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andmarstan's review against another edition
3.0
The Crooked Man: 3 stars
The Curious Affair of the Italian Art Dealer: 5 stars
The Memoirs of Silver Blaze: 3 stars
Dr. Watson's Casebook: 3.5 stars
The Adventure of the Laughing Fisherman: 5 stars
Art in the Blood: 3 stars
Dunkirk: 3.5 stars
The Problem of the Empty Slipper: 4.5 stars
Lost Boys: 5 stars
The Thinking Machine: 4 stars
By Any Other Name: 3 stars
He Who Grew Up Reading Sherlock Holmes: 3 stars
The Adventure of my Ignoble Ancestress: 4 stars
The Closing: 3.5 stars
How I Came to Meet Sherlock Holmes: 3.5 stars
The Curious Affair of the Italian Art Dealer: 5 stars
The Memoirs of Silver Blaze: 3 stars
Dr. Watson's Casebook: 3.5 stars
The Adventure of the Laughing Fisherman: 5 stars
Art in the Blood: 3 stars
Dunkirk: 3.5 stars
The Problem of the Empty Slipper: 4.5 stars
Lost Boys: 5 stars
The Thinking Machine: 4 stars
By Any Other Name: 3 stars
He Who Grew Up Reading Sherlock Holmes: 3 stars
The Adventure of my Ignoble Ancestress: 4 stars
The Closing: 3.5 stars
How I Came to Meet Sherlock Holmes: 3.5 stars
strikingthirteen's review
3.0
I like this volume a little less than Leslie Klinger and Laurie R. King's previous collection "A Study in Sherlock" but this was a nice way to spend an evening. Most of the stories are in the spirit of Holmes rather than starring him so if that's fine with you you'll enjoy this book. There are some nice twists on different stories, reimaginings, and some very sweet tips of the hat. Certainly worth a look.
rosseroo's review
3.0
Firstly, I must establish that while I enjoy the Holmes stories, and related films, TV shows, etc., I am far from a completist or even particularly knowledgable about "the canon" of works. Instead, I enjoy dipping my toes into the large pool of pastiche from time to time, when I'm in the mood for something truly fluffy. This anthology is one such work, and careful attention must be paid to the "inspired by" part of the subtitle. The authors of the stories collected here are avowed Homes fans, and were given wide latitude to write stories informed by their love of the character, so don't pick this up expecting a lot of variations on Holmes and Watson (the latter is largely absent here).
And like most such anthologies, the quality varies wildly, from the quite good ,to stories I barely skimmed. For example, there's one written from the viewpoint of a horse that I skipped, and a sort of stream of I'm not sure what from from the typewriter of Harlan Ellison. Fortunately, there are plenty that are quite good entertainments to make up for the duds. I generally like Michael Conelly's LA books, and in "The Crooked Man," his most famous character, Harry Bosch, confronts a locked room death with the assistance of a Holmesian coroner. I've never read any of Jeffrey Deaver's bestselling thrillers, but I have to admit that his "Adventure of the Laughing Fisherman" was a clever work of misdirection. And unlike almost everyone else, I found the retelling of "The Hound of the Baskervilles" in the form of Facebook posts to be amusing. Cornelia Funke's "Lost Boys" was an interesting riff on the Baker Street Irregulars and easily the darkest part of the book. Probably my favorite of the book was John Lescroat's "Dunkirk," which has an incognito Holmes helping to crew one of the small craft enlisted in the Dunkirk evacuation during WWII.
And like most such anthologies, the quality varies wildly, from the quite good ,to stories I barely skimmed. For example, there's one written from the viewpoint of a horse that I skipped, and a sort of stream of I'm not sure what from from the typewriter of Harlan Ellison. Fortunately, there are plenty that are quite good entertainments to make up for the duds. I generally like Michael Conelly's LA books, and in "The Crooked Man," his most famous character, Harry Bosch, confronts a locked room death with the assistance of a Holmesian coroner. I've never read any of Jeffrey Deaver's bestselling thrillers, but I have to admit that his "Adventure of the Laughing Fisherman" was a clever work of misdirection. And unlike almost everyone else, I found the retelling of "The Hound of the Baskervilles" in the form of Facebook posts to be amusing. Cornelia Funke's "Lost Boys" was an interesting riff on the Baker Street Irregulars and easily the darkest part of the book. Probably my favorite of the book was John Lescroat's "Dunkirk," which has an incognito Holmes helping to crew one of the small craft enlisted in the Dunkirk evacuation during WWII.
pattydsf's review
3.0
Once again, thank you to Edelweiss (National Association of Independent Publishers Representatives) and Avon Books for allowing me to read this e-book. I am fortunate that I was able to read this book before it was published.
I have not read the first volume of stories that King and Klinger put together, but I will go looking for it now. I had a lot of fun reading these stories, especially the ones by Sara Pretsky, John Lescourt and Michael Dirda.
I know that for some people, Sherlock Holmes should not be messed with. There are the stories by Doyle and all the rest are sacrilege. However, I have loved King's Sherlock and Mary Russell. And that is my major problem with this book. Mary Russell does not appear. Otherwise the collection is wonderful.
If you like short stories and you don't mind seeing Sherlock Holmes through new eyes, I recommend this collection to you. You may not like every story, but I am confident that you will spend some pleasant hours with this book.
I have not read the first volume of stories that King and Klinger put together, but I will go looking for it now. I had a lot of fun reading these stories, especially the ones by Sara Pretsky, John Lescourt and Michael Dirda.
I know that for some people, Sherlock Holmes should not be messed with. There are the stories by Doyle and all the rest are sacrilege. However, I have loved King's Sherlock and Mary Russell. And that is my major problem with this book. Mary Russell does not appear. Otherwise the collection is wonderful.
If you like short stories and you don't mind seeing Sherlock Holmes through new eyes, I recommend this collection to you. You may not like every story, but I am confident that you will spend some pleasant hours with this book.
mary_clark's review
2.0
An uneven collection. Michael Connelly alone is responsible for knocking this down a star. I did like Sara Paretsky and Jeffrey Deaver's stories. Great premise, just didn't deliver consistently.
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