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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 Anthologies Books & Novels Mystery & Suspense

AGATHA CHRISTIE’S MARPLE – TWELVE NEW MYSTERIES

Written by (Various Authors)

SUMMARY:

In 2022, HarperCollins released this 370-page hardcover anthology heralding Miss Jane Marple’s return to crime-busting after forty-five years.  In short story form, a dozen female authors offer their own takes on the elderly amateur sleuth from St. Mary Mead.  Resurrecting some other familiar faces, this anthology consists of:

  1. “Evil in Small Places” (by Lucy Foley): Miss Marple’s visit to a childhood classmate coincides with a choir member’s murder in the quaint English village of Meon Maltravers.
  2. “The Second Murder at the Vicarage” (by Val McDermid): In a sequel to Christie’s first Marple novel, vicar Len Clement narrates the mystery of a former employee’s homicide inside his home.
  3. “Miss Marple Takes Manhattan” (by Alyssa Cole): Set in the Early 1960’s, Miss Marple accompanies nephew Raymond and his wife, Joan, to explore New York City.  Comic mayhem ensues when they attend a dress rehearsal for an Off-Broadway play adapting one of Raymond’s novels.
  4. “The Unravelling” (by Natalie Haynes): A merchant couple in St. Mary Mead is suspected of killing an enigmatic stranger after a public scuffle with the husband.
  5. “Miss Marple’s Christmas” (by Ruth Ware): Sharing a low-key Christmas Eve with family and old friends, Miss Marple  contemplates who may have stolen a fellow guest’s valuable pearl necklace.  This tale spells out its homage to Dorothy L. Sayers’ Hangman’s Holiday (with Lord Peter Wimsey).
  6. “The Open Mind” (by Naomi Alderman): In Oxford, a fatal drug overdose at a high-profile academia dinner makes Miss Marple suspect what really precipitated the tragedy.
  7. “The Jade Empress” (by Jean Kwok): Aboard a cruise ship to Hong Kong, Miss Marple probes the ominous deaths of two passengers. 
  8. “A Deadly Wedding Day” (by Dreda Say Mitchell): In a sequel of sorts to A Caribbean Mystery, Miss Marple and her friend, Bella Baptiste, probe a murder-mystery at the wedding reception of Bella’s strangely evasive niece. 
  9. “Murder at the Villa Rosa” (by Elly Griffiths): A crime novelist seeks inspiration at a scenic Italian hotel, only to encounter some peculiar fellow guests, including Miss Marple.
  10. “The Murdering Sort” (by Karen M. McManus): Narrated by Raymond & Joan West’s teenage granddaughter, Nicola, she describes how amateur sleuthing evidently runs in the family.
  11. “The Mystery of the Acid Soil” (by Kate Mosse): Visiting a convalescing friend, Miss Marple stumbles into a situation where a woman’s disappearance is book-ended by two peculiar deaths.
  12. “The Disappearance” (by Leigh Bardugo): Called home from London by an old friend, Miss Marple senses a roguish fiancé’s disappearance is linked to a young female gardener’s tragic death.

Notes: The book’s U.K. title is simply Marple.  Also, these stories aren’t contained by any internal chronology.  The stories by Ruth Ware and Leigh Bardugo, however, both clearly occur after The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side.  Given Dolly Bantry is evidently widowed at the time of “The Disappearance,” Bardugo’s story fittingly concludes this anthology.

REVIEW:

Whether by loving homage or by contractual design, Christie afficionados will spot regular name-dropping to Marple’s world, i.e. cases she solved long ago or old friends she knows.  Still, readers will be left to define their own good, the bad, and the boring amongst this fresh assortment of Miss Marple whodunnits.  It’s a given that some stories mimic Christie’s clichéd Marple formula by resolving a baffling mystery with last-minute, seemingly impossible deductions (let’s just refer to these clues and name-dropped culprits conjured up from thin air as ‘Marple-isms’).    

To minimize confusion comparing authors, the fairest means of discerning which stories are remarkable (or not so much) is briefly analyzing them one by one.

  • * “Evil in Small Places.”  Though some plot details are too convenient, the opener is worthwhile.  Most significantly, Lucy Foley devises a final stretch that even Christie might well have applauded.
  • “The Second Murder at the Vicarage.”  Including the Clement family’s welcome return, Val McDermid’s sequel is mostly promising.  Yet, like Christie’s worst cop-outs, this double-homicide’s solution resorts to Marple-isms where incriminating evidence late in the story isn’t fair game to readers.   
  • * “Miss Marple Takes Manhattan.”  Briskly concocting allusions to timeless snobbery, communism, racism, and no doubt a few other ‘-isms,’ the author’s humorous snark surpasses Christie’s own propensity for societal jabs.  Bordering on parody, Alyssa Cole’s amusing wit places Marple and her family on unfamiliar and clearly less-than-glamorous ground.  Her sense of fun is definitely this collection’s most energetic highlight.
  • “The Unravelling.”  Set within St. Mary Mead, one is led to expect a traditional Christie-style Marple.  However, faulty bio-science and a ludicrous ‘big reveal’ sabotage this tale, making it the book’s weakest inclusion.
  • “Miss Marple’s Christmas.”  Besides its tribute to Dorothy L. Sayers, this likable Marple caper is reminiscent of Christie’s own Poirot novella: The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (aka Theft of the Royal Ruby).  Hampered by a predictable solution, the more significant hiccup affecting Ruth Ware’s tale is sluggish pacing.
  • “The Open Mind.” Unlike Christie’s social commentaries near the end of her career (i.e., in-story rants re: anti-drugs; anti-promiscuity; anti-hippie, etc.), Naomi Alderman’s tale goes the opposite direction with near-sensationalism of early 1970’s drug use.  Two-thirds of Alderman’s mystery appear solid, but her final third collapses upon divulging the culprit’s absurd, practically eye-rolling motive and tactics.    
  • “The Jade Empress.”  Though the solution isn’t a surprise, the mystique of a Marple whodunnit with an exotic Asian backdrop is intriguing.  Jean Kwok’s somewhat contrived plot isn’t the book’s best, but it’s far from its worst. 
  • * “A Deadly Wedding Day.” The detective tag-team of Miss Marple and her Caribbean-born counterpart, Bella Baptiste, proves an exceptional treat.  One is left to wonder if this tale is a dry run on a possible Bella Baptiste series.  Even it isn’t, Dreda Say Mitchell’s storytelling concocts a high-caliber whodunnit that serves as one of this anthology’s best entries.
  • “Murder at the Villa Rosa.”  One could construe this slightly odd caper as a bait-and-switch reflecting Christie’s notorious disdain for Hercule Poirot’s popularity.  With Miss Marple reduced to a secondary character, Elly Griffiths pitches this book’s second most original offering – that is, after Alyssa Cole’s.  Griffiths’ ‘whodunnit,’ in this sense, is reminiscent of mysteries occasionally found in the Malice Domestic anthology series.
  • * “The Murdering Sort.”  It’s obvious that Jane Marple ought to be long dead by the time her nephew has a 17-year-old granddaughter.  That logic aside, Karen M. McManus still devises an intriguing legacy spin-off where Miss Marple’s great-great-niece, Nicola West, might become a British-American Nancy Drew. The story’s only goof would be a pair of character name typos.  Otherwise, this whodunnit is well-played!     
  • “The Mystery of the Acid Soil.”  Openly referring to Marple’s “A Christmas Mystery,” from The Tuesday Club Murders (aka The Thirteen Problems), the plot hinges too much upon a reader’s knowledge of gardening.  Though Kate Mosse’s storytelling reminds one of classic Marple, the result is something of a bore.
  • “The Disappearance.”  Like Kate Mosse’s tale before it, insights re: amateur gardening are necessary to keep up with Leigh Bardugo’s grim plotting. This book’s final tale, for the most part, seemingly has the makings of a satisfying whodunnit. The resolution, however, is marred by several Marple-isms, which diminishes the out-of-character ‘big reveal’ scene to a poignant yet hardly fair ending.             

