Enjoy!

Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse 

Series or standalone: Series

Case: Mycroft’s friend Douglas hears that children are dying back home in Trinidad. The douen (children with backwards feet) are calling them to play and when the children come the lougarou (a werewolf-like creature) kills them by draining all their blood. It’s only happening on one side of the island and whole villages have been abandoned. 

When Mycroft tells his fiancée Georgiana, also from Trinidad, she is horrified and immediately plans to return home to make sure all is well with her family. She insists on going alone, but Mycroft convinces Douglas to go and books passage on the same ship without telling Georgiana. 

Mycroft is swiftly felled by seasickness, but then it becomes apparent it is something much more serious. Attacks and threats continue through the voyage. It is obvious someone does not want them in Trinidad, but who and why? 

Type of Sherlock: Supporting character (Mycroft) as main character, prequel to original series

Evidence of similarities: Not much except that it’s in the Sherlock Holmes universe

Evidence of differences: Mycroft is the main character, much of the book takes place on a ship then in Trinidad, earlier time period when Sherlock is still at university and Mycroft is in his early 20s, the characters of Georgiana and Douglas 

Deduction: KA-J is a legit writer! I had no idea he majored in English and History at UCLA. He is an amateur historian who has written history books, an autobiography, kids’ books, and for the past 7 years, a series about Mycroft Holmes. He’s also a regular op-ed writer in newspapers across the country. He’s written an episode of the Veronica Mars reboot. He’s a nerd! I thoroughly enjoyed this story that’s not my usual cup of tea: two men adventuring across the sea and in the Caribbean in the 19th century. 

I’ve never been particularly interested in Mycroft, but I found his background interesting, as well as his similarities and differences to Sherlock. And I loved it when young university student Sherlock popped up a few times. 

This book was absorbing, compelling, full of interesting historical detail, and had a creepy mystery based in Caribbean lore. Specifically Trinidad, which is part of KA-J’s heritage. 

The story and solution were a bit convoluted and heavily based in the politics and legalities of the time, which might bore or confuse some. I had to go back and reread a few pages at least once to make sure I understood what was going on. It was worth it. 

I am so impressed with KA-J and hope to read more of the series. 

Cumberbatches: 5

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution by Nicholas Meyer

Series or standalone: Series

Case: Holmes’s cocaine addiction has worsened and Watson is at a loss as to how to help him. A man named Moriarty comes to see him and Watson is frightened at first, knowing Moriarty as a criminal kingpin from Holmes. He explains to Watson that Holmes only fears him when he is high. He was actually the math tutor to Mycroft and Sherlock when they were young. Sherlock has been harassing Moriarty while under the influence, sending threatening telegrams and keeping watch outside his house. When he isn’t high, Holmes has no clue who Moriarty is. 

Watson goes to Mycroft and they hatch a plan. Stamford, the doctor who introduced Holmes and Watson, has heard of a doctor who has come up with a cure for cocaine addiction. His name is Sigmund Freud. 

Mycroft reasons that if Sherlock is tracking Moriarty, they can get him to Freud in Vienna by getting Moriarty to go there. Moriarty resists at first, but Mycroft has some sort of hold on him and he gives in. 

Soon the game is afoot and, of course, there is more to the story than curing Holmes’s addiction. 

Type of Sherlock: New story including a real historical figure

Evidence of similarities: The main characters, the time period, Holmes’s drug problem, the writing style

Evidence of differences: The worsening of Holmes’s addiction, the depiction of Moriarty, the Vienna setting, and, uh, Freud. 

Deduction: This book was marvelous. I can see why it is a classic of Sherlock Holmes pastiche. The connections between Watson and Holmes as well as Holmes and Mycroft were incredibly well done and touching. 

The plot was excellent, partly thanks to the brilliant move of connecting Holmes and Watson with Freud. I don’t know much about Freud as a person, but I loved the portrayal of his family home and his treatment of Sherlock’s addiction. 

