June Thomson is a British mystery writer who has published about 18 novels concerning her own characters, and three pastiche collections of Sherlock Holmes short stories. What she seems to be doing here is getting another book out of her research and thoughts about the Holmes and Watson characters, as accumulated during the writing of the three short-story collections.

There is not much that is original here, and Thomson leans particularly heavily on D. Martin Dakin's SHERLOCK HOLMES COMMENTARY. What is good is Thomson's refusal to speculate wildly. She hews in a Fundamentalist way to the letter of the Canon; and, her main interest is the changing relations between Holmes and Watson, particularly as affected by Holmes' increasing deteriorating mental stability, and Watson's two marriages.

Thomson's two claims of originality lie in her identification of the person Watson disguised as the "King of Bohemia"--- an identification I don't buy at all; and, her identification of Watson's mysterious second wife, an identification I find brilliant and completely convincing.

This 2001 ... edition seems to be printed directly from the plates of the 1995 British edition, and the type shows quite a bit of damage, with a number of missing letters.

If you are a lover of the Canon, and of Holmes and Watson, you'll find much to ponder in this organized review of what few hints the Canon gives us on matters of the actual dates of various cases, and on the day-to-day life and relationship of the Great Detective and his faithful Boswell.

June Watson has written several books of Holmes short stories (under the titles 'The Secret of Sherlock Holmes' - File, Chronicles, Journals) but here writes a biography of both Holmes and Watson, with especial attention to their friendship.

In writing this book, she draws heavily upon the writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (things written by anyone else is ignored) and establishes a chronology of the stories, espouses her own theories and makes reference to those of other Holmesians and Sherlockians.

This is a well-trodden path - first treader, as far as I know was Baring-Gould - but Ms. Thomson does a good job. The whole thing hangs together wonderfully - she foreshadows future ideas, she refers back to her previous views, and has plainly thought this project through.

And, yes, she addresses the age-old questions - was Watson shot in the shoulder or the leg, why does Mrs. Watson call her husband John "James", how many times was Watson married and to who, who was Mrs. Turner, which university did Holmes go to, etc.

If you are interested in the Holmes canon (as opposed to the stories) you may want to read this one.

Excellent "biography" (originally published in 1995) of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson from an accomplished mystery writer and Sherlockian scholar. The details and discussions are drawn directly from the original Holmes stories and features none of the unfounded or fanciful speculations that clog so many other Holmes "biographies". Thomson does offer other scholars' differing or dissenting opinions and interpretations, conjectures, and so on, where appropriate for a well-rounded text. The writing style is excellent and eminently readable, avoiding the dry scholarly style of some other studies. Well documented and footnoted, this is almost as entertaining to read as the actual Holmes stories themselves. Highly recommended.

Some of this book was cool but there was a huge feeling of d??vu as I progressed through these stories. It's no secret that Conan Doyle brought Holmes back to life only by popular demand and not because he felt anything special for the character. As a result, these stories and mostly uninspired and are basically retreads of stories that have come before them.

Plus there are some parts that really bug me? How does Holmes make a living? Never once does he actually charge these people for his services. Where does his cash come from? And for that matter where does Watson get his money from? He says at the start he sold his practice to shack up with Holmes so if he is not a GP then what is he? A mere observer to the Mysteries? And what of his wife Mary Morstan? Does he not live with her any more? According to this he lives with Holmes? What is going on?

If Conan Doyle were really serious about these stories then elements such as these would have been stronger and characters would be more fleshed out. The introduction of a new character in Inspector Stanley Hopkins is practically useless as he is just a generic police officer.

The long and unrealistic monologues aren't so abundant here but the stories always seem to get off to a slow start. A couple of them are cool and interesting but never seem to generate an atmosphere or give any chance for Holmes or Watson to evolve.

Conan Doyle only wrote these stories because his readers wanted them. Not because he felt they needed to be told. He felt totally indifferent about Sherlock Holmes and these generally poor stories only prove that.

The soft-cover Wordsworth Classics edition of The Return of Sherlock Holmes reproduces The Hound of the Baskervilles and the short stories that make up The Return of Sherlock Holmes as they originally appeared in the Strand. It also contains the interesting, though poorly reproduced, illustrations that accompanied the stories. Because a page of the magazine is reduced to the size of a trade paperback page, typeface is very small.

