c4ba168" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes" href="http://www.amazon.com/New-Annotated-Sherlock-Holmes-Complete/dp/0393059162/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=866f1592d72ea067d1f364502c4ba168&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_1417641" rel="nofollow" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes</a><span style="border-color: initial !important; border-image-outset: initial !important; border-image-repeat: initial !important; border-image-slice: initial !important; border-image-source: initial !important; border-image-width: initial !important; border-width: initial !important;"><i><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_1417641" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=866f1592d72ea067d1f364502c4ba168&_cb=1465182932715" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i></span> (published by W.W. Norton)</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;">. It was Conan Doyle's editor at the <i>Strand Magazine</i>, H. Greenhough Smith, who gave Conan Doyle the plot idea for this story. Smith had found it – an authentic crime case – in Dr Hans Gross' <i>Criminal Investigation – A Practical Handbook</i>, published in English in 1906, and in German already in 1893. Since the authors of the 1915 story were a superintendent and a police historian, they had of course read the same non-fiction book, and based their story on it.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="background-color: white;">What really bothers me is not only this article in <i>The Sunday Times</i>, but the fact that Harper Collins, according to their presentation of the book, seems to make a mystery of something that is not a mystery, and while doing so are making accusations against Conan Doyle that are totally unfair and false. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="background-color: white;">However, anyone can be a Conan Doyle expert. Just go ahead and claim whatever you want. People will publish it. And I will – again – waste my time on complaining about it.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="background-color: white;">Finally, I want to apologize to my family and to my American publisher Otto Penzler for having written this blog post. I had no choice.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="background-color: white;">[<b>Editor's note:</b> Mattias Bostrom, BSI ("The Swedish Pathological Society") is the author of </span></span><i><a href="http://www.piratforlaget.se/bocker/fran-holmes-till-sherlock/" target="_blank">Från Holmes Till Sherlock</a></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"> and writes for I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere typically only under duress.]</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="background-color: white;">--</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>

Harper Collins Needs to Do More Detective Work for The Crime Club

"what do the public, the great unobservant public...care about the finer shades of analysis and deduction!" [COPP] I really d...

+ Read more »