The setting—I know they’ve done a good job when I immediately want to travel there. Both the romantic and the darker sides of Vienna were portrayed beautifully. I want some of that Viennese coffee.

Cumberbatches: 5

Good Night, Mr. Holmes by Carole Nelson Douglas

Series or standalone: Series

Case: Penelope Huxleigh’s father, a country parson, has died and she is left homeless and penniless. She is wandering the streets of London hopelessly when a red-headed, beautifully dressed woman swoops in to rescue her from a pickpocket. 

This woman is “the woman,” Irene Adler. She is the only woman ever to outsmart Sherlock Holmes. She discovers Nell’s (as she nicknames Penelope) situation and asks her to be her roommate. Penelope soon discovers that Irene supplements her income as a struggling opera singer with detective work. Penelope is eventually drawn into it. 

The book is episodic, dealing with different cases until Irene goes to Bohemia to perform and meets the future King, triggering the events known to Sherlock Holmes fans. 

Type of Sherlock: Supporting character as main character (sort of), Sherlock story from another point of view

Evidence of similarities: Holmes and Watson along with a supporting character from the canon, the storyline from A Scandal in Bohemia (as the ending part of an original narrative)

Evidence of differences: Irene Adler is the main character and her sidekick is a new character named Penelope Huxleigh (also the narrator), told the story of A Scandal in Bohemia from Penelope’s point of view

Deduction: It was fun seeing real life characters like Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, and Charles and Louis Tiffany. 

The depiction of Irene did her some justice and I loved it when they got to the part where the King hired Sherlock to get the picture back and we saw the flip side of A Scandal in Bohemia. 

The book meandered in the first half, not uninterestingly, ultimately proving itself worth the journey. 

Cumberbatches: 3

IQ by Joe Ide

Series or standalone: Series

Case: Isaiah Quintabe (IQ) has lost his guardian, his older brother Marcus, and goes into a tailspin. He takes a neighborhood criminal named Dodson as a roommate and they begin robbing stores together. 

In the present-day timeline, Isaiah and Dodson are no longer roommates or friends and Isaiah now solves mysteries for neighbors and others who come to him with problems. Dodson has a famous friend with a big problem and Isaiah needs money, so they are thrown together again. 

Type of Sherlock: Modern-day Sherlock, Black Sherlock, American Sherlock

Evidence of similarities: IQ’s personality, intelligence, and deductive skills

Evidence of differences: Time period, setting, IQ’s race, IQ’s background, the culture of Black Americans living in 21st century Los Angeles

Deduction: There were very funny moments, sometimes in the middle of mayhem, and moments that broke your heart. The characters are complex and endearing. Ide finds at least a bit of humanity in all of them, even a vicious killer. 

The pacing was excellent with exciting scenes nicely balanced with calmer ones. The cerebral nature of IQ, the Sherlock of the story, helped with that balance. He is a lovely character, doing his best, just like most of the people struggling around him. I just wanted to give him a big hug, although I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t like that. 

The language is rough and there is quite a bit of violence, minimally but vividly described. The opening case is a bit rough for more sensitive readers, but the main case and other events of the book go in a different direction. There are viscerally written action scenes and one of the craziest, most creative methods of attempted murder I’ve ever read. 

This book deserves every accolade it has received and more.

Cumberbatches: 5

The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss

Series or standalone: Series 

Case: Mary Jekyll’s mother died and she is left with little money. Her father Dr. Jekyll (yes, that Dr. Jekyll.) died when she was little. After going through her mother’s accounts and talking to her lawyer, Mary discovers that Mr. Hyde, her father’s assistant, is not dead and her mother has been paying a sum monthly for his upkeep at a Magdalen House of all places. 

Mary goes to Sherlock Holmes for help. Watson goes with her to the Magdalen House and discovers Hyde’s daughter Diana, not Hyde. Diana claims to be Mary’s sister and that Jekyll and Hyde are the same person. 

