The Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes [Hardcover]

Paul D. Gilbert (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Trafalgar Square (2009)
• ASIN: B002EWA65Q
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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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.