by Mattias Boström

Episode 97: The Sydney Passengers

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"After an excellent voyage the <i>Hotspur</i> landed us at Sydney" [GLOR]</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElCmy1V_5KapJwGpmgE3RABmDmbWSLNF2SJ18iFjWF9w7XZsD_ISoplQkFgWc6e_SktwTRMzhyphenhyphen9Xif3NnJgoEvzRM8lIPkY6rq1jkgz2nrfb-gNnZJW_YeyyuW3DwcvRCSQLA4tg2dAF4/s1600/SPlogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElCmy1V_5KapJwGpmgE3RABmDmbWSLNF2SJ18iFjWF9w7XZsD_ISoplQkFgWc6e_SktwTRMzhyphenhyphen9Xif3NnJgoEvzRM8lIPkY6rq1jkgz2nrfb-gNnZJW_YeyyuW3DwcvRCSQLA4tg2dAF4/s640/SPlogo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" height="90" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4409570/height/90/width/600/theme/custom/autoplay/yes/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/098391/" style="border: none;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="600"></iframe><br />
</center>
<br />
Australian Sherlockians are some of the most amazing people. We had the opportunity to put our theory to the test not once, but twice. And the most recent occasion was in April 2016 on a visit to Sydney.<br />
<br />
There we met with some wonderful and fun Sherlockians: Bill Barnes, BSI, Roseane McNamara, BSI, Kerry Murphy, Christopher Sequeira, Doug Elliott, BSI, Robert Veld, Erin O'Neill, and Malcolm Ellis, to be specific. While we were there, we had a chance to learn about their own unique experiences and got them to tell us a few stories of life as a Sherlock Holmes fan Down Under.<br />
<br />
In this episode, we'll take you there through music, sound effects and good old imagination. We hope you come along on this voyage with us. We promise it won't end the same way that the <i>Gloria Scott</i> met its fate.<br />
<br />
As a bonus, here are some images of the Passengers:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9iqsEIoIF8qhHjV3zE20Y_9__UuLNEcEpT-rZIVyMePcB_cJjvfWM6H9CWA7N9tWxRMHGsuC1e9KpcN9CBXsLLlpu6KQ9gSFoFWZN7zJA-kqpzU9NzrFOPXQU9Z0-EOwzOKd_IlYqFG9Q/s1600/IMG_3166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9iqsEIoIF8qhHjV3zE20Y_9__UuLNEcEpT-rZIVyMePcB_cJjvfWM6H9CWA7N9tWxRMHGsuC1e9KpcN9CBXsLLlpu6KQ9gSFoFWZN7zJA-kqpzU9NzrFOPXQU9Z0-EOwzOKd_IlYqFG9Q/s400/IMG_3166.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kerry Murphy and Doug Elliott</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15zu_y6BR08dw78AdgoyQuf_qGaIUIO8Kfwqjp7i8eIddritYmWcM3Gtr7ESZiZw1KqFsRn5tSFEtYnnOCR2iOIRRTnK-IL1UKArIn-zhIMA3buRJytcJp4F_3cjaojlKC3ag0z07bH8_/s1600/IMG_3168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15zu_y6BR08dw78AdgoyQuf_qGaIUIO8Kfwqjp7i8eIddritYmWcM3Gtr7ESZiZw1KqFsRn5tSFEtYnnOCR2iOIRRTnK-IL1UKArIn-zhIMA3buRJytcJp4F_3cjaojlKC3ag0z07bH8_/s400/IMG_3168.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bill Barnes, Erin O'Neill, Malcolm Ellis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM-CdKU9ajlALn02h9lU2X7BF6tREPBRKTYKSqIm0iMNbonXRaH5oz8sIaskwllzCbYYvPRvZIb7SOb3a6JtKthfN9Dl3PG0_2lf9n5FmjwueK9FbMi8kMo8bkV7RvyOT06UAlZ8Qzn2jK/s1600/IMG_3169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM-CdKU9ajlALn02h9lU2X7BF6tREPBRKTYKSqIm0iMNbonXRaH5oz8sIaskwllzCbYYvPRvZIb7SOb3a6JtKthfN9Dl3PG0_2lf9n5FmjwueK9FbMi8kMo8bkV7RvyOT06UAlZ8Qzn2jK/s320/IMG_3169.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robert Veld</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6kZ_49Fi5tIo6-gFRYaU-SsgF14y_aqJQV-WGrNDpNNbjhqth7Saww6c5uanL9wQOzedWAph4ulUtthd1llYUkISrUaXsmV1G2NuxVRaicOlrqB9HKxfMnezdwey6qBAr6AG8j1D3paHm/s1600/Roseane+McNamara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6kZ_49Fi5tIo6-gFRYaU-SsgF14y_aqJQV-WGrNDpNNbjhqth7Saww6c5uanL9wQOzedWAph4ulUtthd1llYUkISrUaXsmV1G2NuxVRaicOlrqB9HKxfMnezdwey6qBAr6AG8j1D3paHm/s400/Roseane+McNamara.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scott Monty with Roseane McNamara</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0BE0nuf4oT94lDuGrmwFk_xOLSHhKq0qoqK21LwHKwwsYtl1GX3czTeChjKyEqFmliUec3PpbLvbB9UuUSkPZViK54DnJP3oF0fjvHMPPFR1XTtvQiLbNq8NullX3tmTznLx_37sMMaZB/s1600/IMG_3172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0BE0nuf4oT94lDuGrmwFk_xOLSHhKq0qoqK21LwHKwwsYtl1GX3czTeChjKyEqFmliUec3PpbLvbB9UuUSkPZViK54DnJP3oF0fjvHMPPFR1XTtvQiLbNq8NullX3tmTznLx_37sMMaZB/s400/IMG_3172.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scott Monty and Bill Barnes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHkTM9NKBWGnwtQ-8rPUtVLsBDkem9dAbX6uoCGeJFI4f3DPy53QJ8CW0H3TmSB2vrFCiDqJYRtd4L1rhxbdqjFjFKdt4SGvR1U9xcN_UjiTaW-cn66Ml3LI5QEyZptFv-dJfexoey8KBf/s1600/IMG_3193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHkTM9NKBWGnwtQ-8rPUtVLsBDkem9dAbX6uoCGeJFI4f3DPy53QJ8CW0H3TmSB2vrFCiDqJYRtd4L1rhxbdqjFjFKdt4SGvR1U9xcN_UjiTaW-cn66Ml3LI5QEyZptFv-dJfexoey8KBf/s400/IMG_3193.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Convict uniform, with markings as seen in Sidney Paget illustrations</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a div="" gt="" href="https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=2318606&redirect_uri=http%3A%2F%2Fihearofsherlock.com%2Fpodcast"><br />
