Category: Mystery & Suspense

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Anthologies Books & Novels Fantasy, Horror, & Science Fiction Mystery & Suspense Sherlock Holmes-Related

THE IMPROBABLE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

SUMMARY:

Released in 2009 by Night Shade Books, editor/journalist John Joseph Adams (with help from David Barr Kirtley) assembled this 454-page paperback. 

Specifically, Adams complied twenty-eight original Sherlock Holmes short stories borrowed from various other anthologies (between 1987 and 2009), each by a different author.  Usually conveyed through Dr. Watson’s traditional point-of-view, these tales explore the iconic British sleuth in an array of genres including science fiction, horror, swashbuckling adventure, and mind-bending fantasy. 

Familiar names, including Irene Adler, Professor Moriarty, Colonel Sebastian Moran, H.G. Wells, and even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle will resurface.  Two very different interpretations of Holmes’ unexplained Friesland steamship case are explored.  The same also applies to Jack the Ripper.  Some literary team-ups and/or unusual crossovers are also among this anthology’s features.  Adams introduces each author, with an additional brief transition alluding to the story’s particular mechanism or inspiration.    

Notes: These tales are not presented in any chronological order.  This title is also available digitally and in an audiobook format.

  • “The Doctor’s Case” by Stephen King.  With Holmes now long dead, a ninety-year-old Dr. Watson divulges the one instance he unraveled a seemingly perfect crime before his best friend could.  The flashback shifts to a rainy London afternoon in 1899.  Scotland Yard’s Inspector Lestrade retrieves Holmes and Watson from 221b Baker Street to decipher a locked room enigma.  Earlier in the day, decrepit shipping tycoon Albert Hull was found stabbed to death in his study.  The baffling homicide’s prime suspects consist of three resentful adult sons and the victim’s abused wife.  With Holmes largely distracted by his allergic reaction to cats, Watson must step up his deductive game. 

Mini-Review # 1: Stephen King’s impressive writing style can’t hide this tale’s glaring implausibility.  Aside from a ‘shock value’ finish, King contrives that Lestrade (and, by extension, Holmes & Watson) would merely accept the Hull family’s witness statements at face value.  King ought to have conveyed that Lestrade’s hurried investigation included outside corroboration (and, accordingly, allow sufficient transition time — say, push back Holmes & Watson’s entrance from early afternoon to nightfall).  Such peripheral details would have surely boosted his tale’s credibility.  6/10 Stars.   

  • “The Horror of the Many Faces” by Tim Lebbon.  Come one dark London night, Dr. Watson is chilled to witness Holmes gleefully eviscerate an unknown victim in a secluded Baker Street alleyway.  Multiple horrific homicides committed the same way plague London over two nights where eyewitnesses observe different culprits each time.  It’s up to Watson to confront this insidious adversary, who resembles Holmes.  Troubling Watson is near certainty that his best friend has succumbed to a bloodthirsty, psychotic madness. 

Mini-Review # 2: This gory 2003 science fiction/horror ‘what if’ succeeds in the sense that there is no clear-cut finish, let alone any sense of triumph.  Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s works, Tim Lebbon concocts a ghoulish read where Holmes and Watson are seemingly outmatched at their most desperate hour.  Not for the squeamish, but this dark alternate reality is worth a read.  7½/10 Stars.    

Note: For some ‘comparison shopping,’ Geoffrey A. Landis’ “The Singular Habits of Wasps” also explores ghastly sci-fi terrain later in this anthology.

  • “The Case of the Bloodless Sock” by Anne Perry.  During Dr. Watson’s visit to the English countryside, his prosperous friend’s daughter is abducted two consecutive days.  The little girl is then returned home both times at midnight.  Her kidnapper’s taunting note compels the doctor to summon Holmes from London for urgent help.  Holmes concurs with Watson that Professor Moriarty is playing an ominous new game.  

Mini-Review # 3: Anne Perry comes the closest to recapturing the conventional style of a Holmes mystery Conan Doyle might have devised for the Strand Magazine.  Yet, her ‘how-dunnit’ tale ironically rates among this anthology’s dullest and most forgettable stories.  Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot short story, “The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly” comes to mind, comparatively speaking. 

Perry’s plotting, suffice to say, comes off as almost too imitative of Conan Doyle to make her own unique impression.  That’s why “Bloodless Sock” becomes a blur shortly upon reading far more daring competition by other authors in this collection.  5½/10 Stars.       

  • “The Adventure of The Other Detective” by Bradley H. Sinor.  Returning home one foggy London night, Dr. Watson inexplicably finds himself transported into an alternate reality where his own counterpart has been dead ten years.  Even more shocking is that Baker Street is home to England’s premier consulting detective: Professor James Moriarty. With Dr. Mary Morstan’s help, Watson and Moriarty must thwart a prison break scheme involving Jack the Ripper, Col. Sebastian Moran, and this world’s greatest criminal genius: Sherlock Holmes.  

Mini-Review # 4: Bradley H. Sinor concocts this anthology’s best and arguably most imaginative tale.  Though there are some violent sequences, Sinor doesn’t push actual gore simply because of Jack the Ripper’s presence.  Not only is every fantastic alternate world element well-played, but this story’s plot twists celebrate the unexpected.  Highly recommended!   9/10 Stars.       

Note: For an intriguing comparison, Neil Gaiman’s Lovecraft-influenced “A Study in Emerald” is another alternate reality re-imagining Holmes and Moriarty as perennial adversaries.

  • “A Scandal in Montreal” by Edward D. Hoch.  More than twenty years have elapsed since “A Scandal in Bohemia.”  With a visiting Dr. Watson back at his side, a retired Holmes is unexpectedly summoned from his Sussex bee farm to Montreal by an old acquaintance, now widowed.  Once in Canada, Holmes and Watson must seek out Irene Adler’s elusive college-age son, who has become the prime suspect in the homicide of a romantic rival. 

Mini-Review # 5: Edward D. Hoch’s contribution is among this anthology’s straightest arrows, in terms of storytelling.   Though a few surprises would have been appreciated, at least Hoch doesn’t resort to peddling the ‘long-lost son’ cliché one might expect.  Hoch’s down-to-earth Irene Adler enjoys a platonic friendship with Holmes that makes both of them come off as likably low-key in their middle age.  If anything, Hoch delivers a cozy whodunnit that Conan Doyle fans can appreciate for its faithful homage to the iconic characters.   6/10 Stars.   

  • “The Adventure of the Field Theorems” by Vonda N. McIntyre.  The latest celebrity client for Holmes and Dr. Watson is none other than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Though privately deriding Doyle’s gullibility for paranormal hoaxes, the Baker Street duo help the physician/author investigate unexplained crop circles found in the Surrey countryside.  Doyle, despite Holmes’ eye-rolling skepticism, is convinced that these otherworldly geometric patterns are the first step towards open communications with either ghosts or even possibly Martians.   

Mini-Review # 6: Loaded with trivial tidbits perusing Conan Doyle’s private interests in the paranormal, Vonda N. McIntyre’s caper has Holmes and his creator teaming up while matching wits.  With McIntyre’s take on Conan Doyle as essentially a naïve buffoon, it’s up to Holmes & Watson to surpass Robert Stack’s Unsolved Mysteries, as far as debunking bizarre crop circles and alien abductions.  One of the story’s best assets is playing up how, like Houdini, an indignant Holmes must defend his skills from ignorant public misassumptions that he is a supernatural phenomenon.     

As a loaded historical in-joke, “Field Theorems” is a delight to read.  Though this tale is hardly wacky, one practically wishes for a wink-wink cameo from Marvin the Martian.   8/10 Stars.   

  • “The Adventure of the Death-Fetch” by Darrell Schweitzer.  Confiding in a family friend’s college-age son, an elderly Dr. Watson reveals a secret case from decades ago that Holmes had vehemently demanded be suppressed from public knowledge.  Per Watson’s flashback, the daughter of a celebrated British explorer desperately seeks out Holmes for help. Hearing her father’s admission of his ominous Southern Asian jungle adventures, Holmes readily senses that evil is afoot.  Yet, the sleuth rejects the idea that a supernatural impersonator is stalking their client. With no time to lose, Holmes must contend with the reoccurrence of this sinister mirror image as the prelude to his client’s imminent and horrific death.   

Mini-Review # 7: While his story’s bookends to the flashback could have been better, Darrell Schweitzer is spot-on conveying a dose of grisly supernatural horror.  Including a gruesome nod to Indiana Jones, the “Death-Fetch” is one of this anthology’s nastiest yet best-devised entries.  8/10 Stars.   

  • “The Shocking Affair of the Dutch Steamship Friesland” by Mary Robinette Kowal.  As told in private correspondence written forty years later, Holmes and Dr. Watson fatefully meet a fellow steamship passenger: a distressed young bride prior to her arranged marriage.  She may be the key to unlocking the sinister truth behind an Italian political couple’s assassination.     

