The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes [Paperback]

Martin H. Greenberg (Editor), Carol-Lynn Rossel Waugh (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 21, 1999

Bestselling author Anne Perry and Conan Doyle's most recent biographer, Daniel Stashower, among others, contribute new stories that expand this tribute to Conan Doyle's immortal creation. Mystery editors Martin Greenberg and Carol-Lynn R"ssel Waugh specially commissioned original works by Stephen King, Michael Gilbert, John Lutz, Edward D. Hoch, Dorothy B. Hughes, Peter Lovesey, Lillian de la Torre, John Gardner, and others for the first edition. With over 100,000 copies sold since its publication for the centennial of the first Holmes story, "The Speckled Band," in 1987, The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes has ranked in popularity only after the first Conan Doyle stories. "A first-rate collection . . . A splendid addition to Holmesiana, worthy of its honoree" - Publishers Weekly "A well-mixed and amusing assortment" - Los Angeles Times Book Review "Mini-masterpieces in the Conan Doyle style" - Philadelphia Inquirer "[A] fine compendium of crime" - Chicago Sun-Times

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An absolute must for fans celebrating Holmes's centennial, this is also a first-rate collection of new stories that could serve nicely as an introduction to the famous sleuth. There isn't a bad tale in these 15although purists may balk at Loren D. Estleman's "Dr. and Mrs. Watson At Home," a snippy playlet, and at the rather nerdy Watson who narrates Joyce Harrington's "The Adventure of the Gowanus Abduction." Most of the stories are affectionate, accurate pastiches of the originals. Among the best are Dorothy B. Hughes's "Sherlock Holmes and the Muffin," and Stephen King's "The Doctor's Case," which keeps the old form while allowing the mystery to be solved by Watson, with a lovely twist at the end. "The House That Jack Built" by Edward Wellen is an hallucinogenic tour de force of a puzzle that revives Moriarty, with a startling idea about the real nature of that "Napoleon of crime." Michael Harrison's "Sherlock Holmes and 'The Woman' " identifies Irene Adler as Lillie Langtry in a brilliant now-it-can-be-told style from a nonegenarian Watson. A splendid addition to Holmesiana, worthy of its honoree. Period illustrations not seen by PW. 25,000 first printing; Mystery Guild main selection.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

To mark the 100th anniversary of the first appearance in print of Sherlock Holmes, the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has authorized an official book of new short stories, written by 16 British and American authors, including John Gardner and Stephen King. Among the more effective and successful tales are those that adopt the time frame and style of the originals, e.g., Stuart Kaminsky's "The Final Toast" and Barry Jones's "The Shadows on the Lawn." Stories with a modern setting offer a further extension of the Holmes mystique. Entertaining reading for fans of Conan Doyle. Lydia Burruel Johnson, Mesa P.L., Ariz.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf; 1 edition (September 21, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786706988
• ISBN-13: 978-0786706983
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,419,432 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting combination of schlock and home cooking, December 22, 2002

By 

Jack Maybrick (Shuttling between the streets of Whitechapel and the shadow of Coogan's Bluff) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Paperback)

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's acquired disdain for his own renowned detective creation is legendary, and `tis said that when William Gillette wired him with the question, "May I marry Holmes?" (to a female character), Conan Doyle brusquely replied, "You may marry him or murder him or do what you like with him."

But one must draw the line somewhere. And notwithstanding Mollie Hardwick's excellent paean to the legend of Sherlock Holmes at the head of this collection of short stories, I wonder whether even Conan Doyle could have stomached some of these literary assaults upon it.

In "Sherlock Holmes and the Muffin", Dorothy Hughes presents us with a feminist Holmes and Watson who look forward to the day when women become doctors and scientists. Another swig of Women 100 Proof and Ms. Hughes would have had them lobbying from their 19th century perches for abortion on demand, free daycare, and a chocolate bar in the glove compartment of every SUV, a bottle of prozac in the pocket of every power suit.

