The Lost Casebooks of Sherlock Holmes

Lost Sherlock #1-3

by Donald Serrell Thomas

Donald Thomas; Sherlock Holmes; crime; fiction; mystery; detective; Moriarti; Benedict Cumberbatch; Sherlock; Lord Byron; Winston Churchill; 221B Baker Street; Dr. Watson; sleuth; caper;

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Short Stories, Crime, Classics, Adventure

1000 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2012

About the author

aka Francis Selwyn

Donald Serrell Thomas is an English author of (primarily) Victorian-era historical, crime and detective fiction, as well as books on factual crime and criminals, in particular several academic books on the history of crime in London. He has written a number of biographies, two volumes of poetry, and has also edited volumes of poetry by John Dryden and the Pre-Raphaelites.

Reviews

[Anne Patkau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Original better than here 3-4* overall, but style remeniscent. Details are elaborately embellished, meander, miss point. Holmes does not catch whodunit. Motives and results are mixed up. Magazine submissions, Strand https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... and Conan https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..., are spaced better, widely.

I The Secret Cases of Sherlock Holmes

A Letter to Posterity from John H. Watson, MD 7 - Alert air from lean build, sharp eyes, thin hawk nose, firm jaw -- means more than "stance and manner of" p9 random hoity-toity.

1 The Ghost in the Machine 21 - Miss Louisa Banks, friend of Holmes' landlady Mrs Harris, begs discretion. Already married Dr Smethurst wed and is poisoning her sister Bella. Laws forbid building gallows on Sunday, gives Holmes extra time.

Bella dies of dehydration: morning sickness plus Smethurst's abortion doses. Holmes proves toxicology test is false positive for arsenic. Smethurst wanted to abort Bella's pregnancy, not kill Bella, worth more alive. In those days abortion was a crime, and Smethurst did kill Bella while killing their child. So how can Holmes save Smethurst from hanging?

2 The Case of the Crown Jewels 48 - Burglars shoot Sir Arthur Vicars believing he hides Irish Crown Jewels that vanished fourteen years before. Holmes had no proof but worked out thief was younger black sheep brother Frank of explorer Shackleton. Holmes guesses Frank took key from library and made copy long before crime.

3 The Case of the Unseen Hand 93 - Holmes is called by Margeurite Steinheil, more than "elegant .. graceful" and more than "confidential secretary" p 102. President Félix Faure dies of seemingly natural causes, atop his mistress, both naked. Holmes takes memento case of pills, innocuous herbs reputed to "stimulate passion" p 129.

Holmes assumes, without autopsy proof, that Faure already took capsule containing instantaneous poison. Is 'Unseen Hand' poisoner? forger? Master Criminal directing both?

Plot drags by entanglements: Captain Dreyfus is falsely accused of being traitor by forged documents; Marg conveys, to Holmes from Faure, confidential secrets that would bring down government if disclosed. She is accused of paying confederates to kill her husband and mother, fake burglary of secrets.

Holmes wins freedom for Marg by threatening to reveal safe secrets. With best of intentions, he starts on slippery slope of blackmail. By burning the papers, he loses that power, proof. Confusing.

4 The Case of the Blood Royal 131 - Holmes negotiates with Charles Augustus Howell for letters "in a bank vault" p 149 to save King George from charges of bigamy with a commoner. Watson loses trails of duplicate briefcases.

Howell dies from throat cut by soldier he tried to blackmail, but "death certificate .. Pneumonia!" p 158. Holmes knew which bank vault had papers all along .

5 The Case of the Camden Town Murder 175 - 12 Sep 1912. Holmes disproves witnesses -- boxer from another door, too dark, not wet -- against artist Robert Wood 28 after Camden Town whore had her "throat cut" deeply, head "almost severed" p 178.

Why ubiquitous mish-mash? First Holmes advises junior barrister Frederick Edwin Smith, before fame, to leave country "as far as you can" p 177 for six months after Smith accidentally punches ruffian off tram to death, and to never mention "mishap -- for one can scarcely call it a crime" p 177.