Mini-Review # 8: While Mary Robinette Kowal’s dark tale of political intrigue is kept short, her characters are effectively characterized.  This story is worthy of inclusion in this anthology.   6½/10 Stars.       

  • “The Adventure of the Mummy’s Curse” by H. Paul Jeffers. Holmes, on Watson’s behalf, probes a supposed deadly curse on an Egyptian archaeological expedition that has recently impacted one of the doctor’s old Army buddies. 

Mini-Review # 9: Reminiscent of Hercule Poirot’s case, “The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb” (but not nearly as icky), H. Paul Jeffers teases a supernatural whodunnit.  Yet, its subsequent blandness gives way to a far more conventional and tidy Conan Doyle finish.  Though this tale is worth a read, it’s definitely middle-of-the-pack material.   6/10 Stars.   

  • “The Things That Shall Come Upon Them” by Barbara Roden.  Hired by one half of a married English couple to de-haunt their new home’s study, Holmes and Dr. Watson meet a more unconventional sleuth: Flaxman Low.  Far more experienced with psychic phenomenon, Low, as it turns out, was hired by the couple’s other half for the very same reason.  Despite contrasting viewpoints on the supernatural, these three detectives probe the ominous secret left behind by the estate’s wicked prior owner.  Note: According to the introduction, Conan Doyle was evidently real-life friends with Low’s co-creator: Hesketh Hesketh-Prichard.    

Mini-Review # 10: Pairing an ever-skeptical Holmes with the world’s first fictional occult detective, Low, is Barbara Roden’s ingenious stroke.  Leaving readers to make their own conclusions (still, it’s fairly obvious which way one is supposed to tilt), Roden concocts an effective team-up.  In particular, the British gentlemanly bond established between Low and the Baker Street duo makes for a satisfying read.   8/10 Stars.       

  • “Murder to Music” by Anthony Burgess.  Eyewitnesses Holmes and Dr. Watson probe two homicides amidst the startling assassination of a Spanish classical musician inside a London concert hall.  With high-profile Spanish royalty in London for a high-profile visit, Holmes senses there may be more mayhem in this case still to come.  Meanwhile, Watson repeatedly helps a baffled colleague by consulting on a case where the patient is shifting from one bizarre foreign disease to the next.   

Mini-Review # 11: Suffice to say, it’s a blah and unsatisfying read, including some undercurrents of racism.  Had this 1989 Anthony Burgess tale been penned fifty years before and sufficiently tweaked, its premise would have been ideal for one of Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce’s wartime Sherlock Holmes radio dramas.  Otherwise, this political whodunnit is skippable.   4/10 Stars.       

  • “The Adventure of the Inertial Adjustor” by Stephen Baxter. A young H.G. Wells convinces Holmes and Dr. Watson to help him probe a scientist friend’s recent demise, as the journalist/author suspects foul play. Specifically, the controversial pioneer had been conducting experimental studies of gravity and electricity to accelerate his dream of space travel.  Investigating the grisly incident, Wells, Holmes, and Watson find that two suspects provide similarly tragic eyewitness accounts. Yet, the truth is hidden somewhere within their startlingly different conclusions.    

Mini-Review # 12: Though its scientific jargon is a bit cumbersome, Stephen Baxter’s whodunnit makes for a good historical fiction read.  Baxter’s story doesn’t overtly criticize the decedent’s animal cruelty, but some readers might cringe at the torturous outcome of his scientific research techniques on animal test subjects.  Still, had this 1997 tale existed a half-century before, it could have been an ideal mystery for a Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce radio drama.   7/10 Stars. 

  • “Mrs. Hudson’s Case” by Laurie R. King.  Would the ever-loyal Mrs. Hudson dare to pull a fast one on her most famous lodger?  With a retired Holmes away assisting international authorities search for two missing children, his college-age apprentice, Mary Russell, intends to find out what the landlady is hiding from them.

Mini-Review #13: Given its charm, Laurie R. King’s cozy caper effectively advertises her own Mary Russell mystery series.  Ms. King’s down-to-earth trifle makes a welcome respite from some of the utterly malevolent plots found elsewhere in this anthology.  6½/10 Stars.               

  • “The Singular Habits of Wasps” by Geoffrey A. Landis. Holmes’ series of unexplained nocturnal absences eerily coincide with Jack the Ripper’s sadistic murder spree in Whitechapel.  A horrified Dr. Watson suspects that Holmes is suffering a psychotic Jekyll-and-Hyde-like split-personality where his friend is both the detective and, unknowingly, the monstrous culprit.  Watson risks his life to find the truth, but an even more ghastly possibility awaits him after dark in Whitechapel.     

Mini-Review # 14: Given their morbid plot similarities, one might assume this sci-fi take on Jack the Ripper is a variation of Tim Lebbon’s “The Horror of Many Faces.”  Yet, Adams gives no indication that these alternate reality tales are deliberately connected.  Devised nearly a decade earlier, Geoffrey A. Landis’ 1994 tale goes even further probing certain horrific aspects that Lebbon’s thriller only alludes to.  As far as macabre storytelling is concerned, Landis imaginatively melds elements of John Carpenter’s The Thing, Men in Black, and Alien into a strange alternative explanation of Jack the Ripper. 

This Landis story, in spite of its shock value details, delivers a spine-tingling read.  Diminishing this story, however, is an instance of Holmes making a vastly condescending racist slur comparing native Africans to modern English civilization.  While Holmes’ context is meant to compare a primitive Earth to far more advanced alien worlds, having him resort to such derogatory phrasing is unnecessary and irrelevant to the plot. 7/10 Stars.   Note: H.G. Wells makes an off-screen cameo appearance.

  • “The Affair of the 46th Birthday” by Amy Myers.  Once more, in flashback, Dr. Watson reveals an international incident from a decade before.  In this instance, Holmes must thwart an ingeniously-devised assassination attempt on the King of Italy during a diplomatic dinner held in the English countryside. 

Mini-Review # 15: This Amy Myers thriller blends historical fiction and political intrigue unto a quick literary cocktail.  Reminiscent of Hercule Poirot-style short stories, there are some inevitable contrivances, but the mystery is still a good read.  “46th Birthday,” in that sense, is of near-equal caliber to Mary Robinette Kowal’s “The Shocking Affair of the Dutch Steamship Friesland” in this same anthology.    6/10 Stars.

  • “The Specter of Tullyfane Abbey” by Peter Tremayne.  Over drinks one night at their Baker Street lodgings, a melancholic Holmes entrusts Watson with a confession of his greatest failure.  In a flashback to Holmes’ college days, his ghost story involves a fateful love triangle, an unsolved disappearance, and the then-amateur detective’s first encounter with one Professor James Moriarty. 

Mini-Review # 16: Peter Tremayne’s retroactive alterations to Holmes’ origin might be condemned by Conan Doyle purists, if only for continuity’s sake.  Still, this gothic whodunnit explores the aloof shrewdness in the sleuth’s classic persona.  One might even consider the tale reminiscent of Casino Royale, as to that plot’s fateful impact on James Bond.  Though many of Tremayne’s plot twists are grimly predictable, he concocts a pitch-black mystery worthy of inclusion.  7/10 Stars.    

“The Vale of the White Horse” by Sharyn McCrumb.  A British aristocrat and his fiancée hire Holmes and Dr. Watson to investigate the murder of his physician brother in the rural English countryside.  The corpse had been found under a crimson cloak on a prehistoric chalked landmark dubbed ‘The White Horse’ atop a secluded hill.  Probing their clients’ family history, Holmes & Watson sense the vexing truth may be hidden closer to home.  Aided by an insightful eyewitness, the elderly Grisel Rountree, Holmes must decipher the decedent’s enigmatic last words to unmask the culprit.   

Mini-Review # 17: Though Sharyn McCrumb telegraphs the plot’s pivotal twist far too much, her story’s interpretation of transgenderism in Victorian England is intriguing. “White Horse” offers a gothic mystery with possibly supernatural undertones making it a solid read.   7/10 Stars. 

“The Adventure of the Dorset Street Lodger” by Michael Moorcock.  Due to necessary renovations to their Baker Street lodgings, Holmes and Dr. Watson must temporarily relocate to another boarding house. Once there, Holmes and Dr. Watson offer to help a visiting American businessman collect an unexpected family legacy.  Yet, the case soon becomes dangerously complicated.

Mini-Review # 18: As with Anne Perry’s “Bloodless Sock,” Michael Moorcock does justice to this homage to Conan Doyle’s style of storytelling.  Yet, there isn’t anything particularly remarkable about “Dorset Street Lodger,” as far as its blend of adventure and mystery. The lengthy plot also could have been tightened to make for a more efficient mystery. 6/10 Stars.

