The Casebook of Newbury & Hobbes

Newbury and Hobbes

by George Mann

A collection of short stories detailing the supernatural steampunk adventures of detective duo, Sir Maurice Newbury and Miss Veronica Hobbes.

Along with Chief Inspector Bainbridge, Newbury and Hobbes will face plague revenants, murderous peers, mechanical beasts, tentacled leviathans, reanimated pygmies, and an encounter with Sherlock Holmes.

Genres: Steampunk, Mystery, Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Science Fiction, Alternate History

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

George Mann is an author and editor, primarily in genre fiction. He was born in Darlington, County Durham in 1978.
A former editor of Outland, Mann is the author of The Human Abstract, and more recently The Affinity Bridge and The Osiris Ritual in his Newbury and Hobbes detective series, set in an alternate Britain, and Ghosts of Manhattan, set in the same universe some decades later.
He wrote the Time Hunter novella "The Severed Man", and co-wrote the series finale, Child of Time.
He has also written numerous short stories, plus Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes audiobooks for Big Finish Productions. He has edited a number of anthologies including The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, The Solaris Book of New Fantasy and a retrospective collection of Sexton Blake stories, Sexton Blake, Detective, with an introduction by Michael Moorcock.

Reviews

[Karl]

Contents:

Introduction (2013) - essay by George Mann
"The Dark Path" - (2013)
"The Hambleton Affair" (2008)
"The Shattered Teacup" (2009)
"What Lies Beneath" (2009)
"The Lady Killer" (2013)
"The Case of the Night Crawler" (2011)
"The Sacrificial Pawn" (2011)
"Christmas Spirits" (2010)
"Strangers from the Sea" (2013)
"The Only Gift Worth Giving" (2012)
"A Rum Affair" (2012)
"A Night, Remembered" (2013)
"The Maharajah's Star" (2011)
"The Albino's Shadow" - [M. Zenith the Albino] (2012)
"Old Friends" (2012)
A Timeline of the Newbury & Hobbes Universe (2013) - essay
Story Notes (2013)

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

And so my reading I hope will be returning to normal after a week working in India I feel like not only have I missed my books (and the wonderful people I have met through them) but also I have missed reading - what I wont miss is the heat and the insects.

Anyway on to the Casebook of Newbury and Hobbes. Now I will admit I have read this sort of out of sequence since I have not read any of then novels which make up the back bone of the series - as this collection of short stories really are events and specials which dot throughout their career and yes I guess the series of books as well.

Thankfully the stories although reference the events do not give anything away that is not already known so thankfully no dodging spoilers here. What you do get though is a series of glimpses in to their world throughout their illustrious career and not only the events that befall them but also the changing world around them (which I will admit is really tantalising and intriguing).

ON a side note I was lucky enough to meet George Mann and get this and other books of his signed - something to make this book even more special. I am now really looking forward to digging in to the series from the beginning.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely book of short stories set in George Mann's Newbury & Hobbes steampunk universe.

Fun and interesting stories.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The delights of The Executioners Heart have left this book wanting, it's fan fiction and the writing became a tad irksome. Now don't get me wrong, there are moments of absolute pleasure lurking here and there but it is fannish.

If one played the game drink a brandy everytime it's mentioned you would be drunk before the end of one page.

Newbury and Hobbes have an immense potential to please if handled in a focused, consistant manner.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of 15 short stories set in George Mann's "Newbury and Hobbes" universe is fun to read but it is important to note that none of these stories are essential to the main Newbury and Hobbes series of novels. Rather, they are peripheral stories that are used mainly to explore some of the relationships between characters, their backstories, and many of them of the "remember when we did that..." sort of stories.

They are all enjoyable reading but never get to the point of dangerous peril that the main novels do. Also of note is that most of the early vignettes involve Newbury and his adventures but very little of Hobbes is to be found, and often she is only mentioned. The later stories feature the characters of Rutherford and Angelchrist far more than Newbury and Hobbes. This acts as a nice bridge to Mann's other novels in his crossover universe and presumably, novels still to be written.

Fun little stories for fans of the main books but as I mentioned, not essential.