No matter how much of a mixed-bag this anthology is, its dozen stories are worth anyone’s armchair sleuthing.  Hopefully, this classy literary experiment will serve as a prelude to a similar Poirot anthology.

*=Recommended!

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

There’s a single-page introduction.  The book concludes with a section presenting the contributors’ mini-bios.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                7½ Stars

Note: For an even more ambitious sleuthing anthology, one might consider “The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,” edited by John Joseph Adams.

Categories
Anthologies Books & Novels Mystery & Suspense

SIMPLY THE BEST MYSTERIES

Edited by Janet Hutchings.

Written by (See Below).

Cover Art by Ken Joudrey; Earl Keleney; Fred Husten; & Roy Colmer.

SUMMARY:

Published in 1998 by Carroll & Graff Publishers, Inc., this 352-page hardcover reprints sixteen Edgar-winning short stories,  along with six additional Edgar front-runners/nominees, all from Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine.  The chosen tales are:

  1. “The House Party” by Stanley Ellin (1954).  A suspicious fall sets up a self-involved party host for a dark epiphany.
  2. “Dream No More” by Philip McDonald (1955).  A congenial college professor ingratiates himself with a favorite student and his doting mother at their posh California coastal home.
  3. “The Blessington Method” by Stanley Ellin (1956).  Resolving the ethical dilemma of an unwanted, live-in father-in-law perplexes a middled-aged businessman.
  4. * “And Already Lost” by Charlotte Armstrong (1957). A high school assistant principal finds herself tormented by four notorious  students.
  5. “The Affair at Lahore Cantonment” by Avram Davidson (1961).  In a rural, post-war pub, a writer overhears a tragic British Army love story that occurred in India decades before.  The tale includes Rudyard Kipling’s poem, “Danny Deever.”
  6. * “The Terrapin” by Patricia Highsmith (1962).  Tormented by his overbearing mother, a young boy’s relentless humiliation reaches its breaking point.
  7. “H as in Homicide” by Lawrence Treat (1964).  Reminiscent of film noir, a small-town homicide cop probes a missing-person case involving two female strangers traveling cross-country together.
  8. “Goodbye, Pops” by Joe Gores (1969).  A hardened convict escapes prison to return home and visit his terminally-ill father.
  9. “The Purple Shroud” by Joyce Harrington (1972).  At a summer-long art camp, a middle-aged wife painstakingly seeks revenge for her husband’s serial adultery.
  10. “The Fallen Curtain” by Ruth Rendell (1974).  A British college student’s mysterious childhood abduction comes full circle.
  11. “Like a Terrible Scream” by Etta Revesz (1976).  A handicapped Latino boy reflects on the shocking crime that has gotten him incarcerated.   
  12. “Chance After Chance” by Thomas Walsh (1977).  In Massachusetts, an alcoholic ex-priest’s path to redemption may be a deadly ruse.
  13. “The Cloud Beneath the Eaves” by Barbara Owens (1978).  Attempting a normal life, a woman’s private journal entries relate a descent (or possibly a return) into madness.
  14. * “This is Death” by Donald E. Westlake (1978).  A man’s ghost grimly recounts the events leading up to his own suicide.
  15. “Horn Man” by Clark Howard (1980).  After wrongfully serving decades in prison for homicide, an ex-musician returns to New Orleans for payback against his accuser.
  16. “The Absence of Emily” by Jack Ritchie (1981).  After a wife’s peculiar disappearance, her cousin suspects the nonchalant husband.
  17. “The New Girl Friend” by Ruth Rendell (1983).  A kinky extramarital affair impacting two British married couples takes an even more bizarre twist. 
  18. * “The Anderson Boy” by Joseph Hansen (1983).  Almost twenty years later, a troubled husband’s teenage discretion comes back as a haunting vendetta.
  19. “Elvis Lives” by Lynne Barrett (1990).  A forty-ish Elvis impersonator has second thoughts about finally reaching the big time.
  20. * “Candles in the Rain” by Doug Allyn (1992).  Just prior to the public transfer of an ex-U.S. military base to Michigan’s Ojibwa Council, a protester’s fiery death raises suspicions.
  21. * “When Your Breath Freezes” by Kathleen Dougherty (1995). Multiple deaths at an Alaskan convent convince a nun that all isn’t what it seems.
  22. “The Judge’s Boy” by Jean B. Cooper (1995).  In the humid Deep South, a down-on-his-luck lawyer is recruited by a decrepit judge to recover his stolen fortune.

Notes: The asterisk indicates which tales didn’t win an Edgar.  The generic cover artwork doesn’t reflect any particular story.    

