I thought this book was okay. It wasn't my favorite but it was good. It first starts our kind of boring but when a cat named Pete gets in the story it's a different story. He gets Hank and his assistant Dover in a mess when he told them something. The coyotes in the pasture get very hungry. They get in even more trouble then. It's starts with the Ha-Ha game. Oh you should try the Ha-Ha game.

If you're in the mood for humor, just read the Hank the Cowdog books. He thinks he's so smart, but he is not. Drover is probably about just as smart as Hank. I love reading Hank, I've read almost all his books, and own a lot of them. You definitely need to start reading Hank!

I'm 10 years old and I thoutht it was great. I think that it was hillarious. Especially the part when Hank and Drover trick the coyote brothers in a Ha Ha game.

First-time novelist David Pirie deserves kudos for doing
something a little different along the lines of a Sherlock
Holmes pastiche. His characters are Dr. Bell and Conan Doyle
themselves. On the other hand, he runs off the rails pretty
early on, with a perfervid yet elliptical style that is more
along the lines of Anna Katherine Green than Dr. Watson, and
with (oh, no, not again!) standard pastiche plot B.

There is no chemistry (or even friendship) between Dr. Bell and
Dr. Conan Doyle, and their cases--- "real life" incidents that
are close parallels to Holmes-Watson adventures such as
"The Speckled Band" and "The Solitary Cyclist"--- tend to
be more annoying or unsatisfying than interesting.

The usual problem with standard pastiche plot B is that the
behavior of a central character is necessarily totally
inconsistent with his actual aims--- here the problem is
magnified, since there are at least three and maybe four
characters whose behavior throughout the "adventure" makes no
sense whatsoever in terms of their eventually-revealed
motivations.

Conan Doyle's overheated style continually sets the reader up
for "a revelation more terrifying than mere mortal flesh can
endure," and then follows up with, more often than not,
no payoff at all, or a payoff that amounts to an empty
pay envelope. At the end of the very episodic "novel," Dr.
Conan Doyle hints that in the next adventure, we'll encounter
Jack the Ripper (whom CD and Bell have seemingly matched wits
with years before during Watson's medical school days).
It's a promising setup, but we've been burned so often in
the present book, I wonder if it is worth checking out the next
in line.

Everyone who loves a good Sherlock Holmes mystery MUST read this book! This is the difinative fictional book on the Master's creator.

This is a terrific read - fast paced and complex. I read it in a single sitting, then leafed back through. It's a "keeper" that won't get cycled through the used book store - it'll be read again and again, especially as Pirie promises more in the series. The next in the series will be released in the U.K. in Oct. 2002, and I await it with pleasant anticipation.

This tale finds Sherlock Holmes ensconced in the Dead Rabbit's Society a brasher version of the British gentleman's club. 'Dead Rabbit,' in turn of the century New York patois, means 'best opponent.' I admit it is an odd name for what is supposed to be a fashionable establishment. Although, given the description of the food, the name may be apt for a different reason. Lest I forget, Holmes is only occasionally Holmes in this story. He is on that infinitely long hegira that lasted from Reichenbach Falls to his eventual reappearance in England, and has chosen Simon Hawkes as his nom de detection.

The story opens dramatically with a woman's suicidal plunge into the Hudson and then switches abruptly to the public rooms of the Dead Rabbit's Society. There we find Holmes/Hawkes discussing the recent death with George Hammond, a Rabbit of long standing. Their conversation is interrupted by a brief confrontation between Franklin and Charles Dunmore that enables our detective to once again reveal his scintillating analytical abilities, which barely stop short of estimating the brothers' respective bank balances. Hammond is appropriately awestruck. Little does Holmes realize that, in short order, Franklin Dunmore is about to become a client.

A week later, attempts on Franklin's life suddenly begin. He turns to Hammond for help, fearing that these efforts are from his brother's hand. Hammond, in turn, recommends that Franklin seek help from Holmes. Despite being busy saving the Police Commissioner from blackmail, Holmes has a flash of inspiration and generously offers to help. While Holmes discovers much, he is unprepared for the swiftness of events. Death comes early in this case and proceeds with nightmarish violence. Holmes finds himself at his wit's end.

Phillip Carraher is a promising writer, but I found the story a bit unsatisfactory. As indicated earlier, Holmes, disguised as Hawkes, and without Watson, never seems to settle completely into his role. He behaves atypically, both in the nature of his disguise and in an unusual tendency to reveal more than he should. If he is attempting concealment from the remains of Moriarty's gang, why he would then intentionally make a point of aiding the police. After all, his modus operandi is well known on both continents. If the gang was really intent on getting even with Holmes he would be singularly easy to come across.