<img height="40" src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/widget-images/become-patron-widget-medium%402x.png" width="204" /></a></div>
<br />
Our special thanks goes out to Mary Miller for her extraordinary Patreon support! Won't you join her and others by clicking on the button?<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<h3>
Sponsors</h3>
This episode includes our two longtime sponsors and a special sponsor who is supporting us for the first half of this year:<br />
<ul>
<li>The <a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/" target="_blank">Wessex Press</a>, featuring <i><a href="http://wessexpress.com/html/heresies.html">Sherlockian Heresies</a></i> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/" target="_blank"><i>The Baker Street Journal</i></a>, where you should get <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/subscriptions.html" target="_blank">your annual subscription</a> in now to secure all four issues plus the Christmas Annual. </li>
<li>And Paula Berinstein's <a href="http://amandalester.net/" target="_blank">Amanda Lester, Detective</a> series for young adults.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
Would you care to become a sponsor? You can find <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/p/contact.html#.Vc1Qx7JViko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">more information here</a>.</div>
<div style="font-family: 'times new roman';">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/ihearofsherlock/ihearofsherlock097.mp3" target="_blank">Download</a> [Save As] | File size 30.3 MB, 1:02:37</h4>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/266900284&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe><br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<h3>
<br />
</h3>
<h3>
Links:</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.sherlock.on.net/" target="_blank">The Sydney Passengers website</a></li>
<li>Robert Veld's <i><a href="http://wessexpress.com/html/strand.html" target="_blank">The Strand Magazine and Sherlock Holmes</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/australiasherlock.html" target="_blank">Australia and Sherlock Holmes</a></i> from the BSI International Series</li>
<li>Leave us a rating or review on iTunes by <a href="http://bit.ly/ihearofsherlock">going here</a></li>
<li>The <a href="http://patreon.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Patreon</a> page</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
Many more links, articles and images are available in our Flipboard and Scoop.it sites at <a href="http://ihose.co/flipsherlock" target="_blank">ihose.co/flipsherlock</a> and <a href="http://www.scoop.it/t/sherlock-holmes" target="_blank">ihose.co/scoopsherlock</a>, as well as on the <a href="https://plus.google.com/communities/114565123495685504221" target="_blank">The Sherlock Holmes Community</a> on Google+ (now over 3,600 members), as well as through our accounts on <a href="http://facebook.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://instagram.com/ihearofsherlock">Instagram</a>, <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2016/04/ihose-on-snapchat-just-in-time-for.html">Snapchat</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://ihearofsherlock.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr</a>.</div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
Please <a href="http://bit.ly/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">subscribe to us on iTunes</a>, <a href="https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/I2nib4h55h3cz3yxmzovj6icbmi">Google Play</a>, <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Soundcloud</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/i-hear-of-sherlock-everywhere?refid=stpr" target="_blank">Stitcher</a> or <a href="http://www.spreaker.com/user/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Spreaker</a> and be kind enough to leave a rating or review for the show. And please tell a friend about us, in any fashion you feel comfortable.<br />
<br />
Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email (comment AT ihearofsherlock DOT com), call us at (774) 221-READ (7323).<br />
<br /></div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: 'times new roman'; margin: 0px;">
--</div>