[ᴥ Irena ᴥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

As with all anthologies, there are always stories you like more than others. These are sorted chronologically. The first features a younger Newbury and one of his first strange cases. Through the course of these stories, Newbury changes to the person we know from the series. The last three have a different protagonist, but he is still connected to the four people you get to know in series. Some might consider a spoiler the fact Rutheford talked to Veronica thirty or so years after the events in The Executioner's Heart. I don't. I know that Newbury's quest to save her in The Revenant Express will be successful. There is no Newbury and Hobbes without them both in the picture.

The Dark Path - Newbury is visiting an old friend with his partner Templeton Black. The friend's valet is missing. The story is a good introduction into Newbury's world and the things that interest him most.

I've read the next three before.
The Hambleton Affair - A missing person mystery.

The Shattered Teacup - A closed room mystery

What Lies Beneath - Newbury is a mystery magnet.

The Lady Killer would make more sense if it took place before Veronica. I hated the ending. Newbury is not very smart in this story (to put it mildly). I really hope this story isn't a setup for a book. If that's the case I won't be reading it. While it is interesting enough for a book, it should have been set before everything that happened with Veronica. Again, I really hope there won't be a book about this character.
Newbury is tasked to follow a dangerous agent, a woman whom nobody could identify or catch. I hate when the need to depict a character smart, the other has to be stupid. Moriarty was never stupid and Holmes was even greater because of it.

The Case of the Night Crawler is from the notes of John H. Watson, but featuring Newbury and Hobbes. I don't like one of my favourite characters ever being embarrassed. At least, that's what Watson promises in the beginning of the story. There is a monster with tentacles coming out from the Thames every night. Holmes refuses to investigate and sends Watson to Newbury.

The Sacrificial Pawn starts with Bainbridge and Newbury captured by an unknown party. Newbury was kidnapped first. Veronica and Bainbridge were trying to find him. Now Bainbridge is captured too. This story explains the attacks on Newbury later in The Executioner's Heart

Christmas Spirits is a snippet of Newbury's night before Christmas. I love his character with all his flaws.

Strangers from the Sea - I am sorry that Templeton Black, Sir Maurice Newbury's friend and partner, never lived to be one of the characters in his adventures. This story is about a letter he sent to Newbury after a very hard, dangerous Lovecraftian case. One of the most heartbreaking stories in the collection, because those who have read the series know the reasons Newbury does what he does.

The Only Gift Worth Giving - What to give to a person for whom ordinary gifts just won't do? Bainbridge has just the right present for Newbury. If only it didn't include the same person from The Lady Killer.

A Rum Affair One of the real cases in the collection. Someone is killing people with tiny mechanical spiders. Bainbridge, Newbury and Hobbes are investigating how they got inside of the victim in the first place.

A Night, Remembered Newbury tells Rutherford about the real reason behind the Titanic disaster. If it hadn't been connected with Lady Arkwell, I would have liked it more. Not my favourite ending.

The Maharajah's Star - Rutheford, a government agent, is after a missing item. The trail ends with Professor Angelchrist. His visit to the professor is both disappointing and eye-opening.

The Albino Shadows - Rutheford's assignment to find a very dangerous and very bored criminal.

Old Friends Rutherford's takes Professor Angelchrist out to surprise him. Not a real story. Just a way to see what happened to all the characters.

The last few stories could be considered spoilers, but they are not. You know Newbury, Hobbes, Bainbridge and Angelchrist will live long enough to fight the evil.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this would appeal much more if I had read the novels featuring these characters. The stories here are very conventional, but would probably have some emotional appeal if I was already invested. Clearly there's loads of fan service going on that sailed right past me.

And my reason for picking it up was to read a bit of steampunk. This is not the place to start.

[Jasper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted at :http://thebookplank.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-casebook-of-newbury-and-hobbes.html

The Casebook of Newbury and Hobbes is a short story collection of 15 stories set in the Steampunk Victorian inspired world of the enigmatic detective duo Maurice Newbury and Veronica Hobbes. The Newbury and Hobbes universe shares the same day and age as Sherlock Holmes. I haven't read the full books of Newbury and Hobbes yet, so my first venture into this universe will be with this short story collection. George Mann, the clever mind behind these investigative stories, has already produced four full length books featuring Newbury and Hobbes with a fifth one in the planning for 2014 as well as written stories featuring Sherlock Holmes, stories of Warhammer, Doctor Who and his Ghost series.