Less tolerable, the plot devices chosen to move the action along are too tranparent, and diffuse most of the mystery. The plot is thin, and it is too easy for the reader to get ahead of Holmes. The ending so is unlike Holmes that Carraher actually has Watson remark on it to Holmes on its retelling. Characterization, however, is quite good, and the writer does a good if slightly over-dramatic imitation of Watson as narrator after the fact.

If you like fairly traditional Holmesian fare (a la Val Andrews), I think that you will find the Dead Rabbits Society a journeymanlike tale, short but satisfactory. If your tastes run to more ambitious additions to the canon I would suggest first looking to Larry Millett and Laurie R. King.

I liked this book very much. I don't normally write comments on the web, but reading Marc Ruby's review I just felt I had to remark on a couple of things he said.

1. He says (asks) why would Holmes help the police and solve crimes when in hiding (from Moriarty's gang? That, to me, is like asking why doesn't Holmes stop breathing while hiding? Holmes must be Holmes. It is second nature to him. I think any fan of the "canon" would agree. This thus strikes me as a frivolous criticism.

2. Marc says the ending (unique to say the least)is "unlike Holmes". Here I think he is totally off the mark. Any reader of the Doyle stories knows that Holmes is not afraid to act "outside" the law when he deems it necessary. Far from being "unlike Holmes" I thought the ending was something Holmes would very likely do. Although the morality of it is worth a discussion or two. It certainly makes Doctor Watson's eyebrows go up when Holmes tells him of it. Although in the end he (Watson) agrees it was the right thing to do.

3. He says it's a bit easy to "get ahead" of Carraher. I'm not certain what this means. Does it means it is possible to figure out (guess) who the killer is prior to the end? Perhaps. But this too is not a true criticism. I certainly did not "get ahead" of Carraher in terms of the twists and turns of the plot and the killing of at least two of the people came initially as a surprise. Anyway, Holmes stories are not really about "hiding" who the "bad person" is (Anyone read "The Speckled Band" and not know right off?) but rather about the logic and display of observation that Doyle (and now Carraher) offers the reader. Holmes mysteries are not about the cliche of having the killer be "the one you suspect the least". Rather they are about the manner in which Holmes solves crimes, the way he "sees" things that others (the police) don't see, and strings together inferences from the smallest detail. That is what (I think)defines a true Holmes story and this is what Carraher's book truly offers. I notice that Marc Ruby does say in his review that the book allows "our detective to once again reveal his scintillating analytical abilities, which barely stop short of estimating the brothers' respective bank balances." I agree with Marc on this point. In fact, that really is the joy of the book (besides the excellent writing) for Carraher does allow Holmes to "reveal his scintillating" abilities, not just once but throughout the book. Holmes is the detective "magician" with the "eyes in back of his head" and that is the Holmes that many other "Holmes" writers ultimately fail to give us but which Carraher offers us in abundance. This book is a must-read for any Holmes fan.

This book does not mark the return of Sherlock Holmes but rather the return of Arthur Conan Doyle. Phillip Carraher writes a novel that could easily be mistaken for a manuscript from the original author. He paints a vivid and plausible scene of 1890's New York that is historically and geographically accurate. The scene of the crime is tactfully shifted from London to New York where we witness a series of appalling and baffling murders and the strange events that lead up to them. But can the criminals hide the evidence from the powers of deductive reasoning of the "worlds only consulting detective?" I, for one, am anxiously awaiting the next installment in the adventures of Simon Hawkes (aka Sherlock Holmes).

I am a Foreign Language Major in California. I bought this book awhile ago, and even though my Latin studies defer me from studying Cherokee, I've retained most of what I've learned, which is good for me because there are no Classses to avail in California. The language is not an easy one, but you dont even notice it's difficulty, due to the Comprehensive structure. I feel it is greatest for available for Beginners. The only problem is a lack of more entertaining exercises, which do allow for a better retension. it is to a form, as is the form of learning a Classical Language (i.e. Latin). Audio Cassettes to accompany are also available.

This is the best primer on both spoken and written Cherokee. There have been other attempts to write language instruction in Cherokee; all the others that I have seen are too complex...attempting to teach too much, too fast.
Cherokee is so unlike English, in terms of grammar and syntax, that learning the language is difficult; however, the difficulty is minimized by starting slowly and building vocabulary first. The optional accompanying cassettes should be a big help.
One caveat: this book teaches the dialect common in Oklahoma. Eastern Cherokee is slightly different, but if you learn the western dialect, folks in North Carolina will be able to understand you.