“The Adventure of the Lost World” by Dominic Green.  It’s a sequel of sorts to Conan Doyle’s 1912 science fiction novel, The Lost World.  In the autumn of 1918, Holmes and a skeptical Dr. Watson must pursue a horrific serial killer of London’s street trombonists.  What baffles Watson is that his best friend contends that their massive and evidently reptilian quarry belongs to a long-extinct breed of dinosaur.   

Mini-Review # 19: Undoubtedly, Dominic Green’s crossover between Conan Doyle’s two greatest literary accomplishments sounds like an intriguing sci-fi premise.  The end result of having senior citizens Holmes & Watson play amateur dinosaur hunters, however, is very much a wonky read (as one might imagine).  Even the opening segment of an undercover Holmes recruiting Watson’s help is too unbelievable for its own good.  Green at least offers some makeshift Jurassic Park-style fun, no matter how many eyes will be invariably rolling.   5½/10 Stars.              

  • “The Adventure of the Antiquarian’s Niece” by Barbara Hambly.  At the behest of a wealthy American suitor, Holmes and Dr. Watson agree to help extract his would-be fiancée from her evil British relatives.  The Baker Street duo must first enlist an ally: William Hope Hodgson’s British occult detective, Thomas Carnacki (simply called ‘Carnaki’ here) before they confront a centuries-old supernatural cult out of the works of H.P. Lovecraft.  Even Holmes and Carnaki’s formidable sleuthing might not come in time to save a captive Watson from a human monster specializing in ritual sacrifices.  

Mini-Review # 20: As strange as her plot’s supernatural hokum is, Barbara Hambly’s storytelling admirably sells it to readers.  A considerable grain of salt one must swallow, however, is accepting this Holmes’ lack of skepticism towards dark occult powers and what tactics must be subsequently deployed. 

For instance, the Holmes appearing in either Barbara Roden’s “The Thing That Shall Come Upon Them” or Peter Tremayne’s “The Specter of Tullyfane Abbey” is more aligned with Conan Doyle’s original Holmes, as to the sleuth’s disbelief in occult matters.  Still, for fantasy/horror fans, this Holmes & Watson/Carnacki team-up is hard to pass up.   8/10 Stars.        

  • “Dynamics of a Hanging” by Tony Pi.  Months after Holmes and Professor Moriarty had evidently perished at Reichenbach Falls, Dr. Watson is contacted by Reverend Charles Dodgson (aka author Lewis Carroll).  The two of them attempt to decode one of the late Moriarty’s notebooks to find definitive evidence of his criminal activities.  Mostly told by Dodgson in flashback, he and his then-academic associate, Moriarty, had teamed years ago to probe the suspicious death of the professor’s new protégé.  Carroll is now determined to finally verify the chilling truth behind what (or perhaps whom) killed a promising medical student by the name of Arthur Conan Doyle.

Mini-Review # 21: Though Holmes’ presence is confined to inspiring Watson’s deductive logic, this Tony Pi mystery is both a mathematical code-breaking puzzle and a nifty whodunnit.  Pi devises a neat idea to have Lewis Carroll (and, to a degree, Moriarty) fill in for Holmes, but Watson’s minor yet pivotal role is a boon to the iconic sidekick.   7/10 Stars.     

  • “Merridew of Abominable Memory” by Chris Roberson.  Residing in a sanitarium to seek treatment for his present-day memory loss, an elderly Dr. Watson relays a spine-chilling flashback to his therapist.  It involves a Jack the Ripper-like monster, a series of baffling financial thefts, and a man of utterly impeccable memory.  Hired by a businessman expecting to be the thief’s next target, Holmes & Watson must simultaneously hunt a bloodthirsty serial killer.     

Mini-Review # 22: While Chris Roberson devises a unique title character, his mystery’s plot twists become increasingly contrived to make all of its puzzle pieces fit together – too perfectly.  Further, among this anthology’s grisly mysteries, “Merridew” arguably packs the most stomach-churning imagery.  It overwhelms (and frankly squanders) the tale’s thoughtful bookends contemplating dementia vs. the sheer power of human memory. 

Roberson’s story, for the sake of good taste, unfortunately, isn’t one to recommend to others.    3/10 Stars.       

  • “Commonplaces” by Naomi Novik.  After receiving news of Holmes’ demise at Reichenbach Falls, a now-married Irene Adler Norton restlessly departs for Paris to find herself again.  Awaiting her is a forbidden love affair with a lonely man she instinctively knows is still alive in more than just her heart.

Mini-Review # 23: Naomi Novik’s speculation as to why an undercover Holmes chose not to tell Dr. Watson that he had faked his death will raise some eyebrows.  Further, her tale’s romantic poignancy echoes shades of the 1970 film, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, regarding what complex sexual undercurrents motivate Holmes. 

If anything, “Commonplaces” presents an instance of sophisticated Sherlockian storytelling where the lingering mystery doesn’t involve crime, except perhaps for adultery.  Standing out most in Novik’s romance (it’s the anthology’s shortest inclusion) is that this Holmes isn’t the only one who can make ingenious deductions anticipating another’s shadowy moves.  8/10 Stars.       

  • “The Adventure of the Pirates of Devil’s Cape” by Rob Rogers.  Holmes, Dr. Watson, and Inspector Lestrade probe an ultra-grisly massacre by pirates aboard the Dutch steamship, Friesland.  Seeking the whereabouts of missing twin brothers, Holmes and Watson subsequently venture to New Orleans for a showdown with the world’s deadliest cutthroat and his mercenary crew of thugs.    

Mini-Review # 24: Crossing over from his Devil’s Cape saga, Rogers conjures up a mostly solid mystery-adventure caper highlighted by the action of an extensive shootout/swordfight.  Apart from excessively gory shipboard inferences, the other caveat is a ridiculous Lestrade plot twist.  Rogers deploys a similar contrivance to one of his own characters (that works fine), but to also supply Lestrade a convenient American cousin in the Louisiana Bayous pushes the ‘distant relative’ gimmick too far. 

Otherwise, Rogers delivers this anthology’s best combination of action-adventure, suspense, and originality.  8/10 Stars.          

  • “The Adventure of the Green Skull” by Mark Valentine.  The Baker Street duo’s new adversary is a hooded serial killer, who is purportedly a phantom with a glowing green skull stalking victims after nightfall.  Reminiscent of sensationalistic pulp stories, the villain’s calling card is leaving a match in each victim’s hand.  Yet, all isn’t what it seems.  

Mini-Review # 25: Adams’ introduction to Mark Valentine’s story frankly spoils the culprit’s motive.  Further, Valentine doesn’t elaborate enough as to how Holmes deduces where to conduct a fateful stakeout, either.  Despite this structural flaw, the “Green Skull” mystery makes for a relatively good read.   6/10 Stars.

  • “The Human Mystery” by Tanith Lee.  Holmes takes on the enigmatic case of a lonely heiress, who is desperate to break a family curse that may kill her during the Christmas holidays.  Yet, is there an ulterior motive in play that blindsides even Holmes?

Mini-Review # 26: Tanith Lee’s tale proving that an ever-gallant Holmes can be humiliated into a seething rage makes for an intriguing notion.  Even this story isn’t a must-read, it effectively explores whether Holmes’ misogynistic nature can be exploited, let alone be potentially seduced, by someone other than Irene Adler.   7/10 Stars.    

Notes: Lee dedicated this tale to actor Jeremy Brett’s memory.  Per artist David Palumbo, Brett’s Sherlock Holmes likeness appears on this anthology’s front cover.

  • “A Study in Emerald” by Neil Gaiman.  In an alternate universe where H.P. Lovecraft’s demonic creations have long ruled the world, “A Study in Scarlet” is darkly re-imagined. 

Mini-Review # 27: Though mostly retelling a familiar mystery, Neil Gaiman cleverly flips the script on readers.  There are sufficient hints to deduce Gaiman’s enigmatic sleuth before the end, but his best twist is saved for last.  It’s the equivalent of experiencing the story through the eyes of whom you assume the narrator is … that is, until a mirror (or, in this instance, a letter) reveals a twist finish.  Hence, Gaiman’s story could make for an intriguing live-action film.   8/10 Stars. 

Note: For some comparison shopping, one might read this one before or after Bradley H. Sinor’s “The Adventure of The Other Detective.” 

  • “You See But You Do Not Observe” by Robert J. Sawyer.  In 2096, an enigmatic scientist with an eerily familiar name abducts Holmes and Dr. Watson out of time from 1899 to join him in the late 21st Century.  He subsequently assigns the world’s greatest sleuth perhaps the ultimate mission: to determine why Earth hasn’t been contacted by aliens.  The elusive answer makes a fateful impact on Holmes and Watson: past, present, and future.       

