Customer Reviews

Sayers on Holmes

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A collection of Sayers' scholarly writings on Sherlock Holmes, Sayers on Holmes belongs in the libraries of fans of both Sayers and Holmes. Some of the essays may be familiar through other collections, but no other book collects all of her Holmesian writings together, and the discerning reader can sense a keen mind at play with the intricacies of the Holmesian canon. The highlight of this book is the final selection wherein Lord Peter Wimsey, Sayers' famous detective creation, relates an episode from his childhood where he hires Holmes to find his lost pet cat. A delightful story, it captures a feeling of true whimsey (pardon the pun). Recommended.

A compilation of the writing of Dorothy Sayers on Sherlock Holmes, and who should know more about mystery writing than Sayers? For those who enjoy scholarly writing and speculation on the character and cases of Holmes, this is first-rate stuff. The Lord Peter Whimsey / Holmes radio play is an interesting pastiche. At 66 pages, though, this is one thin book. Eight dollars sure doesn't go as far as it used to....

I maintain the database of Sherlockian pastiches, parodies and related fiction and I am frequently asked to write about the better Sherlockian pastiches of which I am aware. I usually decline, citing the difficulties of comparing styles and approaches to pastiche writing and the differences in tastes and preferences among writers. Some writers are better than others at the game of imitating Doyle, but most make an honest effort to present a story in the style of the Canon.

Dorothy Sayers has taken a young Lord Peter Wimsey as the client for a Sherlock Holmes mystery in her "The Case of the Missing Kitten" which appears in this book. To my mind, this tale accurately captures the essence of The Master as Holmes accepts the young Lord Peter's case and his money. He takes Lord Peter seriously and he treats him as he would an adult with an importatnt problem, which this is to Lord Peter. His solution is ingenious and his actions honor the serious nature of Peter's problem. This is the best pastiche I know of and I have more than 5,500 in my personal collection.