softcover from the Borgo imprint of Wildside Press USA. 245 pages, 12 stories plus Introduction by the editor, with acknowledgments and About the authors at the end. Gvery good 50’s pulp-type cover.
Reviewed by Steve Johnson.
Not a bad anthology. I like Sherlock, read more of the SH pastiches than I keep, but still have a very re-readable few on my bookshelves. I’ve ordered a copy of this anthology from The Book Depositary because it’s one of those I’d like to have. Very sensibly too, the editor hasn’t limited himself to one story only from any contributor. Where he’s been offered two good stories, he’s accepted and published them. Lyn’s duo I found particularly excellent, right in period, solid plots, and the genuine feel of Conan Doyle’s tales. Magda Jozsa’s duo were also very good, The Dentist was clever and well-thought-out, as was Bad Habits, although I liked the former story better on a personal reader level. Gary’s Lovisi’s Sherlock Holmes–Stymied, was, I thought, clever but I didn’t like the character it imputed to Holmes. While Marvin Kaye’s A Memo From Inspector Lestrade is an excellent take on an old character. All up a convincing anthology, there was only one minor point that I disliked. That was Watson or Holmes referring to someone as “old boy.” This is Wodehousian. They would rather have used “Old man” or “Old fellow” and the ‘old boy’ grated each time I read it. But as I say, a minor quibble, and I hope that this publisher will produce another Holmes and Watson anthology in the near future because all in all, this was solid work.