Mini-Review # 28: It’s like reading a Sherlock Holmes mystery, as if were written by H.G. Wells.   In spite of this intriguing scenario, Robert J. Sawyer’s convoluted storytelling sabotages itself in order to set up a fitting conclusion.  Along with virtual reality technology far more akin to Star Trek: The Next Generation, this story’s time travel paradoxes will likely bewilder some readers.  And perhaps the less said about its preposterously thin line connecting reality to fiction (i.e. Watson as an unacknowledged Conan Doyle’s proxy) the better.         

Sawyer, in that sense, has concocted a sci-fi homage to Conan Doyle’s lasting resentment over reviving Holmes to merely placate immense public demand.  Though this story’s end packs a wistful tinge, the plot becomes too mind-bending (and self-serving) to make for a satisfying read.  5½/10 Stars.  

RECOMMENDATION:

For Conan Doyle afficionados, this anthology is either a mixed bag or a veritable treasure trove.  Regardless, in terms of its sheer quantity, readers most definitely get their money’s worth. 

Some tales supply innocuous sequels (i.e. “A Scandal in Montreal”) or offer speculations as to Sherlockian mysteries that Conan Doyle had merely teased.  Though most of these stories imitate his narrative style, the ones that may grab a reader’s imagination are ones taking worthwhile risks.  The flip side is an excess of déjà vu: certain themes (i.e. supernatural gore, international politics, etc.) reoccur making one inevitably compare authors, as to whom presents the better read.         

The pertinent question becomes: how far can one really stray from traditional Sherlockian storytelling before audiences hit their limit?  In several instances, shifting Holmes and Watson to different locales and sometimes far-off genres carries a timeless and strangely satisfying appeal.  Such results (at least, when taken in small doses) will make an intriguing experience for adult armchair sleuths. 

Among these twenty-eight tales, there are some dynamite must-reads (i.e. “The Adventure of The Other Detective”).  With thankfully few exceptions, the remainder aren’t anywhere close to dreadful.  However, two of them should be identified, if only as a heads-up.  Though several tales resort to potentially offensive gore, “Merridew of Abominable Memory,” presents an implausible flashback too flawed to justify its repulsively wicked details.  Artistically condescending, “Murder to Music” is another misadventure where readers will likely find themselves wishing they were somewhere else than with Holmes and Watson.   

Considering the impressive ratio of good-to-bad, credit must go to John Joseph Adams for assembling a welcome variety.  For casual readers, this literary experiment-by-committee is indeed worth perusing, though it’s not necessarily a keeper.  Perhaps a library rental makes the most practical sense.  If anything, one may be compelled to rediscover Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original literary magic.         

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

After the table of contents, Adams’ introduction is followed by another: Christopher Roden’s “A Sherlockiana Primer” to further whet readers’ appetites.  Afterwards, Adams provides his acknowledgements.  More insightful is the bibliography revealing each story’s original anthology source.  The last entry is Adams’ single-page biography.     

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                            7 Stars

Categories
Agatha Christie-Related Books & Novels Mystery & Suspense

HERCULE POIROT: THE PATRIOTIC MURDERS (aka ONE, TWO, BUCKLE MY SHOE)

Written by Agatha Christie

SUMMARY:

Per its original title, One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, this Hercule Poirot murder-mystery by Agatha Christie was first published in the United Kingdom in 1940.  Retitled overseas for American audiences as The Patriotic Murders, it was subsequently released in the U.S. the following year.  This 228-page Berkley paperback reprint was distributed in 1984.

In London (the exact year is indeterminate), Hercule Poirot’s mid-morning dental appointment with the respectable Dr. Henry Morley occurs as expected.  Yet, within two hours, Morley is shockingly found dead by gunshot in his private office. 

Later that same day, one of Morley’s other patients is also discovered dead from an evidently accidental yet lethal injection of dental anesthetic.  Inspector Japp and Scotland Yard are left to conclude that Morley chose to rashly commit suicide out of intense guilt, but Poirot isn’t convinced.  Too many prospective witnesses were present, not to mention too few other indications, to corroborate Morley’s fatal mistake. 

Soon afterward, yet another of Morley’s patients from that day vanishes upon leaving her hotel without a trace.  Unable to locate the elusive Miss Sainsbury Seale, even Japp must begrudgingly acknowledge that all may not be what it seems.  The confounded Belgian sleuth, meanwhile, ponders how these ominous events are linked to multiple assassination attempts on a fourth Morley patient: the wealthy and illustrious Alistair Blunt.

As England’s most influential banker and the symbolic crux of its old-school economic system, Blunt has a whole slew of potential enemies lurking out there.  Including his own niece’s potential fiancé, few, if any, would likely have any qualms seeing the banker eliminated to herald the United Kingdom entering a new financial age. 

A curious Blunt also wants the truth behind Morley’s inexplicable death exposed.  Hence, he quietly recruits Poirot to navigate a shadowy conspiracy scheme against Blunt entangled by impersonation, espionage, extortion, and England’s increasingly quarrelsome conservative and liberal factions.  Treating a familiar nursery rhyme more like a riddle, the legendary Belgian sleuth must persevere, if he is to unravel one of the most baffling whodunnits of his career.   

Notes: One, Two, Buckle My Shoe is accessible in multiple formats, including digitally. Its second alternate title is An Overdose of Death. Regarding this book’s gimmickry, ten lengthy chapters are divided into and titled as verses of the traditional nursery rhyme.  For no apparent reason, this mystery is Inspector Japp’s final appearance in a Poirot novel.  The 1992 televised feature-length adaptation is Poirot: Season 4, Episode 3, including Doctor Who’s Christopher Eccleston among its guest stars.

REVIEW:

As compared to iconic Hercule Poirot mysteries in Agatha Christie’s formidable repertoire, The Patriotic Murders is a middling entry.  Unlike some other disappointing Poirot whodunnits (i.e. The Hollow; Elephants Can Remember; There is a Tide …, etc.), it isn’t necessarily boredom or even exceedingly bad taste (as in the instance of Hallowe’een Party) stalking readers in The Patriotic Murders.  Rather, it is Christie’s outlandish plotting that ruins the novel’s otherwise intriguing premise.   

Intermingling her political and economic commentaries with the plot, Christie’s storytelling (including tidbits of humor) holds up well at least pass the mystery’s halfway point.  Unfortunately, that’s when a series of sinister twists start converging at a rapid pace leaving Blunt to wryly assess that Poirot’s series of conjectures sound too far-fetched.  Such skepticism is all too ironic projection upon Christie’s audience. 

Despite some initially reliable entertainment value, this Poirot caper relies upon too much eye-rolling contrivance to finally link all of its ‘big reveal’ details together.  The Patriotic Murders makes for a decent read for those preferring tidy, cookie-cutter solutions, no matter the lack of plausible loose ends.  For all others, the novel is readily forgettable afterwards.   

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

A table of contents is provided.  The nursey rhyme’s traditional lyrics are presented prior to the novel’s first chapter. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                         5 Stars

Categories
Agatha Christie-Related Books & Novels General Fiction Mystery & Suspense

THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB – BOOK # 1

Written by Richard Osman

SUMMARY:

In 2020-21, Penguin Books released this 374-page paperback in Great Britain and the United States.   As British game show host and comedy writer Richard Osman’s debut novel, this mystery caper’s success has precipitated at least three sequels and possibly a future film adaptation.

In the secluded, present-day English countryside, Coopers Chase Retirement Village is a posh, inclusive community developed on property previously owned by the Catholic Church.  Among its elderly British retirees are: Ibrahim – a mostly retired psychiatrist; Joyce – a doting ER nurse and mother, who is likely the friendliest neighbor any of them have; Ron Ritchie – an outspoken and hard-nosed, social activist; and their informal leader, ex-spy Elizabeth – a former MI-5 (or MI-6) operative.  Of them, Elizabeth is the only one who isn’t widowed, but she is caring for her husband’s evident dementia. 

Setting up a weekly meeting, the quartet selects and, as a matter of keeping their minds active, reviews cold case murders.  Inspired by her comatose friend, Penny, who had been a stalwart police detective, Elizabeth shifts the group’s attention to its next project: probing the brutal homicide of the village’s building contractor, whose shady past evidently dates back at least thiry years. 

Reluctantly helping the Club seek out likely suspects are the local police: new detective Donna De Freitas and her simmering boss, Chris Hudson.  Even before one homicide can be resolved, another occurs involving Cooper Chase’s scheming developer, who has a mile-long list of potentially seething enemies.

With one, if not possibly two or more killers, on the loose, the Club’s investigation is further complicated by a grisly discovery in the cemetery adjacent to the community.  It’s up to an ever-resourceful Elizabeth and her friends to now snare an elusive culprit, who may be far closer to home than they dare realize.      

Note: This title is also available digitally and as an audiobook.