Holmes buys a drawing by artist Walter Sickert, friend of Wood, in portfolio renamed "What Shall We Do For the Rent" from "Camden Street Murders", where Wood holds "hands obscurely round her throat" p 197. Where is weapon? Inspector Neil recognizes crime scene details not released to papers, "that room and the girl herself as plain as if it could be a photograph" p 198, could only be reproduced by someone actually there. So is Wood killer? or Sickert?

6 The Case of the Missing Rifleman 199 - July 1919. Barrister Sir Edward Marshall Hall (again) asks Holmes to "concentrate upon the evidence, the facts" p 205, both expert in "firearms and ballistics" p 212. Holmes advises Hall to hire skilled gunsmith Churchill. Apparently in British legal procedure, prosecuter cannot use gunsmith retained by defence. Defence with-held Churchill's report that could hang Light: only Webley, not a rifle, could have shot Bella.

Ronald Light lied to police, was last to see Bella alive, both on bicycles, his later dredged up from river. Bullet, from same model of gun "Webley Scott service revolver" p 208 that most British soldiers brought home, went from below her eye out the back of her head. Of course there is a herring, a carrion crow shot dead in adjoining field, "twelve bloody claw-tracks, six in each direction" p 200.

Holmes blames crow on 'Missing' lad who practiced rook-rifle regularly from behind stone sheep-trough, ran away because he thought Bella took shot intended for crow. Lt Light "playing the fool with it to impress or amuse her" p 219. Accidentally, fatal Webley shot reflected off "stone-work of the road, glanced upward" p 219. Accidental or deliberate, when death results from careless action, is not a perpetrator usually punished? Less severe? Could laws only choose from hanging or nothing? Hall "awkwardness had been generated .. never communicated with either Holmes or myself again" p 221. Odd ending.

7 The Case of the Yokohama Club 222 - Oct 1896. Nursery governess Mary Jacob is destined to hang in Japan for poisoning philandering employer Walter Carew. His wife Edith "found lovers easily" p 228. "The couple even gave such men the nicknames of 'The Ferret' and 'The Organ Grinder'" p 229.

Ill with venereal disease and alcoholic liver cirrhosis, Walter imbibes medicinal Fowler's Tonic "strongly scented with lavender to make it more palatable" p 231. "One single-ounce bottle of Fowler's Tonic contains twice the fatal dose" p 231 of arsenic in last brandy and soda Walter requests, servants observe Mary deliver. "The other witnesses, one and all, agree that in those last days there hung about her a scent of lavender" p 231.

"Glaciers .. foaming streams and great cataracts" p 240 we tour via Montreal and Vancouver. "By the fastest route, Yokohama was almost four weeks away" p 233. Holmes finds merely "one or two points in the evidence a little curious" p 233. Mary's older brother Dr Jacob offers to pay. "When I bring your sister safely home" p 233 suggests pessimism; the case "almost too strong" hints that Mary is framed.

Holmes gets rid of a snob from the consulate "red as ripe raspberries" by guessing Carews called him 'Organ-Grinder'. Why would he have that nickname? Of course Edith presents "Yardley's Lavender Water" p 268 to Mary and dismisses clumsy "Chinese boy .. upset on the dressing table" while "cleaning the room" p 268. Like Edith, we don't know Fowler's formula "prepared in Japanese pharmacies, spirits of lavender are not added" p 270 as in England.

Edith also had "stage trap-door" p 267 secret tunnel between her bedroom and her husband, tricks to fool missionary girls into believing Mary was with Walter, not reading in garden where Edith set light to ensure correct placement. Instead of hanging that threatened Mary, Edith gets little punishment. Emperor proclaims amnesty that day. Edith serves "hard labour for life .. released fourteen years later" p 271. Why have the sentence of execution, big production?

Author's Note 273 discusses cases "based on" newspaper accounts, rumors, manuscripts, biographies, factual and invented records.

II Sherlock Holmes and the Voice from the Crypt

When Holmes passes Watson in disguise, we know, but Watson acts ignorant. Strange.

1,2 The Two 'Failures' of Sherlock Holmes 283 - Holmes calculated Dr Crippen gave his wife only a borderline dose of drug to keep her unconscious, not a fatal dose. Crippen refused to impinge on the reputation of his mistress Ethel Le Neve by using her presence in his house for an alibi. Holmes advises Oscar Wilde to ignore insults from Lord Queensbury. Testifying would expose blackened teeth from mercury treatment for syphilis "contracted in a very familiar manner" p 296. Venereal disease results from fluid exchange, whether same or opposite gender, so does not prove "sodomite" p 292.

