A sentimental tobacconist. An eccentric testatrix. A musical butler. A suicidal lawyer. An absent-minded landlady. A persecuted accountant.
Question - What do all these extraordinary characters have in common?
Answer - they all take leading roles in stories included in The New Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, my colleciton of Holmesian pastiches, which is available on Amazon as an ebook as from today. As well as the stories, there are a variety of extras, and I'm especially pleased that these include a lovely intro from that great guru concerning all things Sherlockian, David Stuart Davies.
You can "look inside" the book on Amazon to read the first few pages. Among other things, David was kind enough to say: "Martin Edwards has not only caught the style and quality of the originals, but the characters speak with Doylean voices. In short, Martin Edwards knows his Holmes and he puts that knowledge to great effect in this set of cases...It is interesting to note that while some of Conan Doyle’s stories have weak plots – ‘The Mazarin Stone’ and ‘The Veiled Lodger for example - all the tales presented here are finely constructed mysteries in which Holmes is able to demonstrate his brilliance as a detective."
I'm really gratified by these comments, especially as no brown envelope stuffed with cash passed between me and David (though next time we meet up in a bar, I'll be glad to buy him a pint or two!) Until now, almost all of these stories have been very difficult for readers to find. Now that they are readily obtainable (and, I'm tempted to add, for a bargain price...) I hope that Sherlock fans will take the same view as David. Fingers crossed!