REVIEW:

Even the oldest of these macabre tales hardly seem musty – i.e. “The House Party” and “The Affair at Lahore Cantonment” would be considered well-played in any generation.  Of the more recent stories, “Candles in the Rain” is an excellent read.

Hence, mystery fans favoring short story anthologies (like the Malice Domestic series) can appreciate how timeless this obscure assortment is.  Though some tales infer perhaps one too many clever hints, a savvy reader’s enthusiasm won’t be dampened much.    

The flip side is that this anthology’s grim contents aren’t necessarily superior entertainment to others in the genre simply because of the Edgar Award’s prominence.  Frankly, this book’s most well-constructed crime fiction isn’t guaranteed to leave a lasting impression, neither good nor bad.  Simply the Best Mysteries risks overstating its appeal with such a presumptuous title, but, aside from “The Terrapin,” and “The New Girl Friend,”  it’s still a welcome find at a garage sale.  More so, this anthology delivers effective samplers to consider exploring other works by many of these authors.   

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

Janet Hutchings’ three-page introduction explains the Edgar Allan Poe Awards, as well as how these particular stories were selected from Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:              6 Stars

Note: A similar anthology worth exploring is editor Tony Hillerman’s The Mysterious West.  Thematically, “The Purple Shroud,” and “Candles in the Rain,” would best fit Hillerman’s moody 1994 anthology.

Categories
Agatha Christie-Related Anthologies Books & Novels Mystery & Suspense

A DEADLY AFFAIR: UNEXPECTED LOVE STORIES FROM THE QUEEN OF MYSTERY

Written by Agatha Christie

Cover Art by Matt Griffin

SUMMARY:

In 2022, William Morrow (HarperCollinsPublishers) issued this 263-page paperback reprinting thirteen short mysteries.  In addition to two of her miscellaneous romantic tales, A Deadly Affair’s round-robin style rotates between Agatha Christie’s array of famous sleuths.  Specifically, the stories are:

1923 – The King of Clubs (Hercule Poirot):  Poirot & Captain Arthur Hastings probe a sensationalized English countryside murder where a famous dancer is either the prime suspect or its most pivotal witness. 

U.S. anthology: The Under Dog and Other Stories (1951)  / U.K. anthology: Poirot’s Early Cases (1974).

1927 – The Face of Helen (Harley Quin): Mr. Satterthwaite becomes caught up in an aspiring opera singer’s tragic love triangle with two young men.

U.S. & UK. anthology: The Mysterious Mr. Quin (1930).

1933 – Death on the Nile (Parker Pyne): A vacationing Pyne’s Nile cruise is interrupted by a wealthy couple’s quarrel, as the wife believes she is being slowly poisoned.   

U.S. anthology: Mr. Parker Pyne, Detective (1934) / U.K. anthology: Parker Pyne Investigates (1934).

1931 – Death by Drowning (Jane Marple): At Jane Marple’s behest, retired Scotland Yard Commissioner Sir Henry Clithering joins the police investigation of a local girl’s tragic drowning in St. Mary Mead.

U.S. anthology: The Tuesday Club Murders (1933) / U.K. anthology: The Thirteen Problems (1932).

1923 – The Double Clue (Hercule Poirot): A scandalous jewel heist brings Poirot into contact with the enigmatic Countess Vera Rossakoff for the first time.

U.S. anthology: Double Sin and Other Stories (1961) / U.K. anthology: Poirot’s Early Cases (1974).    

1924 – Finessing the King / The Gentleman Dressed in Newspaper (Tommy & Tuppence Beresford): At a London nightclub’s masquerade party, the Beresfords stumble upon a woman’s homicide.

U.S. & U.K. anthology: Partners in Crime (1929).

1928 – Fruitful Sunday: During their afternoon date, a young couple make an unexpected discovery at the bottom of their fruit basket.

U.S. anthology: The Golden Ball and Other Stories (1974) / U.K. anthology: The Listerdale Mystery (1934).

1928 – Wasps’ Nest (Hercule Poirot): Poirot senses a friend’s love triangle may end in homicide.

U.S. anthology: Double Sin and Other Stories (1961) / U.K. anthology: Poirot’s Early Cases (1974).

1942 – The Case of the Caretaker (Jane Marple): Dr. Haydock offers Miss Marple a chance to solve a bizarre true-crime murder that he is thinking of adapting into a novel.

U.S. anthology: Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (1950) / Miss Marple’s Final Cases and Two Other Stories (1978).

1924 – The Man in the Mist (Tommy & Tuppence Beresford): Impeded by a creepy fog, the Beresfords probe a homicide case involving a high-profile actress.

U.S. / U.K. anthology: Partners in Crime (1929).

1932 – The Case of the Rich Woman (Parker Pyne): Parker Pyne digs into his bag of unorthodox tactics to resolve a bored widow’s desire to dispose of her immense wealth.

U.S. anthology: Mr. Parker Pyne, Detective (1934) / U.K. anthology: Parker Pyne Investigates (1934).

1926 – Magnolia Blossom: A married woman must decide whether her future bliss belongs with her husband or with a discreet love affair.

U.S. anthology: The Golden Ball and Other Stories (1971) / U.K. anthology: The Agatha Christie Hour (1982).

1926 – The Love Detectives (Harley Quin): Mr. Satterthwaite and Harley Quin observe a homicide investigation where dramatic confessions by the victim’s wife and her lover contradict the evidence.

U.S. anthology: Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (1950) / U.K. anthology: Problem at Pollensa Bay (1991).

Note: The novel’s legalese indicates that the book’s text was “previously published in a different format” – presumably in the United Kingdom.

REVIEW:

Despite spreading the wealth amongst Christie’s detectives, the publisher’s inexplicable choice of material leaves far better stories off the table.  Before proceeding further, the worthy inclusion of “Wasps’ Nest,” let alone the chilling “Case of the Caretaker,” absolutely fit this anthology’s theme.  It’s the other eleven entries that range from good to middling to utterly blah, no matter how well-packaged the publisher makes them look. 

For instance, “Fruitful Sunday” is a forgettable doodle while “Magnolia Blossom” is straight-up soap opera dreck.  One should then be relieved that “While the Light Lasts” wasn’t included, as it presents another of Christie’s horrid post-war soap operas. 