Episode 97: The Sydney Passengers

"After an excellent voyage the Hotspur landed us at Sydney" [GLOR] Australian Sherlockians are some of the most ama...

+ Read more »

by Scott Monty

Fight Card: A Congression of Pallbearers — A Review

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"It must be very familiar to you." [EMPT] </h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9U6PgQCwfQ8setq5zzqKGDfapQJgUw0UhWnWhcIqNu7XjtaY9aRsdYhsnE4OPEYbE4dqhSugbHL6vXeqIhIEPeBL2JW40dAq0UStEnneo7TzOUlAFJ_TI9pK7OyAayWLj2SkH8m6hWtZh/s1600/Fight+Card+-+PALL+header.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9U6PgQCwfQ8setq5zzqKGDfapQJgUw0UhWnWhcIqNu7XjtaY9aRsdYhsnE4OPEYbE4dqhSugbHL6vXeqIhIEPeBL2JW40dAq0UStEnneo7TzOUlAFJ_TI9pK7OyAayWLj2SkH8m6hWtZh/s640/Fight+Card+-+PALL+header.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
One of the more intriguing aspects of Sherlockian pastiche is the storytelling flexibility of Holmes and Watson. Placing the characters in a variety of situations reveals how both characters can remain steady yet drive some unique storytelling engines.<br />
<br />
As his third Holmes-centric entry in the <b>Fight Card</b> series, Andrew Salmon's latest tale - <b><i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1530712025" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="423bbd8740b04bacfd070aee1bfb240c" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Sherlock Holmes: A Congression of Pallbearers" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Congression-Pallbearers-Fight/dp/1530712025/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=423bbd8740b04bacfd070aee1bfb240c&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_8243694" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes: A Congression of Pallbearers</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_8243694" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=423bbd8740b04bacfd070aee1bfb240c&_cb=1464235621951" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i></b><i> </i>(written under the <i>nom de plume</i> of Jack Tunney) —<i> </i>rises to the occasion, building on both canon-based material as well as his own. In short, this is a great finish to an excellent series-within-a-series.<br />
<br />
Following up from events in both <b><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/03/fight-card-sherlock-holmes-review.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Work Capital</i></a></b> and <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/01/fight-card-blood-to-bone-review.html" rel="nofollow" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank"><i>Blood to the Bone</i></a><b>, </b><i>A Congression of Pallbearers</i> begins with Holmes and Watson receiving some cryptic messages, leading to the discovery of a picture of someone familiar...yet is not. From there, the story leads into a more-than-traditional Holmes tale, which provides a unique insight into Holmes and Watson's characters  —<i> </i>and their relationship —<i> </i>that might not have happened in the traditional Canon.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1530712025" class="amzn_ps_bm_il" data-amzn-link-id="91bffe8ed7eeb92010d4bb6076258839" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="congression of pallbearers" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Congression-Pallbearers-Fight/dp/1530712025/ref=as_li_bk_ia/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=91bffe8ed7eeb92010d4bb6076258839&linkCode=kia" id="amznPsBmLink_7529500" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwU8taOlyiycWRe72iJ7Fccy5eILWViyBKaYZGxINqmUMvMoqqynTGK84YRSGyWxEt2dq-gfxwxdN5xXCRlNJIycyEj_YMAFLlPe_r7IsWxwweW_rIe3Anz4IKsaf3QycgM-s8bM0HVIV/s400/Fight+Card+-+PALL.PNG" width="266" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_7529500" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=kia&linkId=91bffe8ed7eeb92010d4bb6076258839&_cb=1464235969339" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></div>
<br />
<br />
Although the <b>Fight Card</b> banner has a specific focus on boxing, <i>A Congression of Pallbearers</i> is not a back-to-back fightfest. Andrew Salmon cleverly integrates the fighting into an overall arc, and the narrative takes a very clever turn towards the end. (To say more would spoil, but suffice it to say it's a worthy variation on the Canon). Although it follows from Salmon's two previous <b>Fight Card</b> stories, <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1530712025" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="55b27f79fd4714b8a9a433a65b7df7fe" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="A Congression of Pallbearers" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Congression-Pallbearers-Fight/dp/1530712025/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=55b27f79fd4714b8a9a433a65b7df7fe&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_5521495" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Congression of Pallbearers</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_5521495" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=55b27f79fd4714b8a9a433a65b7df7fe&_cb=1464235807614" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> also works as a great stand-alone entry as well, and is definitely worth reading.<br />
<br />
<i>(Disclosure: A complimentary electronic copy was provided for review purposes)</i><br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />

Fight Card: A Congression of Pallbearers — A Review

"It must be very familiar to you." [EMPT] One of the more intriguing aspects of Sherlockian pastiche is the storytelling fl...