They eventually find Beatrice Rappacini, whose breath and touch are poisonous and also doesn’t need food, Justine Frankenstein who was made to be a mate to Frankenstein’s monster, and Catherine “Cat” Moreau, a woman who used to be a puma. These women are not used to being treated well and are therefore slow to trust, particularly Catherine. But they find the strengths in what makes them “monstrous” and become a crime-fighting team as well as a family. 

Type of Sherlock: literary mash-up with characters from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein, The Island of Dr. Moreau, and Rappaccini’s Daughter (short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne)

Evidence of similarities: Holmes and Watson, time period, London setting 

Evidence of differences: The women are the main characters 

Deduction: I have a strange feeling about this book. It was very good and I liked it, but something is missing. I think she put the exciting climax too early in the book and could have worked in Justine’s story earlier. I like the wrap-up part of books and they did need to get the group established, but a bit of momentum was lost. It was barely perceptible and still held my attention, but it was there. 

Overall, though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and plan to read more of the series. I fell in love with the concept and the characters and this initial entry confirmed the potential of this series. 

Cumberbatches: 4

Warlock Holmes: A Study in Brimstone by G.S. Denning 

Series or standalone: Series

Case: Dr. John Watson, wounded and sickened by war, is destitute and living on the streets. His friend Stamford says he knows someone who needs a roommate. When Watson expresses interest despite Stamford’s cryptic warnings, Stamford immediately drags Watson to the morgue of St. Bartholomew’s hospital to meet Warlock Holmes. 

What follows are 6 short stories that poke fun at the Sherlock tropes and stories such as A Study in Scarlet and A Scandal in Bohemia. These stories are ridiculous and hilarious and turn everything you thought you knew about Holmes and Watson on its ear. 

Type of Sherlock: parody

Evidence of similarities: Holmes and Watson, the basic outline of the stories, time period, London setting, some of the supporting characters appear 

Evidence of differences: The familiar characters are rendered quite unfamiliar through the lens of parody and satire, the supernatural aspects 

Deduction: This is a funny, interesting collection of stories that are well worth the time of any fan of Sherlock pastiche. The dialogue and inversion of Sherlock story tropes is delightful. These parodies could only have been written by someone familiar with the originals who loves and respects them. 

Cumberbatches: 4

Dust and Shadow by Lyndsay Faye 

Series or standalone: Standalone

Case: Women in London’s East End are being gruesomely killed and their bodies defiled. The killer leaves no trace that anyone can find, even Sherlock Holmes. The great Sherlock Holmes and the monstrous killer dubbed “Jack the Ripper” by the press are going head-to-head. 

Will this be the one case Sherlock can’t solve? Are the women of the East End doomed if he can’t?

Type of Sherlock: new story from different author, story involving a real historical figure, Sherlock meets Jack the Ripper

Evidence of similarities: Time period, setting, cast of characters 

Evidence of differences: Sherlock did not confront Jack the Ripper in the original stories (although there are several pastiches that pit them against each other)

Deduction: Faye’s Jane Steele was featured in my column about Jane Eyre adaptations and pastiche. She is an imaginative writer who did a superlative job capturing the time and flair of an original Holmes story while still slightly modernizing the language. 

She lets her imagination go in a different way here than in Steele. She must stay within the confines of a Sherlock story’s conventions as well as historical fact concerning the Ripper killings, but the fact that Sherlock is fictional and he and the Ripper are such outsize characters (and the Ripper being so mysterious) gives her some room to make the case even creepier, if that’s possible. 

She also skillfully injects occasional humor through the supporting character of Mary Ann Monk and Sherlock’s ribbing of Watson. 

Cumberbatches: 5

Well, that brings us to the end! I admit to needing a break from Sherlock pastiche, yet being more interested than ever in the whole Sherlockian universe. Any suggestions for further reading?

Tell us in the comments: Which Sherlock Holmes pastiche is your favorite? Do you prefer the original stories or new ones?