Regarding the included detective stories, at most, they offer some decent reading.  Still, Parker Pyne’s “Death on the Nile” is this assortment’s worst choice.  Beyond predating one of Poirot’s most famous novel titles, the story is really an ultra-bland amalgam of Poirot’s “Problem at Sea” and “The Cornish Mystery.” Suffice to say, Pyne’s intuitive reasoning is sorely implausible, as compared to Poirot’s own later voyage down The Nile.       

Giving the matter due thought, here’s a partial list of classic Christie mysteries unfairly excluded from this anthology (including a few capers for some humorous relief):

  1. Hercule Poirot: either Mystery of the Spanish Chest, or its alternate version, Mystery of the Baghdad Chest;
  2. Hercule Poirot: The Affair at the Victory Ball;
  3. Hercule Poirot: Murder in the Mews;
  4. Hercule Poirot: Plymouth Express;  
  5. Hercule Poirot: The Cornish Mystery;
  6. Hercule Poirot: Problem at Sea;
  7. Hercule Poirot: Triangle at Rhodes;
  8. Hercule Poirot: The Stymphalean Birds;
  9. Colonel Race: Yellow Iris;
  10. Parker Pyne: The Case of the Discontented Soldier;
  11. Tommy & Tuppence Beresford: The Sunningdale Mystery;
  12. Harley Quin: Harlequin’s Lane;
  13. Harley Quin: The Man from the Sea;
  14. Harley Quin: The Harlequin’s Tea Set;
  15. Jane Marple: The Thumb Mark of Peter;
  16. Jane Marple: The Companion;
  17. Jane Marple: The Blood-Stained Pavement;
  18. Jane Marple: The Herb of Death;
  19. Jane in Search of a Job;
  20. The Girl in the Train;
  21. The Edge; and
  22. Witness for the Prosecution. 

As evidenced above by what isn’t included in A Deadly Affair, this anthology is at most a mediocre sampling of Christie’s love-themed mysteries.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

Entitled “Affairs of the Heart: Agatha’s Early Courtships,” a seven-page excerpt from Christie’s 1975 An Autobiography reveals two love affairs from her own youth.  A helpful bibliography specifies the original publication history of these stories.  Lastly, there’s a paragraph-length bio on Christie.  

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                    4½ Stars

Note:  Two other recent Christie themed-anthology titles are Midwinter Murder: Fireside Tales from the Queen of Mystery and The Last Séance: Tales of the Supernatural.

Categories
Agatha Christie-Related Anthologies Books & Novels Fantasy, Horror, & Science Fiction Mystery & Suspense

THE LAST SÉANCE: TALES OF THE SUPERNATURAL

Written by Agatha Christie

SUMMARY:

Released in 2019 by William Morrow (a HarperCollins imprint), this 362-page paperback anthology compiles twenty Agatha Christie short stories mostly attuned to paranormal/horror themes.  Among them is the obscure “The Wife of the Kenite,” appearing in its first U.S. publication.  The specific stories (and their historical debuts) are:

  1. The Last Séance (magazine: (U.S.) 1926) and (U.K.) 1927)/anthology: (U.K.) 1933 and (U.S.) 1961). A frail French medium is pressured into initiating one final contact between an enigmatic client and her young child’s restless spirit.  
  2. In A Glass Darkly (magazine: (U.K.) 1934/anthology: (U.S.) 1939 and (U.K.) 1979).  A war veteran’s premonition of a woman’s brutal homicide has unsettling consequences.
  3. S.O.S.: (magazine: (U.K.) 1926 and (U.S.) 1947/anthology: (U.K.) 1933 and (U.S.) 1948).  Stranded in the remote English countryside, a motorist grows increasingly suspicious of  his overnight host family. 
  4. Hercule Poirot: The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb (magazine: 1923 (U.K.) and 1924 (U.S.)/anthology: 1924 (U.K.) and 1925 (U.S.).  Poirot & Captain Hastings probe a series of deaths linked to an archaeological expedition in the Egyptian desert.   
  5. The Fourth Man (magazine: (U.K.) 1925 and (U.S.) 1947/anthology: (U.K.) 1925 and (U.S.) 1948).  Aboard an overnight British commuter train, four passengers discuss a bizarre split-personality case linked to two deaths. 
  6. Miss Marple: The Idol House of Astarte (magazine: (U.K.) 1928 and (U.S.) 1928/anthology: (U.K.) 1932 and (U.S.) 1933). Miss Marple contemplates an aristocrat’s mysterious death years ago during a costume party.     
  7. The Gipsy (anthology: (U.K.) 1933 (U.S.) 1971).  In a gothic love story, an alluring gypsy and her enigmatic warnings impact the romances of two sisters. 
  8. Philomel Cottage (magazine: (U.K.) 1924/anthology: (U.K.) 1934 and (U.S.) 1948).  In a quiet village, a newlywed British couple’s bliss is tainted by suspicions of the husband’s possibly dark past.
  9. The Lamp (anthology: (U.K.) 1933 and (U.S.) 1971). A family gradually realizes that their new home is haunted by the spirit of a lonely little boy.
  10. Hercule Poirot: The Dream (magazine: (U.K.) 1938 and (U.S.) 1937/anthology: (U.S.) 1939 and (U.K.) 1960).  An eccentric tycoon consults Poirot re: a recurring nightmarish premonition. 
  11. Wireless (magazine: (U.K. and U.S.) 1926/anthology: (U.K.) 1933 and (U.S.) 1948).  A frail, elderly widow becomes convinced that her late husband’s ghost is summoning her through the radio.
  12. The Wife of the Kenite (magazine: (Australia) 1922/anthology: (U.K.) 2018 and (U.S.) 2019).  Grim biblical irony catches up to a German war criminal hiding out in the farm country outside Johannesburg. 
  13. The Mystery of the Blue Jar (magazine: (U.K. and U.S.) 1924/anthology: (U.K.) 1933 and (U.S.) 1948).  A young golfer seeks professional help upon repeatedly hearing ghostly pleas for help.
  14. The Strange Case of Sir Arthur Carmichael (anthology: (U.K.) 1933 and (U.S.) 1971).  Two doctors are bewildered by a young man’s unexplained metamorphosis.
  15. Miss Marple: The Blue Geranium (magazine: (U.K.) 1929 and (U.S.) 1930/anthology: (U.K.) 1932 and (U.S.) 1933).  Miss Marple hears about a hypochondriac wife’s strange demise foretold months before by a gypsy fortune teller.
  16. The Call of Wings (anthology: (U.K.) 1933 and (U.S.) 1971).  A wealthy businessman experiences an odd epiphany through his dreams. 
  17. Hercule Poirot: The Flock of Geryon (magazine: (U.K.) 1940 and (U.S.) 1940/anthology: (U.K. and U.S.) 1947).  Among his ongoing Labours, Poirot relies upon an unlikely ally to go undercover probing a religious cult.
  18. The Red Signal (magazine: (U.K.) 1924 and (U.S.) 1947/anthology: (U.K.) 1933 and (U.S.) 1948).  A dinner party’s séance is the prelude to a vengeful homicide.
  19. The Dressmaker’s Doll (magazine: (Canada & U.K.) 1958 and (U.S.) 1959/anthology: (U.S.) 1961 and (U.K.) 1979). An upscale London dress shop’s proprietors are perplexed by a doll seemingly haunting their boutique.
  20. The Hound of Death (anthology: (U.K.) 1933 and (U.S.) 1971).  In a secluded English village, a visitor is leery of the local doctor’s interest in a Belgian refugee’s catastrophic psychic visions.      