REVIEW:

The low-key, tongue-in-cheek humor lurking in some of Agatha Christie’s lesser-known works (i.e. The Man in the Brown Suit; The Seven Dials Mystery, etc.) comes to mind reading The Thursday Murder Club.  Part of this resemblance comes from Richard Osman’s inclusion of Joyce’s ‘diary entries.’

These brief shifts of narrative from third-person to first-person makes an insightful change of pace.  Exploring easygoing Joyce’s point-of-view over, say, the more dominant Elizabeth (it’s easy to visualize Judi Dench playing this role) is a smart move, as Joyce is the Club’s most down-to-earth participant. 

More so, it contributes to a welcome creative vibe reminiscent of a percolating tea kettle.  If one stays patient, Osman’s creative steam subsequently delivers the necessary goods at the right moments.  Such compensation more than makes up for the first several pages introducing the Club, which are comparatively dry. 

There’s decent odds that some readers, at the get-go, might be turned off (or simply bored) by the quartet’s casual pleasure discussing a young woman’s unresolved homicide.  Still, after that juncture, Osman’s clever storytelling picks up momentum, as plot twists and additional mini-mysteries contribute to an intriguing read where not everyone is really whom they seem.      

Deploying an unusual third-person omniscient present-tense, Osman’s quirky debut novel is a triumph for the British cozy mystery genre.  Playing off the genre’s reliance upon contrivance and outright implausibility, Osman still concocts a whodunnit gem more sophisticated than most amateur sleuth cookie-cutter formulas.

Given this book’s cast, there is at least half-dozen ongoing plot threads to keep track of (Osman makes it easy enough), so readers will left guessing as to which ones are foreshadowing and what others may prove red herrings. A leisurely surplus of character depth, in that sense, co-mingles with witty humor and poignancy to convey Osman’s well-played nods to the 21st Century’s generational gaps. 

The mystery’s final stretch, accordingly, delivers a satisfying, multi-layered resolution where not all loose ends are tied up, but most everything now makes sense.  Suffice to say, The Thursday Murder Club conjures up an original assortment of sleuths that readers will enjoy solving multiple homicides with.       

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

Osman’s paragraph-length bio is included, along with his acknowledgements section.  He also introduces an outtake scene, from Joyce’s point-of-view.  There’s a six-page sample of the franchise’s second installment: The Man Who Died Twice.  A brief interview with Osman reveals the real-life inspiration for the novel.  Lastly, “A Penguin Readers Guide” is a helpful reference for setting up book club discussions.

Note: “The Readers Guide” has one typo referencing Donna’s off-the-record contacts with the Club.  It’s Elizabeth (not Joyce) who regularly communicates back and forth with 26-year-old Donna – as if she’s her surrogate great-aunt.          

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                       9 Stars

Categories
Agatha Christie-Related Digital Movies & TV Movies & Television (Videos) Online Videos TV Episodes & Movies TV Series TV Series (Specific Episodes)

MATT HOUSTON: WHOSE PARTY IS IT ANYWAY? (Season 1: Episode 14)

SUMMARY:                       RUNNING TIME: 49:11 Min.

First airing on ABC-TV on January 23, 1983, Cliff Bole directed this mid-season episode off Larry Forrester’s script. The TV series’ flashy premise depicts the 30-ish, mustachioed Matt Houston (Horsley) as the son of a wealthy Texas oil tycoon. Loosely supervising his family’s vast business holdings from Los Angeles, the ruggedly suave Houston, otherwise, spends his free time as a freelance private investigator.

In this instance, per an unexpected telegram from his boss, Houston’s chief assistant, Murray (Wyner), has hurriedly prepped a posh cocktail party. The party is to be held at the Houston Building’s L.A. penthouse suite on a Sunday night. 

The esteemed guests consist of a top-caliber electronics genius (Brophy); an Indian Maharaja; a wealthy British aristocratic couple (Rush & Mulhare); and a high-profile actress/racecar driver (Stevens).  They are, of course, all expecting to commence lucrative business with Houston, Inc. Arriving last by helicopter, Houston and his attorney, C.J. (Hensley), are under the impression that Murray has summoned them for evening cocktails with the U.S. Vice President. 

Comparing fake telegrams, Houston, C.J., Murray, and their guests quickly realize that they have been collectively duped.  Worse yet, Houston’s penthouse suite has now been electronically sealed off, with all communications disabled.  Even the helicopter and C.J.’s reliable computer system have been cleverly booby-trapped. 

As their unknown captor taunts them with enigmatic video clues, Houston figures that someone among them must be the culprit.  Evidently targeted for vengeance, one suspect after another meets sudden death.  Given the ongoing hints, Houston must decipher the mystery re: what common denominator from five years ago links them all together.

Note: Late in the story, Houston recalls a past airport read that vaguely resembles Agatha Christie’s suspense novel, And Then There Were None.  Still, a specific plot twist he mentions off-hand – the order of victims among which the culprit pretends to be dead – implies that Houston had merely read somebody else’s copycat version.   

Meanwhile, at his young son’s First Communion party, LAPD Lt. Vince Novelli (Aprea) and Houston’s Texan buddies (Brinegar & Fimple) are increasingly concerned over Houston’s no-show.  Houston thinks a worried Novelli will be his much-needed back-up plan, but it might not work out that way.

Matt Houston: Lee Horsley

C.J. Parsons: Pamela Hensley

Lt. Vince Novelli: John Aprea

Murray Chase: George Wyner (a recurring series guest star before becoming a regular cast member)

Bo: Dennis Fimple

Lamar Pettybone: Paul Brinegar

Mama Rosa Novelli: Penny Santon

Joey Novelli: R.J. Williams

Maureen (Murray’s assistant): Megan Dunphy

Pam (Murray’s assistant): Cis Rundle

Durwin Dunlap: Kevin Brophy

Clover McKenna: Stella Stevens

Lady Celeste Abercrombie: Barbara Rush

(Brigadier) Sir James Malcolm Abercrombie: Knight Rider’s Edward Mulhare

Carl (LAPD officer): Richard Pierson

Maharaja: Uncredited

Brogan: Brett Halsey

Communion party guests: Uncredited

Additional Extras (in video news clips): Uncredited.

Trivia Note: After his Robert Urich-headlining Vega$ TV series was canceled in 1981, producers Aaron Spelling & Pamela Hensley’s husband, E. Duke Vincent, opted to replace Urich’s Dan Tanna a year later with another prime-time private detective: Lee Horsley’s Matt Houston. Just like Vega$, Matt Houston ran three seasons on ABC-TV prior to its own cancellation.

REVIEW:

What had once been legitimate shock value for mystery fans forty years before is crassly reduced by Matt Houston to pure ‘shlock value.’ If one has already surmised that the ridiculous script is a hackneyed (and unacknowledged) rip-off of Agatha Christie’s iconic And Then There Were None, then this episode’s silly plot twists won’t be much of a surprise. Yet, between a young Lee Horsley’s machismo – think early 80’s Tom Selleck, Texas-style (as opposed to acting talent) and a decent ensemble cast, this middling caper isn’t all half-bad.

Its major fault is that the clichéd premise is far too contrived in its execution – pardon the expression.  For instance, even the world’s greatest electronics/munitions expert (in 1983, no less) couldn’t possibly have rigged so many death trap gizmos, video displays, etc. in a mere afternoon undetected, at least, not single-handedly. Furthering such implausibility, one will be annoyed by a recurring electronic sound effect evidently recycled from 60’s-70’s cheapo sci-fi TV – supposedly, it’s the villain’s super-computer preparing for more deadly fun and games. 

Second, aside from astounding luck, two of the script’s ‘homicides’ would be impossible to pull off, in terms of timing and/or accuracy.  The less the said of one expendable character’s miraculous point-blank stabbing by a saber that just been discarded on the floor several feet away moments earlier the better.

A third (it’s cheap plot filler) is a laughably excessive catfight/fistfight between Stella Stevens’ and Barbara Rush’s stunt doubles.  Once finally depicting the actual actresses again, their immaculate hairdos, expensive dresses, and make-up appear barely disheveled.  The list of ridiculous plot holes could go on, but this mystery’s biggest wince belongs to Houston’s ultra-convenient recollection finally recognizing the players’ common link. There’s really no logic to his sudden deduction, given how often the wealthy Houston has claimed he’s baffled by their common enemy’s elusive identity. 

Ultimately, the sole asset of this dubious episode is still worth consideration. In spite of such a cliché-fest posing as a script, some credit goes to an entertaining cast, who even deliver a few comedy relief gags.  Viewers, in that sense, aren’t likely to fall asleep during this cheesy whodunnit. As a matter of practicality, though, the number of times one’s eyes will be rolling ought to provide sufficient exercise.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                   3 Stars

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Categories
Books & Novels Humor (Books) Mystery & Suspense

JAINE AUSTEN: THE PMS MURDER

Written by Laura Levine

SUMMARY:

First released in 2006 by Kensington Books, 2007’s 270-page paperback edition presents Laura Levine’s fifth Jaine Austen cozy mystery.  Living carefree outside Hollywood, CA, under-employed freelance writer Jaine Austen has mixed feelings about her best friend Kandi’s impending nuptials. There is celebrating finally lucky-in-love Kandi’s happiness, of course, but the flip side is her pushy fiancé, Steve, … and those eyesore bridesmaids’ dresses in a nauseating shade of baby pink. 