Sara Farmer lives in Austin, TX, with her husband, three kids, and two cats. When she’s not chasing kids and cats, she reads and writes mysteries. You can find her at www.kittymomma.com and on Twitter @avonlea79.

The post Cozy to Cold-Blooded: The Not-So-Elementary Universe of Sherlock Holmes, Part 2 appeared first on DIY MFA.

The original stories inspired others to create wonderful art. Sherlock Holmes contains endless possibilities. He is the type of character that opens up all sorts of avenues when cast into a different time period, age, race, or gender. There are even many series centering members of the supporting cast.

This will be a 2-part column, because of the volume of Sherlockiana. Even narrowed down to my favorites, it’s still a long list. Several excellent Sherlock pastiches are absent from this post since I’ve already spotlighted them. These are the Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series by Vicki Delany, and the Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer. 

I rated the entries between 1 and 5 Cumberbatches, 5 being the best. 

The Baker Street Letters by Michael Robertson 

Series or Standalone: Series 

Case: Solicitor Reggie Heath just wants his brother Nigel to get his life together. Nigel is also a solicitor but is suspended at the moment. He now works for Reggie at his law chambers on the second floor of a building that takes up the entire 200 block of Baker St. 

Nigel informs Reggie that they regularly receive letters written to Sherlock Holmes. This has been happening for decades. The lease requires every occupant of the second floor to answer the letters with a specific form and to never attempt to contact the writers. 

Nigel has discovered two recent letters written by a woman who also wrote twenty years before as a child to ask Sherlock to help find her father. Now she wants the enclosures sent back. But Nigel doesn’t think she wrote the new letters and he isn’t the type to ignore something fishy. 

Type of Sherlock: “Real” world where Sherlock is fictional, modern world 

Evidence of similarities: Baker St., brothers working together as Sherlock and Mycroft often did 

Evidence of differences: Set in 1997, Sherlock Holmes is not actually in the story, versions of other Sherlock characters don’t appear.  

Deduction: The mystery is interesting and intricate. It is well written and you care about the characters. The visceral descriptions of LA really painted a picture of the smog and the heat. 

Cumberbatches: 4

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

Series or Standalone: Series 

Case: The great-great-great-granddaughter of Sherlock Holmes and the great-great-great-grandson of Dr. Watson have ended up at the same boarding school in Connecticut. Both Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson struggle with their familial legacy, as well as the problems and pressures of being teenagers. 

Charlotte, especially, has a rough history, starting with the fact that the Holmes family is very exacting and focused on excellence, unlike the more easygoing Watson clan. 

At first, they avoid each other but a murder on campus brings them together. It bears an eerie resemblance to one solved by their three times great-grandfathers. 

Type of Sherlock: Modern retelling, descendants of Sherlock and Watson, female Sherlock, teenage Holmes and Watson 

Evidence of similarities: Charlotte’s personality, intelligence, and vices. Jamie’s stability. Place names and cases pay homage to the original stories, as well as some of the non-canonical ones. 

Evidence of differences: Set in the 21st century, female Sherlock, teenage Holmes and Watson, Moriarty family has a truce with the Holmes and Watson families

Deduction: This is a kick-ass series, emblematic of the talent in children’s and YA literature these days. It is witty, fun, and at times heartbreaking. The mysteries and plot arcs in the books and the series as a whole are complex, emotional, and masterfully handled. 

Cumberbatches: 5

Sherlock Holmes and the Glad Game by Matt Ferraz

Series or Standalone: Standalone

Case: During the time that Holmes is presumed dead after his encounter with Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls, Mrs. Hudson encounters a young woman walking home with a bag of oranges. The bag breaks and Mrs. Hudson invites the young woman with a strangely positive attitude back to 221 Baker St. 

The young woman is Pollyanna Whittier. THE Pollyanna. Her back pain from an old injury has returned and she is in London seeking treatment. Dr. Watson knows the doctor is a quack and convinces him to tell Pollyanna the treatment is done and to refund the rest of the sessions. 

