Review
Mower’s name should be familiar as a regular contributor to the MX Anthologies of New Sherlock Holmes stories. This handsome book of seven adventures gathers together five of his tales from those volumes with two new stories. Beginning with a case from the pre-Watson years, these stories span Holmes’s career, ending with a mystery that takes place in the wake of the First World War. Mower has an engaging, readable style, carrying the reader along with convincing dialogue whilst combining a good eye for period detail with well-paced plotting. My favourite story has to be “The Manila Envelope”, which showcases Holmes’s methods in a virtuoso display of observation and deduction. Overall, an impressive collection.”
The Sherlock Holmes Society of London
About This Book:
Following the success of the earlier volume, A Farewell to Baker Street, we have another collection of previously unknown Holmes and Watson tales that will excite the interests of readers across the globe - The Baker Street Case-Files. A decade before his death, Dr Watson let it be known that with his passing he wished his nephew, Christopher Henry Watson MD, to be the executor of his will and guardian of all his personal and pecuniary affairs. One of the tasks he sanctioned was that his nephew should use his discretion in selecting for publication some of the three dozen or so cases involving Holmes and Watson which had not already seen the light of day. These seven new stories shed more light on the remarkable talents of Mr Sherlock Holmes.
The first in the collection, The Case of the Rondel Dagger, occurred before Holmes and Watson met. The Mile End Mynah Bird is a fascinating tale set in the period beyond The Great War when both men appear reluctant to retire. From the plotting of The Radicant Munificent Society to the hidden message of The Manila Envelope, there is much to entertain and enthrall us. As before, these tales are designed to contribute in some small part to the lasting memory of two extraordinary men who once occupied that setting we have come to know and love as 221B Baker Street. Once again, ‘The game is afoot!’
Author Name: Mark Mower