+ Read more »

by Gordon D

Silent Meridian — A Review

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
“vague memories in our souls of those misty centuries when the world was in its childhood.” [STUD] </h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9wdpQ3DQBx9qo-1Px1fnpXUkF0jH4Dlwy-yT0maFjq0ezSo6tcBbkQfWwrVxsqnri6C0Yg16d9HuY0_f3TSkCoGd4ZtU88cZ5SjSyK87BOtoiqLnxcIYX_h7UupOoREf5CQYqg_nyseI/s1600/Silent+Meridian+-+header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9wdpQ3DQBx9qo-1Px1fnpXUkF0jH4Dlwy-yT0maFjq0ezSo6tcBbkQfWwrVxsqnri6C0Yg16d9HuY0_f3TSkCoGd4ZtU88cZ5SjSyK87BOtoiqLnxcIYX_h7UupOoREf5CQYqg_nyseI/s640/Silent+Meridian+-+header.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
In the rise of Victorian-set fiction, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has lately found a second life as a character within historical and pastiche narratives. In works such as Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell series, the Master has served as Watson’s literary agent; on occasion, he has even investigated crimes in the style of Sherlock Holmes, as shown in Graham Moore’s <i>The Sherlockian</i> and Fox’s recent TV show <i>Houdini and Doyle</i>. But in <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1780929773" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="fa858535fb697d9befb2f0d38d3408b4" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Silent Meridian" href="http://www.amazon.com/Silent-Meridian-Time-Traveler-Professor/dp/1780929773/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=fa858535fb697d9befb2f0d38d3408b4&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_8023072" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Silent Meridian</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_8023072" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=fa858535fb697d9befb2f0d38d3408b4&_cb=1463719685620" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, the first entry in Elizabeth Crowens’ Time Traveler Professor series, Conan Doyle is instead placed in the center of a unique Spiritualist quest that stretches across centuries and continents.<br />
<br />
The novel begins in 1898, when John Patrick Scott, an aspiring music student and paranormal investigator, is given a mysterious red book when on his way to meet the author in Edinburgh. Shortly after their introduction, Scott builds a time-travel device that allows him to take on the personas of his past and future reincarnations. With Conan Doyle as his partner, the would-be Time Traveler Professor works to unravel the secrets of the red book, uncovering Spiritualist mysteries that stretch their bond to its breaking point.  <br />
<br />
One of the most creative elements of the novel is the connection between reincarnation and time travel, which strengthens the scenes where Scott and Doyle dive in to other eras. Instead of remaining mere observers of history, the characters are able to fully interact with a variety of detailed milieus, including feudal Japan and an underground academy of magic in the steampunk future. Furthermore, the identities taken on by the time travelers are engaging characters on their own merits, who compel their other selves to engage in new, exciting actions.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHM4o7fIjzP4XqtLRJLzwXbXn1S3cPaucls-K_9a9ZP00235AzkMSrDJBypUY3prA9kuAFDx8Ut6Ek-zBoSWqbrjlHBuSoX7MZbKi6zICAaFa1WDVo5YN5YU5T8ks44ypNgrIoeubVh00n/s1600/Silent+Meridian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHM4o7fIjzP4XqtLRJLzwXbXn1S3cPaucls-K_9a9ZP00235AzkMSrDJBypUY3prA9kuAFDx8Ut6Ek-zBoSWqbrjlHBuSoX7MZbKi6zICAaFa1WDVo5YN5YU5T8ks44ypNgrIoeubVh00n/s640/Silent+Meridian.jpg" width="414" /></a></div>
<br />
I often found myself wishing that more scenes were centered on these characters, and particularly upon Scott’s female reincarnation, Aliskiya Lleullne, as she studies magic in her predecessor’s distant future. Her presence provoked fascinating questions about the soul, gender, and John Patrick’s treatment of women that could have been further explored in the story.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, the novel’s breakneck pace often reduces the amount of time the reader gets to spend with many of its compelling secondary characters, as well as creating other issues that affect the cohesion of its central storyline. In addition to its lengthy sojourns in other time periods, the narrative covers a sizable swath of the early 20th century; in just under 350 pages, the reader races from the fin de siècle to the onset of World War One.<br />
