The Sign of Fear - The adventures of Mrs.Watson with a supporting cast including Sherlock Holmes, Dr.Watson and Moriarty [Paperback]

Molly Carr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2010

The adventures of Mrs.Watson with a supporting cast including Sherlock Holmes, Dr.Watson and Moriarty.

Product Details

• Paperback: 314 pages
• Publisher: MX Publishing; 1st edition (June 15, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1907685006
• ISBN-13: 978-1907685002
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,740,738 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Retired Biologist who's very keen on all aspects of Sherlock Holmes and his friend Doctor Watson, likes travelling abroad, meeting friends and researching any number of subjects. A film buff, especially keen on Max Ophuls and Fritz Lang.Favourite comics Laurel and Hardy. An avid reader of all genres, member of three societies connected with Holmes, as well as The Friends of Doctor Watson, and not to be confused with someone of the same name who writes books on cholesterol! Have written three books about Holmes, "The Sign of Fear", "A Study in Crimson" and "In Search of Doctor Watson." Work in Progress: "The Noble Spinster."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Fun for Holmes Fans!, March 29, 2011

By 

LadyDi - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Sign of Fear - The adventures of Mrs.Watson with a supporting cast including Sherlock Holmes, Dr.Watson and Moriarty (Paperback)

Molly Carr's adventures with Mrs. Watson are great fun, and especially so if you know Holmes and many of his stories. A second read of the book is even more enjoyable as you realize more of what the writer is really doing in the book. She obviously is a person with a great sense of humor and clever mind which shows in her book and makes it a great read.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mary Watson vs The Canon, June 24, 2010

By 

Philip K. Jones (St. Clair Shores, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sign of Fear - The adventures of Mrs.Watson with a supporting cast including Sherlock Holmes, Dr.Watson and Moriarty (Paperback)

This is a deceptive book. It starts off as if it is a serious pastiche, involving Mary Morstan with Holmes and Dr. Watson in the events of "The Sign of Four." Things seem to go wrongly from the start; Holmes and then Watson wander off on tangents, strange people appear and events become ever more confused. Finally, the reader begins to catch on. This is a parody, a spoof of the Canon. Nothing is as it seems and events are certainly not as related in the tales published by `The Literary Agent.'

Mary Morstan Watson is most assuredly NOT the demure young spinster portrayed by the Good Doctor. She has a penetrating mind, a past, and a gift for catching the essence of people. She refers to Irene Adler as `no better than she should be' and wastes little time on the shams of polite society. A number of the Canonical cases are mentioned in passing, and her comments are trenchant, if not downright snide.

All sorts of people wander in and out of the pages of this book. The mother of Miss Marple and the father of Mon. Poirot both show up running their own scams while complaining about their children's attitudes. Raffles and Bunny keep popping in and out, with confusing results and ex-clients of Holmes and Watson drop in from time to time. The `the Gold King,' from "The Problem of Thor Bridge" pops up in Ballarat and `Old Abrahams' is talked into pawning some of the Watsons' wedding gifts. Others also show up. Lestrade arrives to arrest Dr. Watson, Professor Moriarty at one point is seen in full Cardinal's Crimson running from the Swiss Guard.

Several of the Untold Tales are described, along with several `never happened' tales, one or two of which actually saw print. Holmes and Watson's adventures in America and Australia are mentioned but not explained. Cardinal Tosca disappears in Rome and "The Dundas Separation Case" occurs somewhat differently than as recorded in "A Case of Identity." Meanwhile, Mary keeps up her scathing commentary on people and events. She reserves her worst pejoratives for Holmes, especially for how he treats Dr. Watson.

Holmes resurfaces after the events at the Reichenbach and the whole scramble of the relationship between Holmes and Watson is cleared up for the reader and for Mrs. Watson. Meanwhile, she and Mrs. `St, Clair' from "The Man with the Twisted Lip" have succeeded in building a working detective agency and have clients to serve. A prospective heir for the Watsons opens new possibilities of genteel surveilence and Holmes is needed to appear in new stories for The Strand.

This is a funny book, an engrossing book and a book of second `takes.' Sherlockian scholars will be busy figuring `where that line came from' and `who is that, really.' The elements of The Canon are tumbled in all sorts of ways and keeping track is difficult. The Author tosses items here and there and it is all fun.

Reviewed by: Philip K. Jones; June, 2010

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shaken, not Stirred?, April 11, 2011

By 

George Stevenson (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sign of Fear - The adventures of Mrs.Watson with a supporting cast including Sherlock Holmes, Dr.Watson and Moriarty (Paperback)

The Sign of Fear - The adventures of Mrs.Watson with a supporting cast including Sherlock Holmes, Dr.Watson and Moriarty

This original book certainly has a lot of Sherlockian elements shaken together. But it's all great fun and repays careful reading. Some very well-known characters besides Sherlock Holmes inhabit the pages, including Jane Marple's mother and Hercule Poirot's crooked father. Who is outraged at the idea of his policeman son thinking of training as a detective. Come to think of it, Mrs Marple is also pretty crooked - with a lover, 'the resourceful Angelo'- who nearly does for Watson and his wife. Oh, and Mary and Emily are good too.