I began learning Cherokee with this book over a decade ago. Growing up in Illinois, I didn't have a Cherokee community around that I could learn from. Over the years this book has became absolutely invaluable to me. I have read almost all the Cherokee language books written, and this is definitely one of the best. When I finally did get to Oklahoma to work on my Master's, I was actually able to talk to Cherokees in Cherokee largely through the rules of grammar, sentence structure, etc. that this book taught me. I also learned the syllabary through this book. Well worth a look.

I like mysteries,and I couldn't find any. I tried this book and it is great! I think it was just the right book for me. It is very funny, and I think you will enjoy it.

Love the book. It was all about cases that Encyclopedia Brown was trying to solve. There were always bad and mean people in each case.

I liked this book because it made me a lot smarter, and sometimes it made me laugh, too. I would recommend it to anyone who loves mysterious stories and solving puzzles.

This is a pretty good book and the author does a great job of evoking Arthur Canon Doyle's legendary characters but the title is a misnomer. For any reader expecting a return to the Scottish moors and the House of Baskervilles, they will be sorely disappointed. The hound in question is really just a minor subplot that felt hobbled on. It's as though the publisher came up with the title for sales purposes and the author complied by tacking on a side trip concerning a rabid hound but it covers less than maybe twenty pages if that.

As with all non Doyle books about Holmes I am always hesitant to buy one for fear that it will not come close to the original but I am glad that I bought this book. Mr. Hardwick does a great job with his writing style in that you forget that you are reading a Holmes book authored by someone other than Mr. Doyle. Finished it in two days as it was that good.

My dad is a great Holmes fan. . . I was hesitant to buy a non-Doyle sequel to Hound, but he did not put it down! He pronounced it "a great read!" Please write more! !

This book proves to be a great case study for these POWs who suffered in Japan during World War II. While there is no question that they did, the question lies in what does this book mean?
In a time of war, unjust and unfair things happens. Its the dirty, dishonorable and unglorious part of any war. These POWs were warriors who took their chances and paid the penalty for their country. They were also unfortunate that the Pacific War was a race war where both sides reduces each other to sub-human levels. Racial hatred is the lowest mean of human emotion and outlook. Are we surprised that they were treated like sub-humans?
Our nation also did many things during that war which we were not so proud. We fire bombed cities and people like barbeue. This meant schools, hospitals and civilian homes were cooked up like Sunday picnic (with women and children, of course). But this too, is part of war and it will always be that way.
If we fought a honorable war and they did not, then there is just cause. But if both sides fought dirty, using POWs as slaves was one way to the means for the Japanese trying to win that war.
Only way the author and her cause can win - will be by changing or rebuking the peace treaty with Japan - who just happened to be our most strongest ally and trading partner in the Pacific. This is a nice way to win trust and maintain friendship. Americans seem to forget that they have a nasty history of breaking or foregoing treaties with non-white people as the American Indians can understand. Are treaty with the Japanese just as expendable??
Author also point out with certain racist overtone that American government was justified in rounding up American citizens of Japanese descent because the Japanese army rounded out American citizens in their areas of conquest. Can anyone tell me the slight difference in concept here?
Were American POWs abused and mistreated. Yes. So were all POWs captured by the Japanese during that war and for history, Japanese have always done that, even to their people during their civil wars. To be fair to Japanese way of war, they had the lowest amount of POWs taken during the war then any major combatants - so they do practice what they preach - that anyone who surrender during the time of war - is lower then a cockroach in their eyes.
It should be mentioned that Japanese probably enslaved whites as one of their major goals of the war - the one they actually achieved even if they lost the war. This goal was to destoryed the concept of white supremacy and colonialism. White folks as slaves does that very nicely to Asian eyes all over the Pacific.
The author's cause also may open up a can of worms we may not want to - for if the POWs were able to collect, then that may open up the door for all these blacks whose forefathers were enslaved by whites to get some form of compensation. Fair is fair is it not? Maybe, Japanese and German survivors may sued Boeing and other American companies who built the bombers which was used to firebombed their schools and hospitals for compensation. (I mention this because the author seem to be very fond of quoting the Genvea Convention in her book. I think fire bombing schools and hospitals is also against the Genvea Convention...isn't it?) Where will it end?
In war as I understand in history, there is NO RULES. Its not a game, if one is captured by an enemy, he can shoot you, enslaved you or torture you. Its part of being a soldier, isn't it?
While I feel bad for these POWs who suffered for our nation, I cannot in good conscience, support their claims - no more then I support the claims of blacks who want compensation for slavery or our former enemies (and we have many) who want compensation for wrongs done in the past by our military and industry.