The day hasn’t gone much better between an unsuccessful bathing suit shopping excursion and feuding with her stubborn housecat, Prozac. She can also add another round of fending off unwanted flirting by one of her writing students at a local retirement facility. Not to mention, Jaine’s happily retired parents in Florida are keeping her posted on Dad’s latest misadventure: targeting a new neighbor he suspects is a fugitive serial killer he saw on America’s Most Wanted.

The good news is that Jaine makes a new friend: actress/waitress Pam Kenton.  Invited by Pam to join an informal ladies’ support group, the PMS Club is really a weekly excuse to unwind over homemade guacamole and margaritas.  Mingling with mostly other divorcées, like herself, Jaine lets the good times roll at hostess Rochelle Meyers’ upscale home.

Soon after fellow PMS-er Marybeth stupidly reveals an ongoing extramarital affair with Rochelle’s dentist husband, she expires from a fatal dose of poisoned guacamole.  Suspicious eyes instantly squint towards both Rochelle and her adulterous spouse, but the police deem everyone present a suspect – including Jaine. Being publicly implicated in a homicide case certainly doesn’t bode well, if she intends to land a gig as a high-profile bank’s newsletter editor … let alone any romantic chance with the hunky executive she hopes will be supervising her.

If only to save her own skin, not to mention a well-paying job, it’s up to this amateur sleuth to probe her new acquaintances and all their collective gripes against the victim to help snare a killer.  That is, if this elusive killer doesn’t snare Jaine first.    

Note: Unlike the cover, the interior pages pluralize the title as The PMS Murders. 

REVIEW:

As far as acerbic snark goes, novelist/TV sitcom screenwriter Laura Levine concocts a LOL cozy whodunnit.  Still, there is one looming issue of preference; it’s the literary equivalent of whether readers prefer light mayo on their sub sandwiches or just smothering the mayo.  Though consistently entertaining, Levine’s cynical humor unmistakably projects the latter. 

Short of a TV laugh track, one will likely wonder if Jaine’s crime-solving is more an excuse for Levine’s wacky chick lit jokes and spoofing of Southern California culture clichés rather than a suspenseful whodunnit.  What compensates for Levine’s bevy of genre caricatures is the insertion of sporadic bits of plausibility at welcome moments, such as a homicide cop’s no-nonsense skepticism of Jayne’s past amateur sleuthing. 

As narrated by its bumbling, down-to-earth protagonist (projecting contemporary shades of Penny Marshall’s Laverne DeFazio), the sitcom spunk of The PMS Murder is mostly a welcome delight. If anything, this comedy-mystery delivers a fun bedtime read. Still, it’s a good bet that even genre fans might deem Levine’s excessive sitcom humor the reason why this novel will simply be one-and-done. The decision really is: aside from the unremarkable plot, will Levine’s jokes still be hilarious reading them a second time or more?

In that sense, finding The PMS Murder either at the library first or perhaps a second-hand bookstore may be the most practical option.

Note: This title is also available in hardcover, audiobook, and digital formats.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

Levine provides an acknowledgement and thank-you’s.  A thirteen-page sample previews Jaine Austen’s next caper: Death By Pantyhose.  Now employed as a comedian’s joke writer, Jaine is unwittingly caught up in another homicide investigation.  This time, the victim is her client’s professional rival, who has been fatally strangled with a pair of nylons.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                          6½ Stars

Categories
Books & Novels Mystery & Suspense

CLAIRE MALLOY: DEADER HOME & GARDENS

Written by Joan Hess

SUMMARY:

Released in 2012 by St. Martin’s Press, the 291-page Deader Home & Gardens presents Joan Hess’ eighteenth entry in her “Claire Malloy” murder-mystery series.  After returning from their Egyptian honeymoon in Mummy Dearest, newlyweds Claire Malloy and Farberville’s Deputy Police Chief, Pete Rosen, are now actively house-hunting.  Per Claire’s first-person perspective, increasingly tight quarters inside their cramped duplex while raising a self-involved teenage daughter, Caron, means finding the home of her dreams far sooner than later. 

Discovering her ideal mini-mansion in secluded Hollow Valley, Claire is perturbed that her realtor, Angela Delmond, inexplicably vanishes during their walkthrough tour.  Mirroring what Angela had said, the home Claire so badly desires isn’t exactly what it seems, given her odd potential neighbors.  In addition to a missing realtor, Claire’s amateur sleuthing determines other ominous incidents are linked to this same home. What’s even more unnerving is its connection to the odd descendants of the neighborhood’s namesake family and their prosperous tree farm.

Several months before, the home’s prior owner, Winston Hollow, had perished in an apparent fishing mishap.  Once contacted by Claire, Winston’s boyfriend and heir, Terry Kennedy, arrives from Key West to discuss the house’s potential sale with her.  Yet, Terry soon becomes another fatality.  Claire suspiciously realizes he probably won’t be the last to fall, either, as someone is willing to kill to preserve family secrets. 

With a horde of conniving Hollow relatives stonewalling her, Claire must ferret a foul scent emanating somewhere in  Hollow Valley’s quaint countryside.  No matter where the sordid truth leads Claire, she reckons there is at least one homicidal maniac waiting for her.

Note: This title is also available in paperback and digital formats.

REVIEW:

For Joan Hess fans, this routine “Claire Malloy” whodunnit isn’t likely to disappoint anyone.  Unlike Claire’s ultra-clichéd Southern in-laws depicted in Death by the Light of the Moon, Hess wisely grounds the Hollow clan’s shades of zaniness to a slightly more grounded ‘it-only-happens-in-fiction’ level.  Bolstered by the protagonist’s down-to-earth spunk and congenial humor, Deader Homes & Gardens makes for a delightfully satisfying read. 

Though it isn’t a must-have, Claire Malloy’s latest caper makes a fine cozy mystery option at the library.     

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

The author dedicates Deader Home & Gardens to her young grandchildren.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                       6 Stars

Categories
Books & Novels Mystery & Suspense

EMMA DJAN INVESTIGATION # 3: LAST SEEN IN LAPAZ

Written by Kwei Quartey

SUMMARY:

In 2023, Soho Press, Inc. released the third Emma Djan mystery: the 342-page Last Seen in Lapaz.  Working full-time at Sowah Private Investigators Agency in Ghana, twenty-something Emma Djan is presently navigating perceived strife between her boyfriend, Courage (a police SWAT team member), and her visiting/semi-meddling mother.  Emma is also embracing some adult growth, as far as resisting how religion and her mother dictate choices in her personal life. 

At the behest of her boss, Emma and colleague Jojo are assigned to search for a missing college student, who is the daughter of his influential old friend from Nigeria.  Initially, it is unknown if 18-year-old Ngozi Ojukwu willingly participated in her disappearance from the Ojukwu family home.  Through Courage’s tip, Emma finds out that Ngozi’s sleazy boyfriend, Femi, has been found brutally murdered at a local high-end brothel dubbed ‘The White House.’

Co-mingling their investigations, Emma and the police’s Detective Inspector Boateng team up to probe potential suspects.  With Femi’s cell phone missing, it likely contains crucial evidence as to Ngozi’s fate.  Before Emma goes undercover into a Ghanaian sex trafficking ring, flashbacks reveal how pivotal players (including Femi, Ngozi, and others) ultimately converged in this murder-mystery. 

Desperately saving one witness from a sexual predator, Emma finds that this repellant case involves international human trafficking extending from Africa to Europe. As revealed in flashbacks, the ruse pertains to a ‘travel agency’ offering migrants safe transportation and supposed freedom in starting new lives far away from African poverty.   

Trying to save Ngozi and, by extension, resolve Femi’s chilling homicide becomes Emma’s dual focus.  Conflicting shades of gray emerge amongst Femi’s inner circle, as the case’s true monsters begin revealing themselves. 

REVIEW:

Kwei Quarety’s Last Seen in Lapaz is a bleak literary paradox: a very likable protagonist treads into Africa’s ugly subculture of prostitution and human trafficking to save two innocent lives.  As Quartey’s note acknowledges, the plot’s degradation of human beings makes some sequences sickening. 

The author, at least, keeps most of the grisliest violence ‘off-screen,’ so to speak.  Wincing at the nasty aftermath he depicts, however, becomes a given.  To his credit, Quartey isn’t exploiting icky subject matter; rather, he is drawing his audience to its harsh realities via Emma’s storyline. 

