News — book review

"This is Mr. McMullen’s second book of Sherlockian fiction and his gift for catching the reality of time and place is undiminished.  Since this book is about Irish History, it is a sad book.  It tells of the Easter Uprising of 1916 as experienced by Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson at the request of Mycroft Holmes.  The characters are mostly historic and are presented much as they were, flawed human beings trying to live up to their own ideals. My knowledge of 20th Century Irish History is spotty at best, so I cannot speak to the accuracy of Mr. McMullen’s portrayals,...

"This is another collection of tales by David Ruffle.  By my count it is his fourth collection, but I am not sure of the various publishing dates and editions involved.  This collection begins with a lengthy novella and includes a dozen or more, shorter items.  Those that are not fragments could be described as short stories.  Most have some Sherlockian content, but some have no relation to Holmes and Watson. The title story is quite interesting and draws its villain from deep in Holmes’ past.  Mycroft and Inspector Lestrade put in appearances and Dr. Watson pursues his second (or is she...

“The book was a page turner. I was so sorry that it ended. Great character sketches drawn. There is a waiting list in The Dickens Fellowship in Boston to read this story (with its)…Dickensian master-plot. Such fine details expressed from the Palaces in Italy to the very wardrobe that Dickens wore.  It was as if some one was following Charles and taking notes of all the goings on.  A fast read and, of course, I could not put it down.” Boston Dickens Fellowship  History records that on June 9, 1870, Charles Dickens died of a cerebral haemorrhage. History, however, is wrong....

"This book is the second Sebastian McCabe – Jeff Cody mystery, following his earlier No Police Like Holmes.  This book lacks the impressive character set of eccentric Sherlockians encountered in the first, but it does present a dandy mystery and a new set of eccentrics.  This group are a bit more difficult to categorize, but they tend to come from the world of entertainment, if anywhere in particular. Much of the narrative concentrates on academic in-fighting, with our heroes in medias res.  We are treated to a double murder with theories obscured by facts and suspects just oozing both motives...