Notes: Both Poirot tales were faithfully adapted for the David Suchet TV series.  The title of “The Blue Geranium” was used for (and partially inspired) a Marple 5th Season TV episode starring Julia McKenzie.  Also, “The Red Signal,” “The Fourth Man,” “In a Glass Darkly,” and “The Mystery of the Blue Jar” were filmed in 1982 for British TV’s short-lived Agatha Christie Hour.

REVIEW:

As one can surmise, there isn’t light-hearted relief exploring Christie’s interests in supernatural and/or macabre fare.  With few exceptions, this anthology is reminiscent of The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and Tales from The Crypt. 

Of this assortment, only “The Strange Case of Sir Arthur Carmichael” is marred by racist stereotyping, which frankly ruins an otherwise intriguing story.  In terms of horror content, there’s more implied gore than expected – particularly, in the title story and the rare “Wife of the Kenite.”  Even long-time Christie fans shouldn’t be blamed for skipping a tale or two that could be construed as perhaps too grisly.    

The Last Séance’s line-up of familiar fare and far more obscure tales at least holds steady in a literary middle ground.  In that regard, there’s aren’t any indisputable masterpieces, but none are exceedingly awful, either.  What fluctuates is the quality of detail.  Case in point: “The Dressmaker’s Doll” and the much-shorter (and underrated)“Lamp” both effectively convey ghost stories with sufficient depth. 

In contrast, the characters inhabiting “The Last Séance” are so vaguely written that readers are left scratching to fill in the blanks (i.e. the identity of the black-veiled client — frankly, Christie could have tried a little harder).  There’s also a likelihood of contemporary audiences sensing imminent plot twists in, for instance, “The Red Signal” and “Wireless,” mostly because they’ve since become genre clichés.  Still, Christie’s storytelling tricks make up much of the difference.     

The one inexplicable aspect of this anthology pertains to what’s not included.  Shockingly, there are no Harley Quin tales  — i.e. reprinting “The Harlequin’s Tea Set” would have made perfect sense.  Poirot’s unremarkable “The Flock of Geryon” could have been easily replaced by the appropriately wicked Poirot tale: “Tragedy at Marsdon Manor.” The same applies to a different challenge amongst Poirot’s Labours of Hercules: “The Cretan Bull,” as it’s in a similar vein as the “Arthur Carmichael” tale. 

Among Christie’s lesser-known material, the only odd exclusion is “The House of Dreams,” as its morose, cerebral themes certainly fits this anthology’s vibe. Had the publisher sought a lightweight tale for more variety, “The Lonely God” would have worked. The only caveat with that tale is that Christie’s mushy dialogue diminishes a decent romantic premise.

If anything, this collection sports dual appeal: not only should most Christie fans appreciate it, The Last Séance is a solid prelude to the horror genre that Stephen King’s generation inherited decades later.  Though the bulk of these stories are innocuous by today’s standards, a few are definitely mature audience-only reads. 

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

There is a table of contents.  The bibliography spells out each story’s source/historical debut(s).       

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:             7½ Stars

Notes: Also available in this same anthology format is Midwinter Murder: Fireside Tales from the Queen of Mystery. For a full-length Christie novel pertaining to the supernatural, The Pale Horse is a worthwhile read.   

Categories
Agatha Christie-Related Anthologies Books & Novels Mystery & Suspense

MIDWINTER MURDER: FIRESIDE TALES FROM THE QUEEN OF MYSTERY

SUMMARY:

Released in 2020 by William Morrow (a HarperCollins imprint), this 305-page paperback anthology collects a dozen Agatha Christie tales set during the holiday season.  Anchored by one of her best-known novellas, nearly all of Christie’s fictional detectives are represented.  The specific stories (and their historical debuts) are:

  1. Three Blind Mice (radio play: 1947/U.S. magazine form: 1948/U.S. anthology: 1950). Trapped inside by a blizzard with their guests, a British couple’s fledgling post-war inn unknowingly hosts a vengeful killer. Note: Its stage version is entitled “The Mousetrap.” 

2. Hercule Poirot: The Chocolate Box (U.K. magazine form: 1924/U.S. magazine form: 1925/anthology debut: 1925 (U.S.) and 1974 (U.K.).  On a cold and stormy night, Poirot confides in Captain Hastings his most humbling defeat in a homicide case dating back to his career as a Belgian policeman.

3. Miss Marple: A Christmas Tragedy (magazine form: 1930/anthology debut: 1932 (U.K.) and 1933 (U.S.).  During a night with friends, Jane Marple recalls her efforts years before trying to thwart a young wife’s seemingly inevitable homicide.

4. Harley Quin: The Coming of Mr. Quin (U.K. magazine form: 1924/U.S. magazine form: 1925/anthology debut: 1930). It’s New Year’s Eve/early New Year’s Day, as Mr. Satterthwaite first encounters the ethereal Harley Quin. Over drinks, a small group of friends reconsider an enigmatic suicide from a decade ago in that very same manor house.

