The Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes [Hardcover]

Paul D. Gilbert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2009

In the tradition of Holmes pastiche, travel to Baker Street to finally hear the full stories of The Baron Maupertius, The Cutter Alicia, The Remarkable Disappearance of James Phillimore, The Red Leech, The Aluminium Crutch, The Abominable Wife, and The Mumbling Duellist: Isadora Persano. What is the connection between an impoverished dowager, an attempt on Mycroft's life, and Holmes' deadliest adversary? Can Holmes discover if a ship really disappeared in a patch of mist or if his client's father is insane? Who or what is the red leech?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

British author Gilbert improves on the plotting and the Watsonian narrative voice in his second pastiche collection (after 2007's The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes). Each of the seven stories takes its inspiration from one of the tantalizing references in Doyle's Sherlock Holmes adventures to exploits Watson never got around to publishing, such as the disappearance of James Phillimore, who returned home for an umbrella and was never seen again. While the lead story, Baron Maupertuis, offers an anticlimactic ending to the sleuth's duel with Professor Moriarty, Gilbert hits his stride with the clever Adventure of the Cutter Alicia, in which a man is incarcerated for insanity after claiming to have viewed the vessel sail into a patch of mist and vanish. While not pitch-perfect like the work of Donald Thomas or Denis Smith, this is a solid and respectable addition to the ranks of faithful emulations of the Doyle originals. (Jan.)
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About the Author

Paul D. Gilbert is the author of The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Robert Hale (June 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0709086873
• ISBN-13: 978-0709086871
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,348,050 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Review of Gilbert's second Sherlockian anthology, April 10, 2009

By 

Philip K. Jones (St. Clair Shores, MI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes (Hardcover)

Review: This is the author's second collection of Sherlockian tales. His first, "The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes," is difficult to find at any reasonable price and I have not been able to acquire a copy. The present collection contains seven tales, each based on one of the Untold Tales mentioned in the Canon.

The first tale is a novella titled "Baron Maupertuis." This case is tied in with the final case in the author's earlier collection and involves an attempt on the life of Mycroft as well as a confidence game by the Baron in the title. It is probably the least satisfactory tale in the collection. The second tale is a short story titled "The Remarkable Disappearence of James Phillimore." This is probably the most sensible and realistic explanation for this Untold conundrum, that has seen print. That includes thirty one of the thirty seven versions listed in the database of Sherlockian pastiches, parodies and related fiction.

"The Affair of the Aluminum Crutch" is another short story, but it is sadly, unsatisfactory. There is little or no feeling in the tale that one is watching The Master at work. "The Adventure of the Abominable Wife" is another novella. It is sad and depressing, but it does have the `feel' of Canonical tale. "The Adventure of the Cutter Alicia" is a novella that is well crafted and ingenious. It is probably the best tale in the book.

"The Adventure of the Red Leech" is another novella that is depressing, but reasonably well written. It certainly is worth reading and inventive. "The Mystery of the Mumbling Duelist" is the final tale, another sad novella, with some interesting characters and plot twists. In common with the other stories in the book, it does not provide the reader with any "warm fuzzies." The general impression of the book is that life in Late 19th Century England was hard and sad, which is not necessarily wrong, but is also not really pleasing to those looking back at "The Golden Age of Gaslight."

The language of the book is English, which is remarkable as so few writers seem to be familiar with that obscure tongue these days. I was not even able to find any split infinitives or American slang usage, a serious deficiency in modern writing, or so I am told.

Reviewed by: Philip K. Jones, April, 2009.