September 15, 2020
Fifteen new stories inspired by Sherlock Holmes in ways so inventively varied that Holmes and Watson appear in only one of them. Introducing their fifth ever more wide-ranging collection, the editors indicate the principal originality of this one: The authors are all "not previously known to be friends of Holmes." This promise is paid off in spades. Who knew that Kwei Quartey had in him a Ghana locked-room murder deftly solved by retired Superintendent Mensah Blay? Or that Joe R. Lansdale and his daughter, Kasey, could turn Holmes and Watson into a pair of female ghost hunters? Or that Maria Alexander could dream up a bride's mother hopelessly smitten with Benedict Cumberbatch? Once the novelty of the concept has faded, the results are more inconsistent. On the whole, the entries that flaunt their cleverness--Lisa Morton's sending a skeptical young Arthur Conan Doyle to a s�ance, Derek Haas' rapid-fire deductions from a 19th-century printer's apprentice, Robin Burcell's investigation of whether Dr. John Watson was killed by his wife, Mary, or his partner, Dr. Joseph Bell, and especially Brad Parks' Jersey Shore girlfriend's alternating brainy explanations and, like, totally throwaway dialogue--come off the best. Martin Edwards' fictional review of the latest Sherlockiana by his jealous hero's rival, Tess Gerritsen's cheeky reevaluation of Holmes and Moriarty by their descendants, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's patient who believes he's Sherlock Holmes, and Joe Hill's graphic-fictional sleuth Shit-Talk Holmes all deserve honorable mention. Naomi Hirahara, David Corbett, and James Lincoln Warren update or deconstruct Holmes in ingenious ways, and James W. Ziskin features Holmes and Watson themselves. No fewer than four of these tales are set in California. Will a surfer Holmes be next? Dude!
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December 1, 2020
This is the fifth entry (after For the Sake of the Game, 2018) in editors King and Klinger's popular anthology series of Sherlock Holmes-inspired short stories. In their introduction, the editors advise readers not to expect tales about Holmes, but rather about persons who admire, emulate, or think like him. Kwei Quartey opens the collection by introducing us to a Ghanaian Holmes. Quartey is one of many authors who credits the resident of 221B Baker Street, as his most important childhood inspiration. Humor comes in the form of "Cumberbachelor," by Maria Alexander, featuring a woman with Benedict Cumberbatch's face tattooed on her arm. There is also an effective graphic "short" from noted graphic-novel author Joe Hill, and a supernatural tale from horror writer Lisa Morton, "A S�ance in Liverpool," in which budding author Conan Doyle receives some helpful clues from the other side. All in all, this is a fine collection by 15 noted authors, including Joe Lansdale, Brad Parks, and Tess Gerritsen. Ideal for all Holmes collections.
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