News — book review

“THE MX BOOK OF NEW SHERLOCK HOLMES STORIES, edited by David Marcum (London: MX Publishing, 2015), is an anthology of straight-forward pastiches, carefully selected from what Marcum calls the “Great Watsonian Oversoul.” Marcum believes that “there never can be enough good Holmes stories, relating the activities of the true, correct, and traditional Holmes,” and he offers more than sixty stories, almost all previously unpublished, by authors who are old hands at writing pastiches or newcomers to the genre. The stories (and occasional poems and scripts) are nicely done indeed, and the collection consists of three volumes (439/416/418 pp.) Recommended. MX’s web-sites are at <www.mxpublishing.com> and...

“Make no mistake: I am a student of the life of Sherlock Holmes, and not Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I play “The Game” with great seriousness. My two trips to England, and in particular London, have been Holmes Pilgrimages. Any time that I happened to cross the path of Conan Doyle, Watson’s first – but not only – literary agent, was usually by accident. (Stopping to look at two of Doyle’s London homes, for instance, happened only because they were on the walk between other Holmes-related sites, and not because they were destinations in-and-of themselves.) In spite of this statement,...

“…This one is quite the page-turner. It is hard to believe such a great mystery could be crammed into about 150 pages! It keeps your attention from the first word to the last. Much like a mountain climber; when you think you have reached the climax of the novel, it simply means you are viewing the next peak.I have absolutely no hesitation in giving this novel five plus stars!” Reviewed by Raven’s Reviews Sherlock Holmes and The House of Pain is available from all good bookstores including The Strand Magazine, Amazon USA, Amazon UK, and for free shipping worldwide Book Depository .In ebook format...

“I was recently sent a copy of a new book, Sherlock Holmes as a Pipe Smoker, by its author Dr. Thomas Gwinner. Since Sherlockiana is one of my hobbies, I was intrigued by the subject as much has been made about the references to pipes, tobaccos, cigars and cigarettes in the Canon. What made this especially interesting is that it only assesses the mentions where they apply to Holmes himself, and his pipes and tobaccos. I always remember the pipes that appeared in the 56 short stories and four novels – a clay, a cherrywood and a briar. Dr. Gwinner...

“Anybody who has ever read the Sherlock Holmes mysteries knows that there were two constant companions of the great sleuth, Dr. Watson and his tobacco pipe. This book covers in detail the pipes and tobacco that Holmes enjoyed throughout his fictional lifetime. If you enjoy the stories you will also enjoy the simplicity and straightforward facts that are laid out by the writer. To put it simply, I really enjoyed this book and would suggest this to anyone who is a fan of the series.”  5 stars [Amazon USA] Sherlock Holmes as a Pipe Smoker is available from all good...