The events of this book were some of the most horrific from World War II and to wait this long to tell me them was a crime in itself. How could this nation have let this happen, I pray these men will forgive their peers and superiors for this unjust act. We should boycott this industries as a nation and show our soladarity with those brave men who endure almost 3 years of brutality at the hands of our enemy at the time.

This is a fascinating book about a chapter of our WW II experience that should have been told before now. Our prisoners in the Pacific were inhumanely treated, and we owe it to them to hear how they suffered, and to help them get compensation. German companies are coming forward to pay for the slave labor they used during WW II. It is about time that our men in the Pacific also received compensation for their work and suffering.

Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson have been in the public domain for some time, and since then the literary world seems to be divided between those who can duplicate the original Arthur Conan Doyle stories tolerably well and those who only THINK that they can do this.

The cover on this book is as fascinating as any individual story: an eye-catching color scheme which includes a robotic Sherlock (the eyes are blank and the head is opened to reveal what appears to be a computer chip) superimposed against a background that includes a waterfall (presumably the infamous Reichenbach Falls) and a traditional 19th Century London scene of a horse-drawn carriage on cobblestones.

As one might guess from the title as well, the cover depicts the theme of the book: some of the short stories in it are set, in accordance with tradition, in 19th century London, and some are set in the future.

Even some of the "traditional" stories have a futuristic twist to them. For example, The Adventure of the Second Scarf involves an alien visitation to the year 1897 and a subsequent space flight.

I was prepared to hate all of the futuristic stories, but some of them are intriguing. In "Two Roads, No Choices", two scientists from the year 2014 visit go back 102 years in time to visit Holmes and Watson in their lodgings on Baker Street in order to ascertain why the Titanic did NOT sink.

This story has got a warm familiar Rod Serling kind of feel to it, and it's very easy to forgive the author, Dean Wesley Smith, for overlooking (deliberately, I'm sure) the fact that by 1912, Conan Doyle's Holmes had long since left Baker Street and retired to his country home in Sussex to keep bees.

"The Case of the Purloined L'isitek" by Josepha Sherman is a cute futuristic story about a staid and dignified horsy race known as the Shrr'loks on the planet Kholmes ruled by a pony whose mannerisms resemble those of a certain fictitious earthly detective - just the sort of story that I wanted to hate but couldn't.

Some of the more traditional stories cleverly interweave actual historical personages or events from the Sherlockian era with genuine references from the Conan Doyle stories or with conclusions drawn by Sherlockians from those stories.

"The Adventure of the Russian Grave" by William Barton and Michael Capobianco involves an actual astronomical event that took place in the early 20th century, plausibly anticipated by Professor Moriarty's "Dynamics of an Asteroid".

"The Future Engine" by Byron Tetrick features the son of mathematician Charles Babbage, a genuine historical figure, whose creation of an analytical engine to perform mathematical calculations anticipate the development of the computer - the functions of which really do match Sherlock Holmes's description (from Conan Doyle's "Adventure of the Greek Interpreter") of the mental processes of his brother Mycroft.

There are also two stories in this volume which alternatively provide a lighter and darker side of Lewis Carroll.

And Frank M. Robinson's "The Phantom of the Barbary Coast" sets Holmes and Watson in 1895 San Francisco ("The most evil city in the world, Watson; it would put Port Said to shame!"). There is a reference to Watson's having lived in this city before during a prior marriage that ended in tragedy. This is not directly derived from anything that Conan Doyle wrote, but I'm pretty sure that it is a tribute to Ronald Knox or some other Sherlockian cryptographer who concluded the existence of such a marriage based on his own reading between the lines of the Conan Doyle stories.

There are also stories in this volume not worth mentioning and others that are worth mentioning, if only to chastise the author. The logic that provides the solution to "You See But Do Not Observe" (a cat in the box is neither alive nor dead until one observes its condition) is unworthy of any adult consideration, let alone that of Sherlock Holmes or an advanced futuristic society. Equally illogical is the solution to "The Adventure of the Pearly Gate". Yet that last story, together with Janni Lee Simner's "Illusions" (an homage to Conan Doyle's actual interest in the afterlife), describes a recurring theme that often occurs in collections such as this: Sherlock Holmes can never die, can never be ALLOWED to die.

I wonder. Although he still has a loyal following, it's hard to imagine that the man who could discern the trades of everyone on a third-class carriage on the Underground (as suggested by Conan Doyle's "A Study in Scarlet") by observing certain defining features would have the same success in an age where computers have eliminated much of the variety that once might have distinguished one professional from another.

Could the detective who used the distinguishing characteristics of a typewriter to unmask a scoundrel in Conan Doyle's "A Case of Identity" have the same success in an era where the word processor and laser printer have replaced the typewriter? Could purloined documents (from "The Case of the Naval Treaty" and "The Case of the Second Stain") be recovered so readily when faxes, photocopiers, and email make them so readily reproducible? And is a Sherlockian passion for justice permissible at a time when people are often quite willing to parse justice for base and self-serving motives?

Perhaps we keep Sherlock Holmes alive because we need him as a live object of respect. And perhaps we need him for this purpose because deep inside, we know that we are dead.

This is a interesting concept in general. I gave it a four star because a few stories in there seemed forced.

Some of the stories have a few points/themes in common. Such as H.G.Wells, Alice in Wonderland, Watson being the real genius, and Holmes being a fake or even a villian. I wonder if it's intentional to have common themes or was it a coincidence.

Two of the stories i especially liked. One, Second Fiddle by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. Second, The Adventure of the Second Scarf by Mark Aronson.

Dear friends,

It is a real pleasure to be able to read other stories about Sherlock Holmes. Many of the stories show that the writer has read indeed the original books.

You start reading and when you look around you perceive that the day is almost ending and you have done nothing except reading.

Paulo Sunao

This book has been languishing on my shelf for some time, so I finally gritted my teeth and read it.

When I ordered it, I didn't realise it was written to explain the nature of Relativity and Quantum Physics to those who aren't mathematically inclined. I was looking for more Sherlock Holmes stories to read, and so this book was a disappointment. (One of the reasons for writing this review is to allow others to know what it is before they buy it.)

Having read it, I'm still disappointed. While Colin Bruce does a decent job in explaining physics for the layman, I wasn't overly thrilled with his attempts to portray Dr. Watson, Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft Holmes, Professor Challenger and Professor Summerlee, all characters created by the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Their portrayal is variable, and bends to suit the explanatory purpose of the book rather than remaining true to the characters.

Given that the book is et in Victorian London, its explanation of scientific theories that weren't derived until decades later is also disappointing. Had the minds featured in the book been able to come up with the theories that they did before 1901, we'd be more advanced than we are.

Possibly useful to help explain physics to the layman, but not much use for Sherlock Holmes aficionados.

First, I must warn you: this is not a Sherlock Holmes book. It is a science book using Sherlock Holmes charecters. It is also not realistic, in that there are anumber impossible situations (like a century-old atom bomb accidentaly being set off), and many scientific priciples discussed were not discovered until decades after the victorian era (the setting for the book) However, this does not make it a bad book. In fact it is an excelent book. It does a great job of explaining physics principles, even quantum mechanics, enjoyably and in layman's terms. It would probably be enjoyable for both adults who want to get an overall idea of the more unusual physics and for teaching high-school level physics. The earlier chapters can be used with younger students. Overall, a very good book.

I love using this book in my high school classroom. I can reach students who normally think physics is boring and I can really appeal to the super geeks (like me.)

This book was suggested in a home-school catalog as a book to help my children understand the customs at the time of Jesus' birth. It is, plain and simple, a romance novel. Some of the more adult references were beyond my children, but I still found myself explaining things to my seven year old that I didn't want to explain to her until she was older. I enjoy a good love story, and so do my three pre-teen girls, but we were not interested in this love story as it was written.

My first introduction to this book was as it was being read on a Christian radio program about 20 years ago. I was captivated and had to read it for myself! That year, Christmas came alive as never before. Marjorie Holmes had to have been inspired and anointed of God to produce this magnificent work. It has been perhaps my all-time favorite novel for all these many years since and I can only recommend it most highly.

This book amazed me at how captivated I was with the story. It begins with the innocent love of Mary and Joseph, and for the first time it really struck me how much love they had for God and for each other. The book progressed into her pregnancy and from then on I couldn't put it down until the little Savior was born. The emotions she described were down-to-earth ones and I realized the reality as I read. Excellent piece of work!