As for Quartey’s cast, they present an intriguing pendulum.  On one side is a personable Emma Djan and her trustworthy allies.  Her family and friends, hence, are all very conventional for the detective genre, with only Emma’s personality being explored among them. 

Yet, the other side consisting of roguish ex-convict Femi, Ngozi, and a horde of illicit associates is loaded with depth.  Primarily through flashbacks, readers will witness how seemingly innocent pawns corrupted by greed, power, and lust may invariably become vipers double-crossing one another with a vengeance. 

With few exceptions, Last Seen at Lapaz’s villains convey realistic personality flaws vs. serving as genre caricatures.  Quartey’s impressive writing talent is apparent when Femi’s sordid employers finally express compassion, let alone a shocked conscience.  It makes their horrified reaction in a late scene seem plausible.  The same applies to the self-involved Femi and how his complicated personality infects others, like Ngozi.  More so, flashbacks depict Femi as caring and seemingly benevolent while his flashy present-day incarnation is shallow and often despicable towards others. 

Along with the protagonist’s appeal, the other best asset of Last Seen at Lapaz are richly-constructed guest characters supplying the plot’s mystery, along with some unpredictable twists.  Though not as slickly-produced as Veronica Mars, this novel should make one want to read more of Emma Djan’s casework – preferably in a less repulsive whodunnit. 

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

Quartey provides the following (in chronological order):

  1. A map displaying West African migratory routes into Europe through Niger and Libya;
  2. His author’s note readily warns readers that scenes in this fictional story are bleak.  Quartey states that sequences are based on accounts from West African migrants and sex workers in Nigeria, Niger, and Ghana.
  3. The cast of characters alphabetized by first name;
  4. A glossary for translating Ghanaian terminology/slang used by the characters;
  5. A second glossary for Nigerian Pidgin (slang) terminology; and
  6. The book concludes with the author’s acknowledgements and gratitude.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:              7½ Stars

Categories
Digital Movies & TV International/Foreign-Language Films Movies & Television (Videos) Mystery & Suspense Online Videos Sherlock Holmes-Related

THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

SUMMARY:                RUNNING TIME: 2 Hrs., 5 Min.

Released in 1970, through United Artists (later MGM), director/producer Billy Wilder, with collaborator I.A.L. Diamond, also co-wrote the period mystery, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. 

In the present-day, two London bank employees fulfill the late Dr. John H. Watson’s written instructions retrieving a locked strongbox from its vault fifty years after his death.  Amongst his treasured mementos examined are several props relevant to the film’s storyline, along with Watson’s handwritten account of a case he has long suppressed.  That is where the flashback begins.

Shifting to April 1887, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson return home to 221B Baker Street after resolving a homicide in Yorkshire. Quickly bored, a restless Holmes begrudgingly agree to accompany Watson to a ballet performance of Swan Lake.  Invited backstage, Holmes is propositioned by a Russian ballerina’s handler to become an illustrious sperm donor. Much to Watson’s shock and horror, Holmes tactfully concocts a phony excuse declining the proposed trade for an exquisite Stradivarius violin. 

Barely escaping a watery grave, an amnesiac Belgian wife, Gabrielle Valladon, is subsequently brought to their notice.  Her enigmatic plight compels Holmes and Watson to search for her missing husband.  Despite Mycroft Holmes’ insistence that his brother drop the matter, Sherlock’s determined curiosity fatefully leads him, along with Watson and effervescent Gabrielle, to Inverness, Scotland. 

As the case approaches its potentially heartbreaking end, romance, shadowy espionage, and even the Loch Ness Monster await the legendary British sleuth. 

Sherlock Holmes: Robert Stephens

Dr. John H. Watson/Narrator: Colin Blakely

Gabrielle Valladon / Ilse von Hoffmanstal: Geneviève Page

Mycroft Holmes: Christopher Lee

Mrs. Hudson: Irene Handl

Rogozhin: Clive Revill

Madame Petrova: Tamara Toumanova

Woman in Wheelchair: Catherine Lacey

Scottish Gravedigger: Stanley Holloway

Scottish Guide: James Copeland

Queen Victoria: Mollie Maureen

Von Tirpitz: Peter Madden

Cabbie: Michael Balfour

First Carter: John Garrie

Second Carter: Godfrey James

Hotel Manager: Robert Cawdron

Baggage Handler: Alex McCrindle

Scientists: John Scott Martin & Martin Carroll

Monk: Paul Hansard

Other Monks: Uncredited

Other Scientists: Uncredited

Other Gravediggers: Uncredited

Submersible Crew: Uncredited

20th Century Bank Employees: Uncredited

Emille Valladon: Uncredited

Additional Spies: Uncredited

Notes: The theatrical release is severely truncated from Wilder’s far more episodic, 200-minute initial cut.  Among the deleted segments left incomplete, and in some instances, completely lost, are: a present-day prologue, with Colin Blakely playing Watson’s descendant; the Yorkshire case (which is instead mentioned); the entire “Curious Case of the Upside Down Room,” where a bizarre homicide involves furniture literally up on the ceiling; the entire “Adventure of the Dumbfounded Detective,” which is a flashback spelling out Holmes’ sexuality (or perhaps lack thereof); a comedic cruise ship interlude entitled “The Dreadful Business of the Naked Honeymooners;” and two alternate epilogues – one of which references Jack the Ripper.  Predictably, the studio insisted upon a streamlined running time to maximize movie screenings per day. 

In 2016, the 30-foot Loch Ness Monster model lost underwater nearly a half-century before during on-location filming was finally located.  

REVIEW:

Utilizing Panavision cinematography, Billy Wilder devises a gorgeous-looking Sherlock Holmes adventure that echoes the Hollywood epics of the 1930’s through the early 1960’s.  More so, this production’s sets were evidently built either to or even beyond actual scale – think of it as the set designer fabricating an entire house when only a room would have been sufficient. 

Such elaboration also meant necessary decorations and props being more extensive than most other period films.  Taking closer looks at the construction overkill for 221B Baker Street and Mycroft’s swanky Diogenes Club will bear this observation out.  Between these enormous sets and authentic location shooting in Scotland, Wilder consequently produced the most expansive Sherlock Holmes project up to that time.

As much as Wilder’s 200-minute version would be fascinating viewing (in practicality, a TV mini-series would have made more sense), his two-hour incarnation doesn’t overstay its welcome.  Wilder’s storyline briskly blends mystery, light-hearted suspense, semi-risqué humor, historical spy games, the Loch Ness Monster, and timeless poignancy into a cinematic adult cocktail.  The best asset of which fulfilling Wilder’s vivid aspirations can be found in his casting.    

Despite the impossible task of surpassing Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, the chemistry emanating between Robert Stephens and Colin Blakely is highly underrated – that is, given a century of competition from other productions.  Stephens (primarily a stage performer) is an inspired choice for a semi-effeminate Holmes.  Even more impressive is a hilarious Blakely (especially at the ballet) making a convincing case that he is the next-best blustery Watson after Nigel Bruce. 

Completing this trio is a wonderful contribution from French actress Geneviève Page, who projects a surprisingly complex successor to Irene Adler.  Adding welcome support are Irene Handl as the long-suffering ‘Mrs. Hudson,’ and Clive Revill’s amusing rendition of the ballerina’s handler, ‘Rogozhin.’ 

Yet, hiding in plain sight amongst a roster of non-descript British character actors is a near-unrecognizable Christopher Lee.  Unmistakably, he is spot-on in a pivotal turn as the condescending ‘Mycroft Holmes.’  Given he himself has portrayed Holmes multiple times, Lee lends further credibility to Wilder’s unique depiction of Conan Doyle’s mythology. 

‘Originality’ is perhaps the operative description of Wilder’s take on Sherlock Holmes.  Rejecting Hollywood’s decades of either loosely adapting Conan Doyle’s stories with mixed results or blandly conjuring up new Holmes escapades, Wilder strives for a classy middle ground celebrating fiction’s greatest detective.  Admirably, such creative effort is worth it as far as faithfully presenting Conan Doyle’s ensemble within a fresh big-screen mystery worthy of vintage Hollywood. 

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, in that sense, is not meant as either gothic mystery or a period spoof of Conan Doyle.  Ultimately, Private Life is a Sherlock Holmes caper that even non-fans can appreciate as first-class entertainment.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                        8½ Stars

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Digital Movies & TV Movies & Television (Videos) Mystery & Suspense Online Videos

SHERLOCK HOLMES: A STUDY IN SCARLET (1933 Film)

SUMMARY:               RUNNING TIME: 1 Hr., 12 Min.

Released in 1933, this black-and-white Sherlock Holmes murder-mystery lifts its title from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1887 original Holmes novel.  Hence, the plot is officially credited as being only “suggested” by Doyle’s work, but the story is otherwise an original creation.  Directed by Edwin L. Marin, this film was made in California as a KBS Production.