As an Englishman. resident in the United States, what do I miss most? The BBC. As a little boy I looked forward to all the broadcast plays every week. The BBC cast performed about 6 hours of radio plays every week. They still do, haven't you also noticed the number of TV plays broadcast by A and E? Most of them originate in the United Kingdom, Hornblower, ETC.. Now we can enjoy the performances by means of these Bantam Double Day releases. Very well done, by a very experienced cast, you can let your imagination run riot as you picture the various scenes in your mind. These are the classic stories by Sir Arther Conan Doyle. They have been around for 100 years or so, and time has not diminished their appeal. On this Audio Book you have 4 stories, each about 45 minutes long. If you haven't heard these before, then I don't wish to spoil the story line. If you know the stories then you will not be disappointed. Each story is presented in the time period of around the 1900's, you can almost smell the gas lighting, not to mention the foggy november weather, the horses, and so on. Order these from Amazon, and search for more of the BBC plays, they are great.

I really hate to say this, because I've never given anyone less than four stars, but I wasn't really impressed with this book. I found it a bit farfetched that Dracula was related to Holmes, and it added many complicating elements to the story. But overall, it was a decent book, and certainly not the worst I've ever read. I suppose if you're really into vampires and such like that you might be interested, but I don't believe in the supernatural (unless you count God) and I don't think that Holmes would either.

I bought this book because I was blown away by his alternative telling of 'Frankenstein' (which appears, tragically, to be out of print.) It didn't live up to my first taste of Saberhagen, and so disappointed me.... but as a representative of the vampire and Holmesian genres, it's an original entry and a pleasant light read.

I think that this book was well written and has alot of detail. This author has a very vivid imagination and has used it well. I think that it is material that could be made into movie. I very much enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who like mysteries. The book does move a little slow in the beginning, but it picks up soon enough.

I have enjoyed the previous three Barry Day Holmes pastiches, but I would have a hard time summarizing now what any of them were about, and the present volume continues the pattern of diverting but forgettable... but maybe not so forgettable as the previous entries.

The plot is a bit different: Jack the Ripper, a British nobleman sent into permanent exile as a result of his crimes, has slipped back into England and reappeared in public (with help from his own fortune and the Kaiser) as the leader of a religious cult. "Janus Cain" preaches the coming apocalypse, and intends to bring it on himself (at least as far as London is concerned) with the help of biological weapons and a small private army.

Who can stop him? Well, Holmes, Watson, THE woman and Oscar Wilde join forces to terminate "Cain" in the London sewers! Day gets the relation between Holmes and Watson pretty much correct, but does not attempt to emulate Watson's literary style. As is getting customary in modern pastiches, Holmes often seems a bit slow on the uptake. Not much is made of "Cain's" past adventures as the Ripper, either... nor do we discover how a British Lord became so familiar with the sewers under Whitechapel.

The novel ends with Holmes and Watson getting ready for a quick trip to America, apparently a prelude to the next recorded adventure in the series.

If you can't get enough of Holmes and Watson, and don't mind some "bending the willow" (as Jeremy Brett liked to call it), you'll probably enjoy this wildly implausible adventure of the two old friends.

When Sherlock Holmes and Watson are called in to a gruesome murder they quickly realize that they have met the killer before. For Jack the Ripper's signature is carved on the neck of the victim. For Holmes this is horrible news. When he first discovered the Ripper, the killer's social position was such that it was only possible to quietly oust him from England. Now, years later, he is back, and crazier than ever.

In a matter of very little time the Ripper strikes again, this time attacking the new Director of Covent Garden in the middle of a performance of the Flying Dutchman. A performance starring Irene Adler, the only woman to ever best the consulting detective. Not only is the Ripper wandering London seeking out his persecutors, he has also formed an obsession for Ms. Adler. Holmes must split his efforts if the talented Irene is to survive.

Holmes works with his brother Mycroft and Detective Lestrade, first trying to discover the killer's new identity, and, when it is found, track him down and discover the rest of his plans. For the new Ripper doesn't want to limit himself to impromptu surgery. He fully intends to bring the four horsemen of the apocalypse down on the city of London.

"The Apocalypse Murders" is a good, solid Holmesian romp. Full of action and lots of quick deductions. The villains are villainous and our heroes are as valiant as can be. Expect Lots of atmosphere and spookiness as well. Barry Day writes with no pretension and the result rings much truer than many efforts that are more imitative of Doyle's. Don't expect a lot of depth and laborious efforts at meaning, just settle in for a great read that is just a bit too short. This time you get to wonder if Holmes will get the girl and get his man as well.

"This latest Holmes adventure from Barry Day is as smooth as the claret in Holmes' gentlemens' club,as rare as the fabled sirloin of Simpson's-in-the-Strand. Simply delectable."