3 The Case of the Racing Certainty 299 - A fraudulent 'insurer' intermediary pretends a guaranteed return from a non-existent Major Montgomery who always chooses winning horses. Naturally side-plots intervene. Holmes saves a necklace for a jeweller and roots out "corruption at the heart of Scotland Yard" p 352. Holmes baits officers who catch him in offices of swindler, removes handcuffs before cooperating with Lestrade and Mycroft to bring down international ring.

4 The Case of the Naked Bicyclists 353 - Miss Pierce "a starveling sparrow .. of middle years" is offended by sight, visible only from a far attic window through "military binoculars" p 362, of nude neighbors. "Captain Dougal stands at the center and commands their depravities" p 358 of curvy cyclists. Dougal claims Miss Camille C. Holland, "Mrs Dougal, she liked to call herself", left suddenly without notice. Still, she regularly withdraws from bank.

Holmes finds Camille buried under circle where tricks performed. Miss Pierce wore mourning veil over false curls to pose as wife for bank signature.

5 The Case of the Sporting Major 386 - Sir Edward Marshall Hall defends Major Monson, who pretends to prepare young men for military, latest Lt Cecil Hamborough nearly drowned, then shot himself dead, testified accidental by Monson and Scott, known to police under aliases, who fled after. Monsons benefit from life insurance policies on Cecil.

Holmes and Watson line up how shot could happen, directs to Scott. Monson loaded blanks. Scott would drain Monson of profits by forged IOUs from Cecil. Scott is safe from prosecution because local police would have to admit errors.

6 The Case of the Hygenic Husband 419 - William Maxse fears for his daughter Constance, enamored of George Joseph Smith. In 1911, Alice, daughter of his "dear friend .. Charles Burnham" p 424 wed Smith then drowned "while bathing" p 454 newspaper reported, taken to mean swimming, actually in tub. Smith demanded money from both fathers.

Holmes finds two previous marriages, 1908 as George Smith 33 to Edith Pegler, 1910 as Henry Williams to Bessie Mundy "died of misadventure at Herne Bay 1912" p 439 in tub. Husband said she had epileptic fits. Holmes says fits "almost always preceded by scream" p 446 unforgettably intense "no one heard", then "rigidity" p 446, measures body as too tall to slip down, had to be forced.

7 The Voice from the Crypt: The Case of the Talking Corpse 457 - Watson doesn't bother telling Holmes he ran into whore Ellen Donworth, dying apparently of heart seizure from alcoholism. Lady Russell then "two hours later" p 470, heir to late bookseller W.H. Smith, then doctors, bring similar blackmail letters naming Lambeth Street whores.

That evening, Lestrade brings autopsy result, Ellen died from strychnine. No Matilda Clover in Death Registry. Watson takes letter to Dr Thomas Neill, McGill University, "American" p 504; Holmes on return calls Neill "your client, not mine".

Matilda Klover died "20 October" p 492, before Russell letter sent. "Taste that! .. Strychnine!" p 515 in exhumed body. Miss Sabbatini copies letters her busy fiancé Neill needs for work with police.

"Talking Corpse" in title is Louisa, who did not take pills with Matilda from Dr Cream, so did not die like Matilda, identifies Dr Cream, passport in name of Dr Thomas Neill Cream. Why bother sidetrack with "Chicago press" records "suspicious deaths" of his female patients "prison sentence .. for death by poison of a male" p 543?


Notes 546 references real books, like The Trial of Samuel Herbert Dougal 1928 by Jesse Fryniwyd Tennyson http://books.google.ca/books/about/Tr...


III The Execution of Sherlock Holmes

1 The Execution of Sherlock Holmes 559 - "After three weeks" p 568 without word from Holmes, Watson finally consults Holmes' brother Mycroft. Why so long? Meanwhile Holmes is drugged, chained, guarded in an old prison.

Henry Milverton believed Holmes killed his older brother Charles Augustus, invited observers to mock trial. Holmes, secretly skilled mountain climber, heard deathbed confession of Henry Williams, only burglar who escaped Newgate. Outwardly compliant, Holmes secretly spills sleep drug drink, chats up uneasy guard 'Mac. Holmes guesses weaknesses, identity Corporal McIver of cavalry lancers.