Pollyanna returns to America and her aunt. But both she and Sherlock will be back and Pollyanna’s connection to the quack doctor will embroil her in a case that threatens her life and her positivity. 

Type of Sherlock: Literary mashup, female sidekick 

Evidence of similarities: Time period, supporting characters 

Evidence of differences: Just Pollyanna. But she is a big one. 

Deduction: This book is better than it has any right to be. Pollyanna and her game grew annoying at times and the author’s attempts at American dialect grated (Why was that even necessary?), but Pollyanna won me over.  

The book also explores some interesting psychological territory with Dr. Watson pondering if the Glad Game is always a healthy response. The relationships between characters ring true, especially when they admit annoyance with the Glad Game, while still loving Pollyanna.

Cumberbatches: 3

A Study in Honor by Claire O’Dell

Series or Standalone: Series 

Case: Dr. Janet Watson served as a doctor in the New Civil War. She was wounded and lost her arm, which put an end to her career as a surgeon until she can get a new device. (The one supplied in the field belonged to a soldier who died and it had to be retrofitted. It’s also an older model.)

She returns to her hometown of Washington, D.C., and gets set up with the VA for counseling and job searching. She finds a job as a medical tech at the VA. And meets a mysterious woman named Sara Holmes who wants a roommate. She has a beautiful apartment. It’s a no-brainer for Watson to leave the hostel she has been living in. 

But then a former soldier dies suddenly. Then another. After Janet searches for info in the VA system, she is attacked on her way home. More soldiers die, all from the same unit. Janet discovers a dark conspiracy that someone will kill to keep from her … and that Sara Holmes knows just what to do about that. 

Type of Sherlock: Alternate universe Sherlock, female Holmes and Watson, Black Holmes and Watson, LGBTQ+ Holmes and Watson, American Holmes and Watson, modern retelling 

Evidence of similarities: Character names and roles, Holmes’s off-putting behavior, Watson’s background as a soldier

Evidence of differences: Race, gender, time period, sexuality 

Deduction: The alternate universe fascinates, as does Sara Holmes’s mysterious role. The mystery is solid and emotional. I love Dr. Janet Watson with her grit and determination laced through with sympathy and compassion, as well as some pessimism and fear about her future and the world’s. 

Cumberbatches: 4

The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King

Series or Standalone: Series

Case: Sherlock Holmes and teenager Mary Russell meet by chance on the Sussex Downs when she almost walks over him while reading. She is an orphan, having lost her parents and brother in a car crash. She lives on a farm with her aunt, with whom she doesn’t get along. 

Holmes has retired to a nearby farm and keeps bees. He occasionally does top-secret work, but he misses London and the chase. Mrs. Hudson lives with him as a housekeeper and cook. 

Mary is an exceptionally intelligent and rather odd young woman. She and Holmes quickly discover their similarities and become friends. He teaches her about detecting. They solve some petty crimes, like stolen money from a pub, before moving on to a kidnapped senator’s daughter and finally dealing with a personal enemy of Holmes who threatens his life and the lives of everyone he loves. 

Type of Sherlock: Continuation with new characters, new partner, older Sherlock, female partner

Evidence of similarities: Main characters, Sherlock’s personality

Evidence of differences: Smart, witty female partner. Sherlock lives on a farm and keeps bees. He is also older and feeling it a bit. 

Deduction: This book lives up to the hype. I instantly adored Mary Russell and her dynamic with Sherlock. King’s aging Sherlock is a knockout characterization and Mary Russell fits right in with the gang while remaining a completely original character. King’s depiction of the setting is vivid and evocative. 

Cumberbatches: 5

The Final Solution by Michael Chabon

Series or Standalone: Standalone

Case: It is the 1940s, and World War II dominates life. One day, an old man looks out his window and sees a little boy with a parrot on his shoulder. The boy is a Jewish refugee from Germany and mute. The bird talks and sings, mostly in German, particularly the numbers 1-9 in German over and over in random order. 