- Strand Magazine

The overall tone is slightly contrived. It doesn't "feel" right. Could be better. Unless you are familiar with "Spiritual Mind Treatments" it will sound really weird.

Must have

If you have read the Science of mind or Urantia book, this is for you. These days of confusion, everybody could use a daily guide and inspiration in our life. I highly recommend this book of great wisdom. It is for everybody who made the first step toward higher meanings and more spiritual life.

Like Mr. Franks's others books this one has a lot information about the Albatros units and the most sucesseful pilots, unfortunately that is all. There is no presonal accounts in the book and little accounts of events about the units and the men. The author has done better in other books, like Dieppe. It is a good book for modelers, the artwork is great, but who, like me, looks for more detailed information, will have to look elsewhere. Anyway this book should be a good start.

Albatros Aces #32 has everything I like in a book about the pilots and airplanes of the First World War. Franks generously supplies contemporary photographs--and ones not often seen to boot. The colorplates of aircraft are very fine indeed, an excellent source for modellers. Franks also provides short but informative, absorbing biographies of the pilots of Albatros single-seaters. I cannot speak highly enough of this fine work.

June Thomson is obviously a Sherlock Holmes fan. The story comes off as something written by a fan writing for other fans. However, that is not necessarily a good thing.

The mystery is rather slight. The appearance of Mycroft Holmes and his dire concerns about the case seem quite unwarranted. In fact when Holmes and Watson arrive on the scene, they are basically told who the culprit is and there is a very brief journey to uncover proof of this. The ending is rather anti-climactic.

However, Simon Jones does a superb reading of the story. He is able to give unique voices to his characters and quite brings the story and characters to life. Mr. Jones is now among one of the actors I will look for when choosing audio books, joining Time Curry and Michael York.

In the final analysis, this audiobook makes a decent distraction for a short commute. It is not gripping, but the performance is strong and worth the listen.

This audio presentation manages to combine an authentic sounding Sherlock Holmes story with the talents of Simon Jones to produce a genuinely enjoyable 2 hours of mystery.

This is one cookbook that you can actually read! Besides the tempting recipes, there is a lot of other information to digest. As to the recipes themselves, some are quite simple, others are much more elaborate. I found the relating of the recipes to Sherlock Holmes mysteries to be the real treat of the book.

The first time I found a copy of this book, I was most pleasantly surprised! I never even knew such a cookbook existed. As a lover of both Sherlock Holmes and British food, I am happy to add "Dining With Sherlock Holmes" to my collection of Sherlockian literature and numerous cookbooks.

Among other scrumptious items, I found a recipe for potato pancakes that I tried for Chanukah with perfect results!

I highly recommend "Dining With Sherlock Holmes"---and if you're not a Sherlock Holmes fan, this book just might "convert" you!

Although the idea of Holmes taking on an apprentice is a rewarding difference from other Holmes mysteries, it seems as though he (Porter) hasn't accomplished anything by the time Holmes has arrived. Many elaborate details give a good idea of what the land looks like but almost made me forget what the case was. All in all a relativly good story.

Lloyd Biggle, who has done some spectacularly odd SF works (see 'The Still, Small Voice of Trumpets'), has shined Sherlock's eye over the poverty-stricken subnation of Wales, roughly a century ago. Holmes' companion (not Dr. Watson, who couldn't make this trip) tells us richly of the milieu, and Holmes finds the most telling clues right in plain sight. The rural Welsh characters are as real as Dickens' London townsfolk, and just as pinched. I loved it! Watson didn't write the tales this well...

This story is very much in the Doylist style. It has a very classic mystery format which put me to mind of the Sign of Four. Fast paced, interesting characters. The only flaws would be that Holmes presence tantalizes in its absence and everyone is way to good a makeup artist.

I can't wait for the next book in the series, Chapel Noir, which is finally coming out. These books take Irene Adler, the only woman to outwit Sherlock Holmes, and make her the star of her own show. The historical research is top-notch, the writing is witty, and the stories are impossible to put down. This one features the first beautiful blonde American princess of Monaco (Grace was a late-comer!) in a plot that threatens a royal wedding and reveals an old and complex scheme to control a hidden fortune. It's an amusing and authentic spoof of Conan Doyle, yet captures the mood of the Victorian era even while referencing more modern events and interweaving details from the Holmes Canon. Historical and mystery fans, including serious Holmesians, will love this absorbing and delightful adventure.