Holmes blackmails that name McIver left for discoverers, reminds Mac that Milverton will kill guards. McIver is good underneath. Holmes asks only for glass clean water, substitutes for drugged, and charcoal biscuits for air filter after he turns flame off gas lights.

Holmes warns McIver to be let others in first next morning breathe poison vapor, explosion. In full uniform, McIver rides down surviver Alker, slices off head to roll down Rotten Row in Hyde Park. Colonel James Moriarty survives.

2 The Case of the Greek Key 645 - "A spy at the very heart of Naval Intelligence" p 653 means King Edward needs Holmes to decode German cipher. "Where else would one find the key to a looking glass code but" p 661 Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass. "Allow the traitor continued access .. to think himself secure" p 663. "HMS Dreadnought" and Renown are most powerful state-of-art battle-cruisers.

Landlady reports flash-bang and battery sulfuric acid odor after nothing exploded in room of lodger Charles Henscaw, French teacher. Holmes finds name change from Karl Henschel, linguist, transmitting encoded material. Old scholar Dr Gross studies tablet where tablet found from 3K years ago in Knossos Greece assigns two numbers for each Minoan counting pictorial symbol.

Baker St Irregular Billy shows Holmes cloakroom ticket from Dr Gross for attache case, empty Friday, copied and full by Monday. Naval draftsman owes money for invalid sister now comatose. Why should Holmes give Watson royally engraved silver cigarette case when both smoke pipes?

3 The Case of the Peasenhall Murder 708 - Village like "a single long street" p 710 doctor asks for Watson, knowing nearby on rainy seaside holiday with Holmes, when six-month pregnant single Rose 23 inflicted fatal throat wounds then set herself afire. Wife Georgina, mother of six, alibi husband against "unsavoury .. Peeping Toms" p 713 who claimed William Gardiner kissed girl outside chapel after she cleaned.

Holmes disproves Toms, through heavy stone walls, dark at that time of year, could hear and see nothing. Almanac hours were "small subterfuge" p 764 to break perjurers. Gardiner was clean of blood spurts from Rose. Handwriting expert shows Gardiner did not write letter that lured Rose to appointment with killer.
4 The Case of the Phantom Chambermaid 765 - Mother of chambermaid Effie Deans 16 complains over dismissal despite alibi from family and visitors, when porter reported she entered room of spiritualist Edmund Gurney "made no complaint" p 767 "put himself to sleep" p 770, "with aid of sopoforic" p 771 Gurney is over "chloroform addict" p 784 habitué of "self-anesthesia" p 797. .

Holmes takes Watson to Brighton, see competitors' show, Prof Chamberlain and sister 'medium' Elvira. In maid discguise, Chamberlain added fatal dose to chloroform "head encased in a rubber sponge bag" p 787.

Forged letter and special pills and instructions "taken in the order indicated" p 804 were put in Gurney's possessions. In the nick of time, Holmes knocks capsule from Gurney's hand. Chamberlain borrowed library books on death of Napoleon from accumulated small arsenic doses, until last dose of calomel reacts to produce "mercury cyanide which kills quickly" p 809 and eliminate arsenic in body.

Followups are aggravating, show how punishments are too brief, unjust, disappointing let-down after complicated solutions. "A year or so later" p 812 Gurney dies from addiction anyway; obituary blames "painful neuralgia" p 813, at same Brighton Hotel. Chamberlain "attempted murder .. penal servitude for seven years" p 812, "unwiting dupe" p 811 Elvira "six months" p 812.

5 The Queen of the Night 814 - Spiffing cross-city chase. Banker Lord Holder fears jewel will be stolen during coming King Edward coronation. "Splendid royal clasp .. bequeathed by William IV to his favorite" p 816 is fantastically "fine Brazilian diamond .. set among sapphires .. silver clip .. workmanship .. beyond price" p 817. Holmes ordered another counterfeit "in the past three months" p 818 from expert Grenier when Count Fosco "reeked of dishonesty" p 821 ordered copy.