Set in the present-day, a corpse is discovered aboard a train at London’s Victoria Station.  Yet, this supposed suicide victim is the only latest homicide befalling an enigmatic clique linked to China known as ‘The Scarlet Ring.’  With another victim’s daughter, young Eileen Forrester (Clyde), reluctantly joining the ‘Ring,’ she finds that her father’s attorney, Thaddeus Merrydew (Dinehart), is its unscrupulous and ever-evasive mastermind. 

Sensing that a crime cartel’s members are being systematically eliminated, Sherlock Holmes (Owen) pursues leads pertaining to Merrydew’s other suspicious clients.  Among them is the sultry and recently widowed Mrs. Pyke (Wong).  Each of the Ring’s dead pawns is revealed to possess a written note ominously reciting a familiar nursery rhyme counting down ten doomed ‘children.’ 

Pursuing a shadowy serial killer, Holmes knows an innocent woman’s life is at stake, as is a sizable inheritance.  It’s up to Holmes and Scotland Yard’s Inspector Lestrade (Dinehart) to thwart a murderous conspiracy banking on greed. 

Sherlock Holmes: Reginald Owen

Dr. John H. Watson: Warburton Gamble

Thaddeus Merrydew: Allan Dinehart (aka Alan Dinehart)

Mrs. Pyke: Anna May Wong

Eileen Forrester: June Clyde

John Stanford: John Warburton

Inspector Lestrade (misspelled as ‘Lastrade’): Allan Mowbray

Jobez Wilson: J.M. Kerrigan

Mrs. Hudson: Tempe Pigott

Will Swallow: Billy Bevan

Mrs. Murphy: Doris Lloyd

Daffy Dolly: Leila Bennett

Dearing: Halliwell Hobbs

Capt. Pyke: Wyndham Standing

Ah Yet: Tetsu Komai

Merrydew’s Butler: Olaf Hytten

Thompson: Hobart Cavanaugh

Baker: Cecil Reynolds

James Murphy: Uncredited

Train Housekeeper # 1: Uncredited

Train Housekeeper # 2: Uncredited

Partridge (Train Steward): Uncredited

Rumfeld (Train Maintenance Worker): Uncredited

Lestrade’s Plainclothes Cops: Uncredited

Notes: Owen is among the few actors to have portrayed both Holmes and Dr. Watson on film.  Hobbs and Mowbray (though separately) later appeared in the Sherlock Holmes film series co-starring Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce.  Late in this film is an extraordinary gaffe: a newspaper advertisement’s close-up depicts Holmes’ address as “221A Baker Street” rather than Doyle’s “221b Baker Street.”  An actor subsequently verbalizes the same mistake in dialogue.

REVIEW:

One should first keep in mind the film’s historical relevancy among Hollywood’s earliest (and best-known) surviving adaptations of Sherlock Holmes, no matter how faithful it isn’t to Conan Doyle.  Interestingly, this film’s smoke-and-mirrors twists predate the film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None and Basil Rathbone’s Sherlock Holmes: The House of Fear by twelve years. 

Perhaps less surprising is that both these 1945 films easily surpass Reginald Owen’s Sherlock Holmes whodunnit.  Despite its neat premise (one that Owen himself wrote the dialogue), the script’s execution is exceedingly bland.  Trying to instead visualize Rathbone’s Holmes and Nigel Bruce’s Watson might help somewhat relieve the tedium.

It is also ironic how Anna May Wong’s intriguing femme fatale in limited screen time is far more watchable than observing Owen and Warburton Gamble tread their ultra-wooden paces as Holmes & Watson.

1933’s A Study in Scarlet, if anything, is worthwhile just to see a Golden Age star like Wong on screen.  Getting a decent resolution to this storyline’s mystery is something of a bonus, too.  Otherwise, The House of Fear and the original And Then There Were None are recommended as more satisfying viewing options.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                     4 Stars

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Categories
Books & Novels Mystery & Suspense Sherlock Holmes-Related

THE DAUGHTER OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (BOOK # 1)

Written by Leonard Goldberg

SUMMARY:

Minotaur Books released this 305-page paperback in 2017.  Set in early spring of 1914, Dr.  John H. Watson, Jr. (both a medical school assistant professor and an expert pathologist) acknowledges that, with Sherlock Holmes’ passing, he now resides with his widowed father at 221b Baker Street. 

Pressed into service by a grieving sister, a revitalized Dr. Watson, Sr. and his son probe whether or not the aristocratic Charles Harrelston rashly committed suicide by plunging out a third-story window … or was he actually thrown from the roof to his death?  Their primary eyewitnesses are young widow (and ex-nurse), Joanna Blalock, and her precocious son, Johnnie.

Recruiting Joanna’s cooperation as a third sleuth, Watson, Sr. confides in his son the incredible secret of their new ally’s incredible deductive powers.  With the help of a second-generation Inspector Lestrade and a hound worthy of the name, ‘Toby’ the trio finds that Harrelston’s ill-fated gambling party with Dr. Christopher Moran is the first ugly tragedy befalling a quartet of old war buddies. 

Despite unraveling multiple homicides, a courageous Joanna must take the ultimate risk in order to snare a vindictive serial killer.  

Notes: This title is also available digitally. 

REVIEW:

Leonard Goldberg’s slick legacy template for Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts is not as intriguing as it might have been. 

For instance, this novel is not some revisionist caper about Moriarty’s love child with Irene Adler posing as Holmes’ long-lost daughter, ingeniously humiliating the Watsons, and then leaving the bewildered father-son duo to rot in prison. As different as that wicked comedy scenario might sound, Goldberg devises a far more conventional, pre-wartime sequel imagining a world after Holmes’ passing. Still, for as much potential The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes conveys, Joanna Blalock’s first murder-mystery case errs in four significant ways. 

First, as a formulaic whodunnit, Goldberg’s storyline treads closer to Columbo than to Conan Doyle.  By revealing the culprit’s identity from practically the get-go, Joanna’s deductions of how each murder is committed then leaves readers with essentially a ‘why-dunnit,’ with too few surprises.  With Sherlock Holmes’ heir and the Watsons too quickly deducing their quarry and a presumed motive, Goldberg has them repetitively deem their accumulated evidence as insufficient for prosecution. 

Yet, why shouldn’t Scotland Yard’s best forensic experts concur with their expert deductive assessments?  From the way Goldberg presents their medical analysis, even semi-competent law enforcement officials wouldn’t blow off such circumstantial evidence as pure conjecture. By playing off familiar genre clichés, Goldberg insists on stringing his audience along as to what ‘red-handed’ proof will inevitably snare the all-too-obvious culprit.  Many mystery fans won’t mind such a ride, but that leads to the novel’s second major flaw. 

Goldberg repeatedly pushes visual autopsy sequences that are unnecessarily too technically-detailed and, even worse, provoke disgusting imagery to readers.  Rather dubiously, Goldberg can invoke squeamishness without a corpse necessitating a scalpel for any internal dissection.  One wonders if, as a real-life physician, Goldberg is flaunting his medical knowledge through the detective trio as a means of padding his page count. 

Goldberg’s unimaginative storyline also suffers from pushing far too many second-generation clones (i.e., Watson, Jr; Mrs. Hudson; Lestrade; Moran; Toby Two, etc.) of Conan Doyle’s cast.  The author’s writing style is strong enough that such blatant name dropping should not be necessary.  Though these legacy characters better fit Goldberg’s sequel titles, their introductions all crammed within The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes come off as an eye-rolling gimmick for glorified fan fiction. Instead, Goldberg would have been better off phasing in his next generation throughout the series as welcome surprises.

Lastly, the murky continuity Goldberg deploys in setting up this batch of namesake heirs makes little sense, especially if his Holmes is already dead, as of 1914.  For instance, the introduction states Holmes died in 1914 – the same year as Joanna’s introduction.  Yet, this book (not to mention, future books) subsequently reference Holmes as being ‘long dead,’ as if several years have lapsed rather than mere months.  Another element to remember is that Holmes’ romantic liaison with Joanna’s mother would have occurred nearly forty years before.  Yet, Goldberg’s likable ‘Joanna’ appears to be, at most, in her early thirties.     

The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes, accordingly, should be treated as more of a reference guide for the ongoing series.  Subsequent espionage-flavored mysteries, such as A Study in Treason and The Disappearance of Alistair Ainsworth, supply more satisfying reads exploring Joanna Blalock’s destiny as her father’s sleuthing successor.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

Goldberg’s ‘Watson, Jr.’ supplies both an introduction and his closing notes.  It is conveyed that, like his father before him, Watson, Jr. now chronicles Joanna’s ongoing adventures. Simultaneously, this epilogue could be deemed as a satisfying end to Goldberg’s premise, had he opted not to produce further books.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                   5½ Stars