5. Tommy & Tuppence: The Clergyman’s Daughter/The Red House (U.K. magazine form: 1923/anthology debut: 1929).  As rookie private detectives, married couple Tommy & Tuppence Beresford probe a young woman’s evidently haunted house for answers.  

6. Hercule Poirot: The Plymouth Express (U.K. magazine form: 1923/U.S. magazine form: 1924/U.S. anthology debut: 1951/U.K anthology debut: 1974). Hastings narrates Poirot’s efforts to solve a cold-blooded robbery-homicide committed aboard an English commuter train.     

7. Parker Pyne: Problem at Pollensa Bay (U.K. magazine form: 1935/U.S. magazine form: 1936/U.S. anthology debut: 1939/U.K. anthology debut: 1991).  Pyne’s incognito vacation in Majorca is disrupted by a mother’s interference in her adult son’s fledgling love life.

8. Miss Marple: Sanctuary (U.K. magazine form: 1935/U.S. magazine form: 1936/U.S. anthology debut: 1939/U.K. anthology debut: 1991).  Jane Marple’s adult goddaughter, Bunch, needs her help deciphering a mysterious stranger’s dying plea upon seeking refuge in a rural vicarage.

9. Hercule Poirot: The Mystery of Hunter’s Lodge (U.K. magazine form: 1923/U.S. magazine form: 1924/anthology debut: 1924 (U.K.) and 1925 (U.S.).  With Poirot immobilized by the flu, Hastings teams with Inspector Japp to probe a wealthy uncle’s homicide at a secluded manor home.

10. Harley Quin: The World’s End (U.S. magazine form: 1926/U.K. magazine form: 1927/anthology debut: 1930).  Accompanying his duchess friend to Corsica, Mr. Satterthwaite finds that a young woman’s fate may be at stake.

11. The Manhood of Edward Robinson (U.K. magazine form: 1924/U.K. anthology debut: 1934/U.S. anthology debut: 1971).  On Christmas Eve, a henpecked, blue-collar fiancé enjoys the adventure of being mistaken for a suave jewel thief.

12. Hercule Poirot: Christmas Adventure (U.K. magazine debut: 1923/U.K. anthology debut: 1997/U.S. anthology debut: 2020).  In this obscure tale’s official U.S. debut, the Belgian sleuth’s old-fashioned British holiday is complicated by a mysterious ruby and potential homicide.      

Notes: Not only is Christie the undisputed ‘Queen of Mystery,’ she is equally masterful at recycling – no matter how confusing it gets.  1. “The Plymouth Express” was later expanded as the 1928 Poirot novel, Mystery of the Blue Train.  2. Similarly, Christie reworked “Christmas Adventure” into the 1960 Poirot novella, “Adventure of the Christmas Pudding.”  Its well-known alternate title is “Theft of the Royal Ruby.”  3. “Problem at Pollensa Bay” was first a Poirot tale before Christie substituted in Parker Pyne. 4. Left intact, “Three Blind Mice” was initially a radio mystery that became a short story/novella before its conversion into a world-famous stage play.

REVIEW:

Packaged in a first-class manner, these timeless Christie stories make an ideal sampler for those first discovering her literary magic … as well as long-time fans enjoying her storytelling in smaller doses.  Notably, there’s a balance of content, as this anthology’s short stories bounce amongst Christie’s best-known characters.

Think of it as a pendulum: darker tales (i.e. “The Mystery of Hunter’s Lodge,” “A Christmas Tragedy,” and “The Plymouth Express”) are matched by lighter, practically humorous fare from Tommy & Tuppence, Parker Pyne, and “The Manhood of Edward Robinson.”  Poirot’s early Christmas tale also fits this latter category. 

Harley Quin provides supernatural-flavored melodrama, and Miss Marple’s well-played “Sanctuary,” at the right moment, delivers serene poignancy.  Deftly spicing its mystery with humor, “Three Blind Mice” is ripe for re-discovery as either a TV or film adaptation.  Gift-wrapping this package is “The Chocolate Box,” as even Poirot’s legendary ‘little grey cells’ aren’t always infallible in this prequel/flashback. 

Refreshingly, none of these tales aren’t tainted by blatant racism that occasionally surfaces in Christie’s work.  Deciding which of these twelve comprise, say its Top 4, is strictly a matter of preference – given the loose seasonal theme, all of Christie’s detectives shine bright enough.  “Three Blind Mice” and “The Manhood of Edward Robinson” are frankly can’t-miss prospects for this collection’s cozy ambiance.  

Still, “The World’s End,” and, to a larger degree, “Christmas Adventure,” can be fairly argued as this book’s two weakest.  Mostly a bore, “The World’s End” finally comes to life in its last few pages.  Despite an overly convenient plot twist, the wrap-up courtesy of Satterthwaite and Quin is nicely conveyed to readers.

“Christmas Adventure,” however, serves up an undercooked Poirot entrée – not only are the guest characters left far too vague, there’s insufficient explanation re: why Poirot already knows where to conduct his stakeout.  Poirot’s condescendingly sexist remark just before the finish coming out of nowhere only further sours this holiday caper.  Christie’s belated do-over — the 1960 novella — easily surpasses this earlier draft.  Most significantly, she takes the necessary time to concoct a satisfying mystery and fully develop her expanded cast.   

Considering its abundance of re-readable entertainment, Midwinter Murder is recommended for any armchair detective, ages 13 and up.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

Entitled “Christmas at Abney Hall,” the four-page ‘introduction’ has Christie waxing nostalgically over her childhood holiday memories.  This material is an excerpt from Christie’s 1977 An Autobiography.  The bibliography spells out each story’s source/historical debut(s).  The last page is a fast paragraph on Christie’s career.     

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                   8½ Stars

Notes: Also available in this same anthology format is The Last Séance: Tales of the Supernatural showcasing another favorite theme in Christie’s storytelling.  Additional wintry mayhem novels by Christie include 1938’s Hercule Poirot’s Christmas and 1931’s The Sittaford Mystery (aka Murder at Hazelmoor).  

