Review: The Illustrated Speckled Band

The Illustrated Speckled Band

Ed. by Leslie S. Klinger

Reviewed by Amy Thomas

The Baker Street Babes

The idea of Sherlock Holmes in the theater tends to bring images of William Gillette to mind, the actor whose play Sherlock Holmes and portrayal of the detective garnered acclaim that continues to this day. Less well known to current Sherlockians is the fact that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself successfully dramatized one of his most popular stories, “The Speckled Band.” Thankfully, The Illustrated Speckled Band provides a comprehensive overview of this tantalizing piece of Holmesian trivia.

The book consists of four main elements: the text of the play, photographs of the original stage production, an original review of the production, and an essay that relates the play to the short story. For those familiar with the text of the story, the play reads a bit like a movie script taken from a print source—it follows the same general pattern, but many of the details have been changed for dramatic effect and convention. Conan Doyle’s ability as a dramatist is immediately apparent in the masterful use of humor and foreshadowing.

The photos, placed alongside the text where they naturally occurred in the production, are a rare treat. They not only shed light on direction and staging, but they also reveal something of the Adelphi Theater acting style just after the turn of the century.

The critical review, from The Playgoer and Society Illustrated, is a charming window into the journalism of the period and the popular opinion of Conan Doyle. The paper’s short biographical articles about the main castmembers are also included and contain such gems as this amusingly purple quote from Christine Silver, who played the lead female character: “You will say this is very feminine. Well, I admit the soft impeachment; it’s a woman’s privilege. A man lives and forgets; a woman lives and remembers.”

Finally, the essay by R. Dixon Smith does an excellent job of illuminating the circumstances that surrounded the writing of the play and the ways in which it compares and contrasts with the source story. It’s a satisfying way to conclude a very unusual volume.

The Illustrated Speckled Band is appealing in three particular ways. Its obvious Holmesian appeal lies in the rarity of what is included and the extensive presentation of a little-known piece of Sherlockiana. Additionally, it offers an unusually detailed look at British theater in 1910. Finally, for historians, it gives a glimpse of the ideas and attitudes of actors and reviewers during Conan Doyle’s time. It’s an enjoyable book to read, but its beautiful cover design also makes it a great addition to the bookshelf or coffee table of any Sherlock Holmes lover.

A copy of this book was provided for consideration by Gasogene Books. 

Review: The Sherlock Holmes Triviography and Quiz Book, 2nd Edition

The Sherlock Holmes Triviography and Quiz Book, 2^nd Edition

By Kathleen Kaska

Reviewed by Amy Thomas

The Baker Street Babes

It’s a great time to enter the world of Sherlock Holmes. The BBC’s Sherlock series and the Guy Ritchie Holmes films have ushered in millions of new fans, a great many of whom have gone on to explore the Granada tv series and the canonical stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. As a result, the glossy second edition of Kathleen Kaska’s engaging quiz collection comes at a particularly apt time

Kaska’s book consists of 80 quizzes covering the Holmes stories, the author, and much more, as well as five crossword puzzles. In addition, each section contains a small introductory essay with valuable information about aspects of the canon.

One thing that sets this particular work apart is that the quizzes presented are not filled with only simple, surface questions. New fans and die-hard Holmes devotees alike will be amused and perplexed by some of the more detailed queries, and even the most experienced Holmesian will come away with increased knowledge.

The Sherlock Holmes Triviography and Quiz Book would be a fantastic gift for a new or old Holmesian. It’s a particularly great book to have on the coffee table to provide hours of entertainment and enriched knowledge of the detective’s world.

Buy it at LL Publications

Buy it at Amazon.com [US] [UK]

A copy of this book was provided for consideration by LL-Publications.

Review: Psychic Lies & Mental Spies

“Psychic Lies & Mental Spies”
by Joe Riggs
Reviewed by Maria Fleischhack
The Baker Street Babes

Have you ever wanted to think like Sherlock Holmes? Have you wondered how that “mind palace” or “memory attic” works which has recently been mentioned in Sherlock BBC’s “Hounds of Baskerville”, and which Doyle wrote of in “A Study in Scarlet”? Have you been impressed by the great detective’s deductive powers and been envious of his abilities? Joe Riggs, who is sometimes called the “real Sherlock Holmes,” has written a book to show us how we can do it, too.

Joe Riggs begins his book with congratulating the reader on even coming as far as reading the first lines of it; and in a sense that is very understandable. From a first impression, the book might seem like just another weird pamphlet about psychic powers and mentalists; something which one might find in a New Age book shop in a little side street. But once you get reading, it becomes obvious very quickly that the author is not trying to teach us any supernatural powers and explain how to communicate with the dead; no, quite the opposite is true. Having grown up among mentalists and psychics and having witnessed how they often use their abilities to play with the emotions of those asking for their help, Riggs decides to show us how they work. And not only does he let us look in his cards, so to speak, but he also teaches us some tricks to further our own mental abilities and observational skills.

Riggs uses Sherlock Holmes’s character both as an example and an inspiration to show how capable we all are of using our minds way beyond what we think we can do. He talks about the tools he uses in his work as a mentalist, giving each of us a chance to enhance our learning abilities and become better observers.

“It‘s time to learn some wonderfully mental things,” he writes; and this is what the book offers us. It is a wonderful guide working with Riggs’s own experiences, scientific discoveries and logical explanations in a way which is not at all patronising, but helpfully suggesting how we can become more aware, healthy and perceptible of our surroundings.

Appealing to the reader, Riggs promises that everyone who finishes the book will be surprised by what they can achieve; and believe it or not, it is not an empty promise. Joe Riggs explains to us which devices he uses “as a Mentalist that can expand your mind-power, super charge your memory, heighten your deductive and observational powers, and transform the way you think.” Yes, he offers tips how to build our very own mind palace and how to easily memorise large numbers … or our shopping list. In addition, he explains how to read people by becoming aware of the mechanics of non-verbal communication. Remember Doctor Lightman in “Lie to Me”? Yes, that is exactly what we are talking about here; only that Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Lightman are fictional characters, whereas their techniques are very real and, let’s face it, very cool.

“Psychic Lies & Mental Spies” is out today. For more information, visit Joe Riggs’s website or you can buy the book from Amazon.

Review: Sherlock Holmes and the Affair in Transylvania

Sherlock Holmes and the Affair in Transylvania
by Gerry O'Hara
Reviewed by Maria Fleischhack
The Baker Street Babes

Sherlock Holmes and the Affair in Transylvania is John Watson’s account of a case which leads him and Holmes to encounter Count Dracula. The beginning of the novel harks back to the beginning of the film “The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes”. We learn that this affair belongs to a cluster of cases that were not fit for publication in the lifetime of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Therefore, the case of Count Dracula was disclosed fifty years after their deaths.

The case papers are narrated by John Watson in the usual fashion of a detailed account of events from his point of view. O’Hara’s Watson sounds quite a bit like Doyle’s, with few liberties on the author’s side, which are not at all detrimental to the story.

What we read is the story of Dracula in every sense of the word. While Holmes and Watson are away in Romania for a case, Watson receives a letter from his nice Mina, who lives in Budapest, and who is asking for help to find her disappeared husband Janos. Holmes and Watson travel to Hungary to meet Mina and her friend Lucy Westenra, and take on the case. Soon they find themselves on their way back to Romania and to Dracula’s castle.

What follows is a surprisingly entertaining retelling of the story of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. While some of the protagonists, like Mina and Lucy Westenra, are borrowed directly from the story, others, like Janos, are loosely based on the text’s original characters. Budapest serves as the equivalent of London and Sherlock Holmes himself takes on the role of Van Helsing.

The voices of Holmes and Watson are delightfully similar to Doyle’s characters and despite the fact that the adventure they experience is very familiar to everyone who has read Stoker’s Dracula, the novel manages to be suspenseful and surprising. This can be attributed to the new narrative perspective, which is limited to that of John Watson instead of the epistolary form of diary entries and letters in Stoker’s text. The familiar voice of John Watson guides the reader not only through the adventures, but also through Holmes’ deductions, effortlessly connecting the two literary worlds through the eyes of the narrator.

Sherlock Holmes and the Affair in Transylvania is an entertaining and smooth read. It is a new take on a familiar story which works surprisingly well. O’Hara constantly refers to past cases and therefore links his own story to Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories; so fans of the original Holmes will smile and nod to themselves when they find these references. And while it might not be a typical Holmes story for the many supernatural elements in it, it is nevertheless a book which caters to both fans of Doyle’s and fans of Stoker’s works. It is a funny, delightful and very intelligent retelling of two of the most beloved Victorian works of fiction and I can wholeheartedly recommend it!

You can buy the book in The Baker Street Babes Bookshop!

Review: An Entirely New Country

An Entirely New Country 

By Alistair Duncan 

Reviewed by Maria Fleischhack

The Baker Street Babes

 

Being familiar with Alistair Duncan through the Save Undershaw campaign, I was very interested in reading An Entirely New Country, which is set against the backdrop of the ten years Arthur Conan Doyle spent at Undershaw, the house he designed and had built for his family in the 1890s. I had also read Andrew Lycett’s biography of Doyle and was curious to see how Duncan would write about those significant years in Doyle’s life. 

An Entirely New Country is a detailed account of ten of the most important and productive years in the life of Arthur Conan Doyle. This window into the life of the author, sportsman, politician, husband, father and friend is framed by Doyle’s life in Undershaw, Hindhead; the home which he designed and had built for himself and his family and where he moved in 1897. The ulterior motif for the move to Surrey was the health of Doyle’s wife Louise, who suffered from tuberculosis. The healthy environment of Hindhead did indeed help her to live much longer than any physician had dared to hope. However, it is also known that Doyle fell in love with a much younger woman, who would eventually become his wife after Louise’s death. The difficult situation Doyle found himself in and the rather insensitive way in which he dealt with it is only one of the focal points of An Entirely New Country. Duncan manages to depict Doyle as the private man; the man who always consulted his mother before making any major and even minor decisions; the man who dined with royalty and who moved in the highest political and social circles; the man who stood up for a completely unknown man named George Edalji, because he believed he had been erroneously convicted of a crime he had never committed. 

Duncan makes extensive use of contemporary newspaper articles, letters and diary entries to paint a very vivid and round picture of the beloved author. As pointed out by Mark Gatiss in the introduction to the book, Conan Doyle’s many roles in life are brought into focus and insights into his private life shed new light on Arthur Conan Doyle - the man. The book is a pot of gold where it comes to details and unknown facts about Doyle’s life, which add up to a much larger and more concise picture of a man who has done and achieved more than seems humanly possibly in one lifetime

An Entirely New Country is a biography, but Duncan’s subtle humour makes it much more than just a collection of facts and dates. The commentary on the different aspects of Conan Doyle’s life and interactions with his friends and acquaintances helps to see a much more private person; a person who failed his loved ones; who, despite his best efforts, did not always succeed; and a man, who did not particularly like his most famous and beloved character: Sherlock Holmes. Many things have been written about Arthur Conan Doyle, both good and bad; but Duncan’s book manages to offer a deeper understanding of the intentions and motivations of the polymath, who helped shape his times and who is still a well beloved and widely read author. 

The book is a brilliant read, never boring and it leaves one with a very vivid image of Doyle at the turn of the century. Alistair Duncan added profoundly to the already extensive source material we have on Doyle, and I highly and whole-heartedly recommend the book to anyone who is interested in Doyle and his contemporaries.

You can buy this book in the Baker Street Babes Bookshop!

Review: The Secret Journal of Dr. Watson

The Secret Journal of Dr. Watson

By Phil Growick

Reviewed by Amy Thomas

The Baker Street Babes

Upcoming publication The Secret Journal of Dr. Watson takes Sherlock Holmes and his Boswell on an adventure to Russia during the Bolshevik revolution, putting them in contact with historical and fictional figures alike as they pursue the rescue of the Romanovs. Danger stalks them at every turn, and they are constantly confronted with their own mortality and the need for the detective’s mind to be at its most keen.

Growick takes the traditional approach of using Watson’s voice, conveyed in daily journal entries. This technique is effective, and the Holmes and Watson encountered by the reader are canonical and engaging. The book bears the official Conan Doyle estate seal with good reason; the quality of its research and writing are impressive.

History buffs will be particularly intrigued by the layered and fascinating explanation of the complexities of the Russian revolutionary situation, but those just looking for an enjoyable read will find themselves far from bored. Growick strikes an enjoyable balance between historical believability and fast-paced action.

Most of the Doylean stories keep Holmes and Watson close to home, putting them in London-based contexts or in the surrounding English countryside. Growick’s novel, with its more exotic and high-stakes setting, fits neatly with the later stories, those that place Holmes in retirement and beyond.

The Secret Journal of Dr. Watson is mysterious, intriguing, and fun, a chilling and thought-provoking exploration of a period of Russian history that engenders a great deal of speculation. Of course, we know that Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson never actually went to Ekaterinburg to find the Romanovs. Or do we? Phil Growick’s excellent novel will make you believe they did.

Buy it at our bookshop!

A copy of The Secret Journal of Dr. Watson  was provided for consideration by MX Publishing.

Review: Raffles: A Perfect Wicket

Raffles: A Perfect Wicket

By Richard Foreman

Reviewed by Dawn

Guest Writer for The Baker Street Babes

Raffles: A Perfect Wicket, is the third story about Raffles and Bunny, written expertly by Richard Foreman.

During a dry spell in the nightly activities of thieving, Raffles is invited to a party at Lord Rosebery's by Lucy, whom Raffles met in Raffles: The Gentleman Thief. Rosebery, another real life person to feature in Foreman's stories, is a former Prime Minister, quite wealthy, and Raffles jumps at the chance to relieve him of some of his riches. However, one never knows Raffles' plans fully. It turns out to be a night of a few turns of events, including a surprise appearance by a well known inspector, and its not Mackenzie!

This is easily the funniest of the Raffles stories. Foreman shows his subtle humor through his characters' ironic comments about contemporary society, from the political scene to the growing women's movement around the late 19th century. Raffles and Bunny are the perfect neutral observers, and as an omniscient reader it is easy to see the parallels in today's society. Surprisingly, or maybe not, nothing much has changed.

The language is lush, even rather poetic at times. It's nice to see that Foreman has a knack of describing a beautiful scenery and not just the best method of lockpicking. I fear I'll end up repeating myself, but these stories fully live up to E. W. Hornung's original books, so if you like me cannot get enough of Raffles, Bunny and their adventures in cricket and crime (mostly crime), these new stories are worth all of your attention.

Download it [HERE]!

Review: Raffles: Bowled Over

Raffles: Bowled Over

By Richard Foreman

Reviewed by Dawn
Guest Writer for The Baker Street Babes

Raffles: Bowled Over is the title of Richard Foreman's second story about A. J. Raffles, amateur thief and professional cricketer. An apt title, since that's exactly how this reader felt.

In this second story which picks up where Raffles: The Gentleman Thief left off, Raffles takes on a job close to home. His new neighbor at the Albany is a famous banker whose fortune is only surpassed in volume by his obnoxious nature. Raffles' plans are in danger of being thwarted, though, when he meets the beautiful maid Mary, who might be stealing his heart. But, as often happens, things are not as they seem!

This story is not only a joy because of the wonderful characterizations of Raffles and Bunny, but the rest of the ensemble is both amusing and full of personality. I found myself often laughing with Raffles and cringing with Bunny at the various people they encounter. The casual mention of real people like H. G. Wells, Winston Churchill and the famous sportsman C. B. Fry—here a friend of Raffles—naturally brings authenticity to the story, and you really do feel like you're witnessing history first hand.

One small thing stands out, which has nothing to do with plot or the story as such, but brought a smile to my face. In E. W. Hornung's original stories he would every now and then introduce his readers to new inventions that saw the light of the day during the 19th century like the telephone, the torchlight, or the bicycle. Foreman hasn't missed the opportunity to honor this tradition as he has Bunny mention the new thing known as the escalator. It's yet another example of the many wonderful details Foreman puts into his stories and it's why they are such a pleasure to read.

Buy it on Amazon US or Amazon UK! For this weekend (April 21-22, 2012) it's FREE to download!

Review: Shadowfall

Shadowfall 

By Tracy Revels

Reviewed by Amy Thomas

The Baker Street Babes

This review is going to begin atypically. Instead of providing the usual overview of the novel’s plot, I’m going to go ahead and acknowledge the elephant in the room: Shadowfall is a fantasy novel. Tracy Revels unabashedly places Holmes and Watson in a paranormal context from the first page of the book. My general dislike of the combination of Holmes and the supernatural meant that when I began the story, I was not expecting to enjoy it. That’s why it was such a shock to find it to be one of the finest Holmes pastiches I have ever had the pleasure to experience.

Revels creates a world in which Holmes is fully himself as characterized by Conan Doyle, with his canonically intriguing mixture of brusqueness, cleverness, mercurial temperament, and loyal friendship. Watson’s narrative voice is also as spot-on as anything I have ever read that was not written by Conan Doyle. Early in the story, a crisis is revealed that concerns both the human world and a shadow world inhabited by mythical creatures and folk legends alike. Holmes, the reader learns, belongs partly to that world and partly to ours.

Watson is the audience’s eyes and ears for an entertaining romp through the natural and the supernatural and guides us through a world in which cigar ash can have magical properties and honeybees are more than they seem. More than simply borrowing Holmes characters, strong ties to the canon and tasteful echoes of Conan Doyle show that Revels knows Sherlock Holmes inside and out and has a firm enough grasp of the original context to re-situate the characters in an extremely skillful manner.

Shadowfall is a Sherlock Holmes fantasy novel for people who hate Sherlock Holmes fantasy novels. The book’s breathtaking conclusion follows a well-told story with every bit of the warmth, homage to the original, and meticulous detail that make for a truly exceptional and intelligent pastiche.

Buy it at our bookshop!

A copy of Shadowfall was provided for consideration by MX Publishing.

Review: Raffles: The Gentleman Thief

Raffles: The Gentleman Thief

By Richard Foreman

Reviewed by Dawn

Guest Writer for The Baker Street Babes

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This book is currently free to download from Amazon—click HERE for the UK edition, or check your country's Amazon store! Don't miss out!

A fan of Sherlock Holmes? Read E. W. Hornung's stories about the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles and his trusty sidekick Bunny, written lovingly and tounge-in-cheek by Conan Doyle's friend and brother-in-law. A fan of Sherlock Holmes and Raffles? Read Raffles - The Gentleman Thief, by Richard Foreman, because it is the perfect fandom mashup, as we fans would put it.

This new original story by Foreman sees our favorite amateur cracksman Raffles - famous cricket player by day, infamous jewel thief by night - hired by none other than Baker Street's most famous detective Sherlock Holmes. He is, of course, to steal something, a job Holmes characteristically just cannot be bothered with himself. Readers of Hornung's Raffles stories may have wondered where Holmes fits into this universe, if at all. Surely London's most famous thief wouldn't go unnoticed? In the BBC Raffles radio plays Holmes exists in an offhand comment, and in the TV series, Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character in a book, which is obviously a reference for laughs. But in Foreman's short story he is very real. In fact, Holmes finds him more of a useful asset than a threat. Remember that Holmes never particularly cared for morals or political games, and that is exactly what saves Raffles when he is offered a job he cannot resist.

Foreman manages to write in the same spirit and atmosphere as the original Raffles stories, complete with Victorian foggy London, dirty alleys and the frivolous way of upper class life that Raffles despises and yet entertains so easily. He even adds a bit of social awareness, and perhaps a few observations about modern society too; with comments on growing tourism and the popularity of Madam Tussuad's wax museum on Marylebone Street. However, that doesn't take away from Bunny's reflections on the world around him. On the contrary, it's fitting. Raffles was, after all, a kind of unrecognized Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and, if not exactly giving to the poor (except the unfortunate Bunny), then at least ensuring his and Bunny's bachelor lives.

Apart from writing an aloof yet charming Raffles and a devoted and slightly self effacing Harry "Bunny" Manders, Richard Foreman manages to write Holmes and Watson as domestic as ever. They are, by nature of the story, observed by Bunny, who considers them an old married couple, and it shows in his perfectly canonical writing. I cannot recommend this enough for both Raffles and Holmes fans. It will leave you wanting more, and I for one am looking forward to his next instalment.

Review: Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Legacy

Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Legacy

By David Ruffle

Reviewed by Amy Thomas

The Baker Street Babes

The second Lyme Regis outing by Sherlockian David Ruffle finds Watson again making his way to the coastal town, only to become tangled in a series of murders that mimic the methods of some of Holmes’s most famous cases. The detective soon joins him in Lyme Regis, and the two enlist Inspector Lestrade’s help as they track down a murderer and solve a case with close ties to The Hound of the Baskervilles. After this novella-length adventure concludes, the book, like Ruffle’s previous title, is rounded out by several short

stories.

One particularly welcome aspect of the novel is Ruffle’s liberal use of humor, which is sprinkled throughout the main novella and the subsequent stories, some of which are outright parodies. Also of note are the engaging characterizations of Mycroft Holmes and Inspector Lestrade, who are realized in canonical and three-dimensional ways.

Legacy is more of a companion novel than a sequel to Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Horror, thought its action is set in the same location at a later time. Knowledge of the previous book’s plot is a helpful, though unnecessary, component of the reading experience. In addition, fans of The Hound of the Baskervilles will particularly enjoy the well-researched references, but those unfamiliar with that story will not find this one difficult to understand.

Perhaps Ruffle’s greatest departure from his previous book is that he chooses to eschew the supernatural in his primary story, a factor that may make the book more enjoyable for those who are not fond of Holmes combined with the paranormal. Some of the short stories return to the supernatural theme, and they read like traditional, spine-chilling, ghost stories.

The most touching aspect of the book is a section of stories that concern Holmes and Watson in very old age. Many Sherlockians enjoy the idea of a world in which the doctor and the detective live forever, but Ruffle does not shy away from bringing them up against the inevitability of aging and death, and he does so in a meaningful way.

Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Legacy is more editorially polished than its predecessor and equally well conceived by a man who clearly loves both Sherlock Holmes and the town of Lyme Regis. In its pages, we encounter once again the voice of the Watson we know and love.

Buy it in our bookshop!

Review: Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Horror

Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Horror

Expanded 2^nd Edition

By David Ruffle

Reviewed by Amy Thomas

The Baker Street Babes

Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Horror begins with an innocent excursion to a seaside town. Within a few pages, however, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson find themselves embroiled in a mysterious and horrible secret that threatens an entire city. Following this novella-length pastiche is a brief collection of Holmes-related short stories, some of which are Victorian pastiches and others of which are more loosely connected to the Holmes canon.

Throughout the main story and most of the shorts that follow, Mr. Ruffle uses Watson as his narrator, capably mimicking the style of the Conan Doyle originals. His Watson is sincere and trustworthy, his Holmes logical and abstruse. The book’s main story occasionally veers dangerously close to an overuse of Holmes tropes, but the awkwardness falls away as the plot intensifies, and Mr. Ruffle’s prose truly shines in moments of intense action.

A reader’s ability to enjoy this book largely hinges on an individual appreciation for supernatural elements in fiction, and, more particularly, in Sherlock Holmes-related fiction. The Conan Doyle practice of providing natural explanations for seemingly-supernatural phenomena is totally subverted here, and Mr. Ruffle does not shy away from including the paranormal in more than one story. The reader who enjoys these elements is likely to be pleased, as they are incorporated in a logical way, investigated in a legitimately Holmesian manner, and described in a convincingly Watsonian voice.

To this reviewer, the best moments of the book occur in its final third, when Mr. Ruffle ventures into the tricky world of short-story pastiches. Particularly in The Trumper Affair, an excellently-drawn case involving cricket and abduction, the narrative voice and plot progression are so pitch-perfect as to be almost indistinguishable from the canon. Also worth mentioning is the author’s obvious affection for the town of Lyme Regis, exemplified in his meticulous attention to the details of its history, appearance, and atmosphere throughout the book.

Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Horror is a successful book with occasional weaknesses in narration and editing, but one that ultimately provides an engaging Holmesian experience, particularly for those who appreciate tales of the paranormal. The quality short stories included in this edition provide touches of true excellence.

Buy it at our bookshop!

Review: Mycroft Holmes & The Adventure of the Silver Birches

Mycroft Holmes & The Adventure of the Silver Birches 
By David Dickinson
Reviewed by Amy Thomas

The Baker Street Babes 

The beginning of The Adventure of the Silver Birches alerts the reader to the vacuum created by the retirement of Sherlock Holmes, and his absence sets the tone for a story in which his elder brother, Mycroft, is called on to do things far outside his comfort zone in order to ensure the safety of the British nation. As is the case with many stories in the original canon, the tale is briefly told through a few key characters, a short investigation, and a climax with a surprising resolution.

One of the story’s strengths is the portrait it paints of Mycroft, a picture rich with details about his lifestyle, habits, and associates. He is a believable extension of the original Mycroft Holmes—more fleshed-out, but certainly compatible with his persona as conceived by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Inspector Lestrade, too, is a strong presence, and his dogged, uncreative policework is capably contrasted with Mycroft’s subtler methods.

Mycroft’s assistant, a young man known only as Tobias, is an intriguing original character with a complex personality. Tobias is to Mycroft what Dr. Watson is to Sherlock, but he in no way resembles the army doctor of the original stories. Instead, Tobias is cerebral, witty, and academic, and his dryness accounts for some moments of wry humor in the narrative.

The mystery itself is straightforward and fast-paced, and the ending manages to be unexpected. As with most short stories, the action is boiled down to the barest necessities, but enough information is present to immerse the reader in the case.

The story contains several references to original stories and characters that are sure to delight canon-lovers, but at the same time it also provides new perspectives to enjoy. Sherlock, no longer resident in London, is nevertheless frequently mentioned, and the contrast between his personality and Mycroft’s is aptly preserved.

Short-story pastiches face many challenges, not the least of which is the fact that most of the Conan Doyle stories were short, and therefore comparison is inevitable. The Adventure of the Silver Birches employs the format capably and presents an interesting picture of Mycroft Holmes at the helm of a case that his brother would certainly have tackled in a very different way.

Mycroft Holmes & The Adventure of the Silver Birches can be bought in Kindle format UK and USA

Published by Endeavour Press 

Review: A Study In Sherlock

A Study in Sherlock

Ed. By Laurie R. King and Les Klinger

Reviewed by Amy Thomas

The Baker Street Babes

Ever since the publication of the Sherlock Holmes canon, the four novels and fifty-six short stories that comprise Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s official Holmes output, authors have been appropriating his characters for their own use. Conan Doyle himself was known to do so—Holmes is almost certainly intended as the main character of a few of his creator’s stories in which he is not named. As a result, a long tradition of Holmes-derived pastiche exists to delight and anger fans in seemingly equal measure.

A Study in Sherlock, an anthology of twenty original short stories related to Sherlock Holmes, is both a part of this tradition and a departure from it at the same time. Instead of the usual canon-derived inventions of Holmes devotees, this collection is unique because it is filled with stories by writers who do not normally take Holmes as a subject.

The resulting book is wildly varied—containing everything from direct pastiches to modernizations, fantasies, and even one story told in graphics. Some stories take Holmes as a character inspiration; others seem inspired only by his methods; still others tackle the idea of Holmes fandom itself. The experience of reading is enhanced by short author bios that detail each author’s connection (or lack thereof) to the Conan Doyle stories.

One of the book’s strengths is its celebration of the diversity of perspectives on Holmes; therefore, it is difficult to single out a particular story or stories as high points. Undoubtedly, there will be nearly as many opinions as there are readers.

A Study in Sherlock is a worthwhile addition to the library of any Holmes fan, and it could also serve as an excellent, albeit non-traditional, entry-point into the Holmes world for readers who may be unfamiliar with the originals. Eminently readable, it manages to be both respectful and humorously irreverent at the same time, a book to delight fans of the detective for a long time to come.

Buy at Random House

Buy at Amazon.com US

Buy at Amazon.co.uk UK

Episode 16: A Scandal In Belgravia

SPOILERS FOR A SCANDAL IN BELGRAVIA! It's been a year and a half since The Great Game pitted Sherlock and Jim Moriarty against one another, and we finally find out how it was resolved...

BBC Sherlock's hotly anticipated return came in with 11million viewers on New Year's Day, and blew our minds away with Irene Adler. Join Curly, Kafers, Taylor, Marie, and Sigita as they chatter on about the episode, what they loved, what (some) hated, and how much we love Paul McGuigan... seriously Paul, marry us.

We suspect not all of you will agree with us, hell, we don't agree with each other (which is fine!). Please talk with us on our facebook page, tumblr site, and twitter. We'd love to continue the debate.

We get a little silly a the end, but we're allowed to... so deal.

And let it be known, if you want to kidnap John Watson, just send a pretty girl.

Episode 15: A Game of Shadows (+ BONUS Sherlock Series 2)

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SPOILERS FOR GAME OF SHADOWS! Babes Curly, Ardy, Taylor, and Marie chat with Honorary Babe Lyndsay Faye about the Guy Ritchie sequel. We fawn over Jared Harris, applaud antithesis, bitch over the ladies, and laugh a ridiculous amount, as well as get a little sad. But most importantly we discuss Guy Ritchie's alarming hatred of trees. Star Wars and Batman make appearances, as Lyndsay's monkey voice.

As a BONUS, we also talk about the new Sherlock Series 2 trailers (that were out as of 12/20), our excitement bubbling over about the new series, and how, when it comes to it, Sherlock will always beat Guy Ritchie's films. Maybe if he didn't hate trees so much. There are NO SPOILERS for Sherlock Series 2 discussed if you have seen the trailers released by the BBC. Don't worry, we wouldn't do that to you.

Stay tuned for information on SherlockNYC's AMAZING events in The Big Apple. www.sherlocknyc.com

The Baker Street Babes Reviewed!

Because Curly is a little vain, she occasionally Googles herself and her projects, and she came across this gem! The Baker Street Babes were reviewed by blogger Brad Keefauver.

Thank you SO much for such a fantastic review, this was such amazing to come across and we're very glad you enjoy the podcast and like what we're doing. We can't appreciate it enough! Make sure to check out Sherlock Peoria as well!

Review Link

The View from Sherlock Peoria
No. 466, June 19, 2011

Beyond "The Girl In the Comic Shop"

There's a phenomenon that happens in those places traditionally haunted by the male of the species that I like to call "the girl in the comic shop" effect. Long years of patronizing dealers in DC, Marvel, and the like have taught me this one thing, if nothing else: Any female who walks into a comic book store automatically gets bonus hotness points added instantly. It happens in the military (as the comic strip Doonesbury has been playing up this week), it happens in comic stores, and it also happens in Sherlockian circles. (If you've seen how the Holmes birthday weekend in New York can turn a mild-mannered bookworm into a cleavage-wielding super-hottie, you know this to be true.)

So this week when I encountered a plucky band of bloggers/podcasters calling themselves "The Baker Street Babes," I took them at their word. Their podcast web site likes to use phrases like "Central London overfloweth with gorgeous, intelligent women with a thirst for murder" and "A podcast by sexy fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his lovely creation, Mr. Sherlock Holmes," baiting male web wanderers like sirens of the Sherlockian seas. What would Conan Doyle think? Well, I don't think his gentleman filter often let the words "Woo-hoo!" get to paper, but you just know it was in there.

So, suffice it to say that I started listening to their podcasts.

Their first episode starts with a very sweet opening dedication to Edward Hardwicke by Curly, the American member of the trio, quietly recorded like she's hiding out from her friends to give you the inside scoop on the episode. Their theme song comes up, sung by Caitlin Obom (who shows up as a guest on their second podcast) in a mellow fashion that doesn't quite prepare you for the giggly, chatty introduction to come. 

There is a lovely vocal range to the initial Babes roster: Curly is an American in London, with all the inflections of her generation. Kafers is from York, with one of those British accents that makes you wish you had Henry Higgins's skill at tracking same. Artie is a transplanted German whose English has a Scottish lilt to it. Their "how I met Sherlock Holmes" stories are fresh and fun, the highlight of which is Curly's reaction when The Great Mouse Detective first gets mentioned. 

"OH, MY GOD, YES!!!" she screams, with the intensity of a horror movie victim. She really, really likes The Great Mouse Detective, something that shows up more than a few times. But each of the Babes has their little personality points -- Kafers and her tales of riding the bus with friends dressed as Victorian men and A.J. Raffles, Artie's careful character analyses -- they're obviously having a whole lot of fun, and it's a lot of fun to listen to them as a result. Podcasts live or die on the personality and energy of their talkers, and the Baker Street Babes are riding the current wave of Sherlock in movie and TV with an unabashed glee that can't help but remind an aging Sherlockian burn-out like myself of times long-gone.

In the 1980s, a group of Sherlock Holmes fans banding together might seek recognition and validation from some of older, established club and start putting out a journal or newsletter to seek a larger presence in the Sherlockian world. But this is 2011, and the Baker Street Babes are demonstrating the new model of that old-school process. This is the era of the web-entertainer fan, of building Twitter presence, of publishing podcasts, of being a micro-star in a firmament of endless internet distraction.

In a time when much Sherlockiana is focused on times past, it's heartening to hear the Babes going on about the future, chasing down word on Benedict Cumberbatch's future projects, discussing Moffat and Gatiss's ability to keep a secret, and being totally in love with our latest crop of Watsons. These are their "good old days" of being Sherlock Holmes fans, and it's a real treat to hear them as it happens, rather than the memories of same from the Jeremy Brett era.

It is, indeed, a brand new day for Sherlock Holmes of late, and the Baker Street Babes are a happy addition to his age-old fandom. I look forward to hearing more of their adventures.

Your humble correspondent,
Brad Keefauver

http://www.sherlockpeoria.net/