And even THIS atrocity barely holds its own, as an atrocity, against the contemporary setting of Joyce Harrington's "The Adventure of the Gowanus Abduction", in which a delicate hippie-type Watson plays second fiddle to a ferocious liberated female Holmes - not only as "her" assistant but as "her " lover. Indeed, the story winds up with a broad hint of a rendezvous in the bedroom, but I think that this Watson will couple with this Holmes about as successfully as Tchaikovsky did with Antonina Milyukova.

This book also has its share of short stories that do considerably more justice to the Sherlockian tradition, and the best of these are Barry Jones's "The Shadows on the Lawn", Edward D. Hoch's "The Return of the Speckled Band", and Stuart Kaminsky's "The Final Toast". The Jones story, in particular, is very chilling.

But John Lutz's "The Infernal Machine" also deserves credit for craft and subtlety. The threat of an international conflagration and the new concept of the "horseless carriage" are crucial to the resolution of this story, and there's a passage in it where a young inventor asserts that in ten years, everyone in England will drive a horseless carriage. "Everyone?" Watson asks. "Come now!"

Holmes laughs and says, "Not you, Watson, not you, I'd wager."

How many readers realize that Lutz is paying homage to the last story in the Conan Doyle concordance, "His Last Bow", set on the eve of the first World War, in which Watson does indeed drive an automobile, in the guise of a chauffeur? Not many, I'd wager.

It must have taken a lot of commendable restraint for Lutz to simply rely on his readers' perspicacity and to resist the sore temptation of finding a way to directly point to the Conan Doyle story.

For that matter, Malcom Bell, the villain in the Kaminsky story, may be based upon Dr. Joseph Bell, one of Conan Doyle's medical instructors, who is said to have been the chief inspiration for Conan Doyle's creation of Sherlock Holmes.

Stephen King's contribution might be the cleverest, if not the best written. He apparently wrote his own Sherlock Holmes story in response to a challenge from the editors, but King's normal writing style doesn't quite click with the sober Watsonian chronicling presented by Conan Doyle.

And King is usually a good researcher, but this skill fails him on at least two occasions. He presents us with several images from the Victorian Era that Conan Doyle withheld from delicate sensibilities, including orphans losing all the teeth out of their jaws in sulphur factories by the age of ten and cruel boys in the East End teasing starving dogs with food held out of reach.

But the authentic Sherlock Holmes, having learned that Jory Hull was a painter and having deduced that he had no need of monetary support from his cruel father, would have further deduced - without asking Lestrade - that Jory probably gained his independence by painting professionally.

And the authentic Holmes, as Watson says in the Conan Doyle classic, "A Study in Scarlet", has a good practical knowledge of British law. Stephen King is surely wrong to have Holmes ask Lestrade what sort of treatment the murder suspects might expect to receive under it.

Still, we must be grateful to King for bringing to our attention the one case in the lexicon where Watson actually solves the mystery before Holmes does - and yes, it happens in a plausible manner. As Loren Estleman has pointed out, Holmes's brilliance wouldn't be appreciated by us as much if it were not for the buffer provided by the savvy but unremarkable earnestness of Watson`s narrative. We admire Holmes, but we empathize more with his Boswell, and it's wonderful to learn of a case in which Watson has his moment in the sunlight.

This collection has its share of the good, the bad, the ugly, and the just plain silly (Peter Lovesey`s "The Curious Computer"). The reader is advised to judge each story on its own merits. Don't be too impressed with Dame Jean Conan Doyle's endorsement of the volume as a whole. But do ask, as another renowned English author once did, "What's in a name?"

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasing collection, April 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Paperback)

"The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" was like a breath of fresh air. Lately I have come across some anthologies which just aren't up to par as far as the quality of the plots. These stories I found to be entertaining and fun to read. Two which stood out for me were "Shadows on the Lawn" and "The Return of the Speckled Band". There's even a story in there for Watson lovers, "The Doctor's Case", penned by none other than Stephen King. Though there were a few which I didn't really care for, this is a worthwhile read.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, August 7, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Paperback)

I love anything about Holmes and Watson. These were well written stories that I truly enjoyed reading. It took me back to when I read all of Doyle's stories about Holmes and Watson. I recommend it highly.