Categories
Anthologies Books & Novels Children's Books Fantasy, Horror, & Science Fiction

THE CHRONICLES OF PRYDAIN: THE FOUNDLING AND OTHER TALES OF PRYDAIN

Written by Lloyd Alexander & Cover Art by David Wyatt

SUMMARY:

Originally published in 1973, this 98-page Henry Holt and Company paperback reprint was issued in 2006. As an anthology supplement to The Chronicles of Prydain, author Lloyd Alexander provides eight prequel fables. Readers will some answers to mysteries Alexander tantalizingly left to conjecture after The High King.  Specifically, the short stories are:

  • The Foundling: Some backstory was already divulged during the saga, as to how infant Dalben was found and raised by the Witches of Morva.  Yet, the reason why Dalben opts for the mystical Book of Three as his parting gift from them offers insight into the wizard he ultimately becomes.  The last scene segues into The Stone.
  • The Stone:  A struggling farmer named Maibon insists on a reward of immortality for freeing a leprechaun-like Doli of the Fair Folk from a log that has trapped him.  Courtesy of a mystical stone, Maibon finds that the reality of living forever has dire consequences once time has halted for his family.
  • The True Enchanter: The tragic love story of Eilonwy’s parents is revealed, as her mother, Princess Angharad, rebelliously chooses her heart’s desire instead of family tradition.
  • The Rascal Crow:  Kaw’s overconfident father, Kadwyr, finds that his wily tricks may be no match for Arawn’s Chief Huntsman once he encroaches on Medwyn’s forest.  Yet, the fellow forest creatures whom Kadwyr has belittled are more ingenious than the crow realizes.
  • The Sword:  The wicked legend as to why the enchanted blade, Dyrnwyn, ended up deep underneath Spiral Castle is revealed.   
  • The Smith, The Weaver, and The Harper: Arawn’s feared methods of deception of preying upon humanity’s greed to steal Prydain’s treasures are demonstrated.  Yet, could someone ingeniously reverse Arawn’s corrupted game?
  • Coll and His White Pig:  Coll’s legendary adventure to rescue his pig, Hen Wen, from Annuvin is told.
  • The Truthful Harp: Gifted with a cursed harp by the Chief Bard, King Fflewddur Fflam’s early heroics are explored (at least, as Fflewdddur might have supposedly told them).

REVIEW:

Too often middling, this assortment of morality tales is Prydain’s answer to Aesop’s Fables. Its most intriguing asset is Arawn’s fable, though it isn’t hard to guess what direction Alexander (much like Mark Twain would have) is going in. The other stories are generally okay, but the unsettling and bloody violence implied in The Sword is likely inappropriate material for elementary school kids. Short on genuine surprises, The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain is a decent experience — but the end result is a far cry from Alexander’s Prydain at its best.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

In addition to an ‘Author’s Note,’ Alexander provides a black-and-white map of Prydain as a two-page spread.  A pronunciation guide for Prydain’s terminology is included, as is a two-page Alexander biography.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                         5 Stars

Categories
Anthologies Books & Novels Fantasy, Horror, & Science Fiction Movies & Television (Books) STAR WARS-Related

STAR WARS TRILOGY

Written by George Lucas; Alan Dean Foster; Donald F. Glut; & James Kahn

SUMMARY:

Released in 2004 by Ballantine Books, this 711-page softcover anthology reprints the novelizations of the original Star Wars Trilogy (1976’s Episode IV – Star Wars: A New Hope by George Lucas and his ghostwriter. Alan Dean Foster; 1980’s Episode V – Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back by Donald F. Glut; and 1983’s Episode VI – Star Wars: The Return of Jedi by James Kahn. 

At 260 pages, A New Hope notably includes scenes of Luke and his Tatooine friends (i.e. Biggs Darklighter) that were deleted from the film.  The Empire Strikes Back checks in at a crisp 216 pages, as its novelization doesn’t add previously-unseen material.  Only a captive Han Solo’s detention cell brawl with Lando Calrissian is briefly expanded. At 229 pages, the straight-forward Return of the Jedi also doesn’t offer deleted scenes.  Neither film stills nor reprints of the original novel covers are included.

REVIEW:

Faithful to their source material, the three adaptations age relatively well and are worth re-discovery.  Younger readers may be impressed by the spot-on storytelling that brings Luke Skywalker and his friends to life.  One might even go as far to say that Kahn’s literary effort delivers some better ‘acting’ than what actually appears on-screen in Return of the Jedi.  Still, considering its sheer length, this anthology would have benefited from a few visual materials (i.e. a film still montage insert) to entertain appreciative fans.  Even without colorful ‘extras,’ this collection is a treat to read, especially for those exploring the Star Wars universe for the first time.  

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

Written in 2004, Lucas provides a two-page introduction.  A single page is set aside for paragraph-length biographies of the four authors.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                               7 Stars

Categories
Agatha Christie-Related Anthologies Books & Novels Mystery & Suspense

MISS MARPLE: THE COMPLETE SHORT STORIES

Written by Agatha Christie

SUMMARY:

Released in 2011 by publisher William Morrow, this 368-page softcover compiles twenty Miss Marple mysteries from the following Agatha Christie titles: The Thirteen Problems (aka The Tuesday Club Murders) (1932); The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories (1939); Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (1950);  and Double Sin and Other Stories  (1961).

The complete contents are: # 1-13 (Thirteen Problems); # 14 (Regatta Mystery); # 15-18 (Three Blind Mice); and # 19-20 (Double Sin).

  1. Tuesday Night Club                 11. The Herb of Death
  2. Idol House of Astarte              12. The Affair at the Bungalow
  3. Ingots of Gold                         13. Death by Drowning                       
  4. The Bloodstained Pavement      14. Miss Marple Tells a Story
  5. Motive v. Opportunity             15. Strange Jest                     
  6. The Thumbmark of St. Peter   16. The Case of the Perfect Maid
  7. The Blue Geranium                17. The Case of the Caretaker
  8. The Companion                     18. Tape-Measure Murder
  9. The Four Suspects                 19. Greenshaw’s Folly
  10. A Christmas Tragedy            20. Sanctuary

Note: A previous version of this book was published in 1985.

REVIEW:

This first-class anthology printing frequently depicts St. Mary Mead’s elderly sleuth at her best.  Living up to its potential, most of these tales deliver vintage Agatha Christie, in terms of sheer entertainment. 

Despite a surplus of clever solutions, however, Miss Marple’s most unsatisfying weakness is readily apparent.  As St. Mary Mead’s master sleuth invariably solves these cold cases from afar (i.e. per second-hand/third-hand witness accounts often years later), her deductive reasoning, or lack thereof, is at times rather implausible. 