Holmes finds Colonel Moriarty from #1 Execution, listed by occupation and home, so why bother leaving Colonel irreplaceable pin torn from jacket of Prof Moriarty falling to death over Reichenbach? Colonel wants revenge on Longstaffe family who cast of progeny of mistress, his mother. "Newgate Gaol .. secure as the Bank of England .. no better bolthole in the aftermath of robbery" p 828 for central London.
Moriarty throws precious packet into Thames, jumps or falls shot off railway bridge. Police catch Fosco aka Lemonnier with "trinket". Fosco stole "two portions of famous jewel" p 868 Queen pin in envelopes, before Colonel mailed via pneumatic tube to Charing Cross station.

Isn't logical point of theft 'dressing room' where guest leave formal capes during luncheon? Surely mailing slot counts as 'exit' from guarded room? Exciting race plus satisfying conclusion make up for points 'a little curious' p 233.

Notes 870 - References

[Adam Langdon · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the tone and dialogue might come absurdly close to the original Conan Doyle stories there is a wide gap in other respects.

Interesting to tackle, for the most part, real crimes and cases it results in many of the stories getting bogged down in ‘legalise’ that becomes exceedingly tiring. Often Holmes will get the proof but doesn’t necessarily solve the case as we are accustomed to.
The latter third is bookended by two of the more exciting tales in this omnibus, The Execution of Sherlock Holmes being one of the more thrilling original stories I’ve come across in a good long while!

For my taste my biggest complaint is the portrayal of Watson. Never has he been more bumbling, in the way and doubting of Holmes. At every turn in the tale he blusters with a “surly not!” Holmes, understandably, has less and less patience for him to the point that I question why he bothers to spend time with him at all. He comes off more as biographer of a living person, someone who is around to make a few bucks selling true stories off the worlds most famous detective rather than a companion/friend/confidant. He is a tool Holmes occasionally uses because he cannot be in two places at once.

[John Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the book of Sherlock Holmes pastiches I have read, this comes closest to capturing the real feel of the original canon. The author uses his pastiches based on historical fact and aligns with some of the canon stories. Readers should find something of interest among all the stories in this 3 volume edition. A real treat for Sherlock Holmes fans!

[Outlander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant ! A must read. Nineteen tales of Sherlock Holmes, deftly woven seamlessly around real crimes that make great reading. This is one of the best SH pastiche authors to date, worthy of Doyle's mantel, and is a great loss to the noble art of the wordsmith.

[LAWRENCE GILSDORF · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and entertaining read

This is the best of Sherlock Holmes pastiche that I have personally read. The works hold true to the style of Sir Arthur. Please enjoy.

[Ronald Kelland · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of mysteries, particularly Sherlock Holmes, I was looking forward to this collected volume of stories. The author, Donald Thomas, offers his take on the great detective. The premise is interesting; most of the stories involve real murder cases from the 1880s to the 1910s, into which the author has inserted the involvement of Holmes and Watson and how Holmes's investigative and observational skills could have led to the actual results. In addition to reading the stories, it has been interesting looking into the history of the cases, and it appears that the author has done his research quite well. I have only two criticisms of the stories. Firstly, the writing style is considerably simpler than Conan Doyle's writing, certainly out of the need to appeal to today's reading preferences. Secondly, the author initially misses the mark on Holmes's character and foibles. In the earlier stories, Holmes comes across as much more polite, empathetic than in the real stories. However, Holmes's dismissive and condescending nature becomes much more apparent in the later stories. All in all this is an enjoyable book that most fans of Sherlock Holmes should appreciate.

[Hemanathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and fast-paced, though i found the deductions quite boring personally. Overall, its more of like a collection of stories, with the ocassional reference to stories in the past( of the timeline). Langauge seems similar to others based on the same (sherlock-ian) era.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're jonesing for original Sherlock after watching Bandersnatch Cummerbund but have read it all 10 times like I have, this is not bad.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun to read new Sherlock Holmes stories again, but it seemed like Dr. Watson had a bit of an ignorance complex. I'm re-reading some of the Doyle stories for comparison.

[robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands-down the best collection of Sherlock Holmes pastiches I've read. I may not have enjoyed every story equally, but the characterization and writing is uniformly excellent.

[Winston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent continuation of Arthur Conan Doyle's consulting detective in his style and flavor.