<br />
John Patrick Scott’s journey to becoming the Time Traveler Professor is the story’s central focus in the midst of rapid time shifts, but characters and entire plots are alternately removed from or inserted into the narrative in a streamlining effort that creates more confusion than clarity. Characters who are established as key players, including the reincarnations, disappear with little explanation. Scott’s investigation into the origins of the red book—the impetus for the entire story—is put on hold for more than fifty pages as he describes his double-sided affair with a married couple in Germany, only for the focus to return to his mystical investigation without providing a definitive conclusion for the subplot that temporarily took center stage. <br />
<br />
Furthermore, the Victorian-based characters’ relationship to their own time and setting becomes less tangible to the reader as the narrative progresses. When Scott discusses topics like psychology or sexuality with his contemporaries, the dialogue takes on the tone of 21st century academics discussing the era’s politics instead of a conversation between people actually living in the time period. These inconsistencies can sometimes make it hard for the reader to firmly understand the story’s actions as well as the purposes of its peripheral characters, and while John Patrick Scott’s arc is a unique one, I feel that his motivations and opinions could be expressed through more subtle contextual details rather than direct exposition concerning his time’s standard ideologies.<br />
<br />
But <i>Silent Meridian</i>’s secret weapon lies in its most famous Victorian figure, for its representation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle reveals new facets about the writer that perhaps some Sherlockians have never taken into full consideration. In works of fiction and nonfiction, Conan Doyle’s embrace of Spiritualism in his later years has been either ignored or depicted with an air of disappointment. To this day, many find it difficult to admit that the man who created one of fiction’s most logical characters also believed in seances and fairies.<br />
<br />
Yet Elizabeth Crowens manages to wonderfully synchronize Conan Doyle’s rationality with his spirituality. In his fictional efforts to explore the paranormal with John Patrick Scott, he approaches the quest as a scientist does an experiment, conducting trials alongside Scott that help him validate his beliefs. Instead of being mocked for embracing the seemingly irrational, he is celebrated here for daring to embrace unknown possibilities, creating a unique duality of character that takes him beyond the stereotypes surrounding his activities in the realm of Spiritualism. <br />
<br />
For readers seeking a new twist on a well-known author, <i>Silent Meridian </i>should be an engaging and singular read that will challenge their perception of his place in the late Victorian era.<br />
<br />
<br />
Elizabeth Crowen’s <i>Silent Meridian</i> is out today and can be ordered from <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/silent-meridian-time-traveler-professor-book-1-elizabeth-crowens/1123705488?ean=9781780929774" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Silent-Meridian-Time-Traveler-Professor/dp/1780929773/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463289252&sr=8-1&keywords=silent+meridian" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, or <a href="http://www.mxpublishing.com/index.html" target="_blank">MX Publishing</a>. The official book launch/party/reading date will take place on June 8th, from 6:30-8:30 pm at New York City’s <a href="http://www.mysteriousbookshop.com/">The Mysterious Bookshop</a>.<br />
<br />
A "chat" for The Hour of the Wolf Radio Show on WBAI, hosted by Jim Freund, will be recorded at the event and an actor portraying Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (complete with costume, makeup and accent) will be reading Sir Arthur's lines of dialogue in the reading. Keeping with the Scottish theme, Walkers Shortbread will be sponsoring the event and providing biscuits. There will also be a raffle for a bottle of Scotch whisky.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />