Sherlock Book Review - The Adventure of the Bloody Duck and other tales of Sherlock Holmes
Posted by Steve Emecz on
Margaret Walsh has written three well-received Sherlock Holmes novels, “The Molly Boy Murders”, “The Case of the Perplexed Politician”, and “The Case of the London Dock Deaths”. Along the way, she’s also been contributing a number of fine pastiches to several recent Holmes anthologies. Now, in this volume (before her next novel is ready), she has collected them – to the great appreciation of those who haven’t had the chance to previously read them, or for those who are glad to revisit them once again.
The title story, “The Bloody Duck” is an excellent adventure which begins in a small but curious way, as so many of the better Holmes stories do: A visitor is welcomed to the Baker Street sitting room – carrying a bloody duck.
Perhaps my favorite story in the collection is “The Hellingstone Rubies” which, as we see from Ms. Walsh’s introduction, was her first written Holmes short story. It’s excellent, involving a summons from Mycroft Holmes to the Diogenes Club, and a mission: To recover a missing necklace belonging to the Queen. Holmes and Watson meet a female detective along the way, and I would urge that Ms. Walsh expand this character’s adventures – she might possibly have a whole separate series on her hands.
Ms. Walsh’s fourth novel, “Sherlock Holmes and the Curse of Neb-Heka-Ra” is forthcoming. In the meantime, enjoy these stories, and know that more of them are on the way too.
The Adventure of the Bloody Duck and other tales of Sherlock Holmes available from this site with a share going to our #bookstobooks program funding books for Happy Life Mission in Kenya - but also from all good bookstores (links on the book pages).