The old man is Sherlock Holmes but is never addressed as such. He is in his 80s and retired with his bees on the South Sussex Downs. 

The boy and the bird live in the home of the vicar and his family. They keep a boarding house. One of the boarders is murdered and the bird goes missing. For the first time in decades, the game is afoot and Sherlock is overjoyed. The bird’s cryptic utterings might mean something very important and one side does not want the other to hear them. 

Type of Sherlock: Continuation with new characters, aged Sherlock 

Evidence of similarities: Sherlock himself 

Evidence of differences: Very old and infirm Sherlock, no other original characters, Sherlock never mentioned by name

Deduction: I really liked it. The writing was a pleasure to read with some beautiful and creative word choices and metaphors. Although a few of the sentences are so convoluted that by the time I got to the verb, I went back because I forgot the subject. So many clauses lay in between that I got lost again.

Cumberbatches: 5

The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz 

Series or Standalone: Series

Case: A man named Carstairs visits Baker St with an extraordinary tale. He is an art dealer. A valuable shipment to Boston was interrupted by train robbers and the paintings were destroyed and two men killed. Carstairs and his customer united to capture the group responsible called the Flat Cap gang. The police managed to kill all but one. 

Right before Carstairs boarded the ship for his return to England, the customer was gunned down in his garden, presumably by the remaining gang member. 

A young woman befriended the distressed Carstairs on the ship. They married. Shortly after their return home, a man in a flat cap began appearing wherever Carstairs happened to be. Carstairs fears he is next. But there is more, oh so very much more, to the story. 

Type of Sherlock: Continuation with original characters, darker Sherlock

Evidence of similarities: Writing style, characterizations, time period, setting 

Evidence of differences: Darker story with more violence

Deduction: Anthony Horowitz was chosen by the Arthur Conan Doyle estate to write new Sherlock novels and is one of my favorite writers. I love his Susan Ryeland and Hawthorne and Horowitz series, both of which I covered in this column. He also adapted Midsomer Murders, a British police procedural/cozy mystery show, which has aired since 1997. 

All of which is to say, he knocked it out of the park. 

Like Chabon and King’s contributions to this list, his writing was pleasurable to read with a cracking good story contained within. 

Cumberbatches: 5

Lock and Mori by Heather W. Petty 

Series or Standalone: Series

Case: James “Mori” Moriarty and Sherlock “Lock” Holmes attend the same private school in modern-day London. They are also neighbors on Baker St. But they don’t formally meet until Mori tries to drag Sherlock out of his lab at the behest of a teacher during a fire drill. 

Sherlock soon attempts to draw Mori into his latest “game,” solving the murder of a man found stabbed in Regent’s Park. She resists, but finds herself meeting up with him anyway. They feel a connection beyond an interest in crime. 

But Mori begins keeping secrets as she discovers her late mother’s connection to the victim and delves into her mother’s past. Mori is trying to protect herself, but learning to trust Sherlock could change her life … and save it. 

Type of Sherlock: Modern retelling, darker Sherlock, YA Sherlock, romantic Sherlock 

Evidence of similarities: Living on Baker St., Sherlock’s intelligence and personality, Mori’s gift for math and dark side

Evidence of differences: Very dark story, female Moriarty, the nicknames, their ages, their friendship and attraction to each other, the modern time period 

Deduction: I enjoyed it very much, although the parts where Moriarty, Sr., abuses his kids were hard to take. I like Mori and really hope she doesn’t grow up to be an evil criminal mastermind. 

Cumberbatches: 5

Tell us in the comments: Which Sherlock Holmes pastiche is your favorite? Do you prefer the original stories or new ones?

Sara Farmer lives in Austin, TX, with her husband, three kids, and two cats. When she’s not chasing kids and cats, she reads and writes mysteries. You can find her at www.kittymomma.com and on Twitter @avonlea79.

The post Cozy to Cold-Blooded: The Not-So-Elementary Universe of Sherlock Holmes, Part 1 appeared first on DIY MFA.