One is supposed to chalk up Marple’s most unlikely inferences to a woman’s instincts and/or a savvy grip on human nature.  Yet, Christie repeatedly risks depicting Marple as virtually omniscient by story’s end; perhaps then it’s no coincidence that the narrator of Marple’s first novel, Murder at the Vicarage, often describes her as exactly just that.  

The plus side is that possibly exasperated readers are compensated for some contrived finales with usually well-played storytelling, solid continuity, and a healthy dose of Christie-style charm.  Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories offers everything that long-time fans and Marple newcomers need for an enjoyable bedtime read.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

Christie’s foreword from The Thirteen Problems is included.  The first page is a short Christie biography.   

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:          8 Stars

Categories
Anthologies Books & Novels Mystery & Suspense Sherlock Holmes-Related

SHELROCK HOLMES: THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

Written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

SUMMARY:

Initially published in 1892 in Britain and the U.S., this 321-page softcover edition was released by Penguin Books in the U.S. in 2009.  This printing was meant to help stoke interest in Robert Downey Jr.’s big-screen film.  The short story compilation consists of:

  • A Scandal in Bohemia: Holmes is employed by a snooty European royal, now publicly engaged, to retrieve a potentially embarrassing  photograph from an elusive ex-girlfriend.  This story is Irene Adler’s sole appearance in Doyle’s Holmes canon.
  • A Case of Identity: Mary Townsend’s fiancé mysteriously vanishes just minutes before their wedding, so she asks Holmes to find out what happened to him.
  • The Red-Headed League: Aging, down-on-his-luck pawnbroker Jabez Wilson may be the pawn of an elaborate scam, as Holmes suspects.
  • The Boscombe Valley Mystery: Holmes believes that, contrary to strong circumstantial evidence, young James McCarthy didn’t murder his belligerent father amidst a heated quarrel.
  • The Five Orange Pips: Twice before, envelopes ominously containing five orange pips directed at client John Openshaw’s uncle and later his father may have signaled their imminent death warrants.  When a third envelope arrives, will Holmes be too late to save his client in time?
  • The Man With the Twisted Lip: A distraught wife/mother urges Holmes to find out what happened to her husband, who evidently vanished inside an opium den.
  • The Blue Carbuncle: During the Christmas season, a stolen blue gem is unexpectedly found within a holiday goose.  Holmes and Watson backtrack the sales history of the goose to the thief.
  • The Speckled Band: Helen Stoner is terrified that she will meet the same ghastly fate of her twin sister only two years before once she is forced to move into the same bedroom.
  • The Engineer’s Thumb: Holmes & Watson aid a victimized hydraulic engineer, whose thumb has been severed.  They backtrack the truth behind the engineer’s ordeal.
  • The Noble Bachelor: An American bride disappears shortly after her wedding to a British noble.  Holmes has an alternate explanation compared to the grim theory held by Scotland Yard.
  • The Beryl Coronet: An anguished banker seeks Holmes’ aid when an invaluable state treasure is damaged, as three of its priceless gems stolen.  The only suspect is the banker’s own wayward son, who refuses to cooperate.
  • The Cooper Beeches: Already wary of her peculiar new employers, governess Violet Hunter calls upon Holmes & Watson for help when she realizes that something truly sinister is afoot.

REVIEW:

To Penguin Books’ credit, this attractive softcover is perfect for casual fans, as its comfortable font size makes for a leisurely read.  Narrated by Watson, this dozen mysteries remain a terrific introduction to English literature’s first super-detective.  In particular, Doyle’s wording is remarkable in that it hardly seems dated to modern readers. 

Yet, there are a few grammatical issues to be aware of.  Aside from Doyle’s odd goof in The Man With the Twisted Lip where Watson’s own wife mistakenly refers to him as “James” instead of “John,” there will be some occasional pronoun trouble and confusing punctuation.  Specifically, Doyle isn’t always specific enough as to who the pronoun “he” refers to during conversations between Holmes, Watson, and a male client.  Also, lengthy client flashbacks can be confusing, as the pronoun “I,” isn’t always clear as to whether the client is still speaking, or if it refers to Watson as the story’s overall narrator.  Lastly, Doyle tends to use exclamation points rather than question marks when a speaker excitedly asks questions.

As for the stories themselves, for the most part, they are indeed timeless.  Yet, some contrived plot elements don’t age well.  Whether it is the absurd personal motive for The Man With the Twisted Lip to stay behind bars (and even risk execution), weddings gone awry, unusual scams, or the tyrannical daddy buffoons seen in The Copper Beeches and The Speckled Band, some of Doyle’s ‘villains’ are merely glorified caricatures, often with a macabre twist.  Invariably, as Holmes and Watson dominate the screen time,  Doyle neglects to bolster depth in Holmes’ adversaries, as well as his clients, in these short tales.   

Besides the amusing Blue Carbuncle and Red-Headed League, Doyle’s best efforts include the intriguing Scandal in Bohemia, as well as the terror-inducing double-header of The Speckled Band and The Five Orange Pips.  Another solid excursion is The Boscombe Valley Mystery, as even its contrived elements implicating the prime suspect don’t sabotage an otherwise compelling tale.  Similarly, parts of The Beryl Coronet’s solution (i.e. how the Coronet is actually broken) seem ridiculous, but the story itself is generally well-played.     

It’s really no wonder that future mystery authors, such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, were inspired by bits and pieces of Doyle’s creativity.  Even his weaker stuff (i.e. A Case of Identity, The Noble Bachelor,  The Man With the Twisted Lip, and an unsatisfying finish for The Engineer’s Thumb) boast a few great ideas that future sleuths, i.e. Christie’s Hercule Poirot, would satisfyingly improve upon.  Swallowed with the necessary grains of salt, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes makes a first-class read anytime.   

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

Its table-of-contents is helpful.  There’s also a two-paragraph biography of Doyle.  Penguin Classics advertises brief synopses for The Hound of the Baskervilles; The Sign of Four; and A Study in Scarlet.  A final advertisement refers to Doyle’s A Life in Letters re: a collection of the author’s private correspondence.   

BRIAN’S 10-STAR RATING:                                     10 Stars