Since this is a short story review, I think if I would discuss each story here it would turn into a multiple page post so instead I will be highlighting several short stories that really caught my attention. It was a tough decision since they are all great stories, because every individual story was a pleasure to read on it own.


What really makes The Casebook of Newbury and Hobbes great is the fact that even though every story is self contained, George Mann does introduce a story thread in several of the stories which connects events on a larger scale. This connecting of the stories was done in a clever way that gave a whole new dimension to just a few short stories. I really liked this. The stories do follow each other up in a chronological sense, but when you read a a story that took place in 1902, with several characters and you see those names or description being dropped in a few stories and years later I got that "I knew it couldn't be over just yet" feeling. George Mann proves that he can turn short story reading into a whole different experience.

Onto the stories now.

In a short story collection you really have to set the mood straight with the first story. The first story is called The Dark Path and is just 30 pages long. In The Dark Path you follow Newbury in a supernatural investigation, from the first moments I started reading this story it produced a thrilling and dark sense about it all, throwing you as a reader into a missing persons case. In of course a dark forest. From the back of book I could make out that Newbury and Hobbes is about a bit of the supernatural, and this is wholly proven in the end of this story. As Newbury finds out who or should I say what is behind these disappearances. When I found out how this story had unfolded, with quite a horror tinge to it together with the fact of casualness of how Newbury is continuing the day, had really set the mood for me and I knew that I would be in for a treat for the remainder of the book.

As for a second story I would like to mention The Shattered Teacup. This story is in essence similarly as the other stories, producing a investigation for Newbury and/or Hobbes, but The Shattered Teacup gives on a first take a straight forward investigation, but upon later reflection proves to be much more. And on top of this, The Shattered Teacup is the first Christmas story in the book. In this short story you follow Newbury and his friend Sir Charles Bainbridge with investigation a murder on Christmas Eve. With only a few clues left behind Newbury is in for a daunting task in catching the murderer and goes about asking smart questions to the staff, but with several clues hinting towards one direction this soon proves to be wrong, and luckily Newbury's quick wit helps him solve the case in the end. However behind this story and investigation, George Mann does explore and show the motives of the murderer out acceptance and jealousy.

For the third one I want to nominate What Lies Beneath. Just a note in between, so far each story has had it's own unique introduction, it isn't just a murder being committed and that it is for Newbury and Hobbes to find out who has done it, more on the contrary, George Mann create new introduction each time, from retelling stories of the past, to current investigation, from other perspective and in What Lies Beneath using several letters. And this time around you follow Veronica Hobbes. Those introductory letters were great starting material, they show the mind of a psychopath but you don't know what it exactly is about, you only learn that he is mad and that Newbury is involved. Only later you learn, when Veronica Hobbes, is giving the summary of what actually transpired what was told in the letters that everything falls into place. And also proves that Newbury isn't as bullet proof as he might think he is, but he is clever I got to give him that! I found this story had one of the greatest idea's behind it in terms of introduction.

As a fourth I would like to name the story with the thread, The Lady Killer. Like I mentioned above George Mann links several short stories together by one protagonist that is introduced in The Lady Killer. In this short story, Newbury wakes up in a ground train, he was tasked with finding a spy, Lady Arkwell, who is an enemy of the Crown. But Newbury's recollection of the events that led up to loosing consciousness are lost to him. He is clueless and only has two other persons besides him for help one alive, one dead. Newbury does start to remember several hints about Lady Arkwell. However Newbury's first task is to get out of the ground train, even with his perils, Newbury does try to remain one step ahead of the his enemy. But just as soon as you read Newbury leaving the train, there is that notable walk... and then it was there Ha! It seems that even Newbury can be bested! And I knew that we would see Lady Arkwell more often. In the later stories, when you see the descriptions of actions of Lady Arkwell, I immediately got stoked, because could it just be that it could turn in a showdown of two master minds? Newbury and Lady Arkwell does have a specific chemistry working between them and I do hope to see it in possible future short stories of a whole book even.

OK so I am already at four stories and there is still so much to tell, but I will just get to this last story. The Case of the Night Crawler. This short story is a tie-in with Watson and Holmes and is being told from the perspectives of Dr. John Watson. What happens in The Case of the Night Crawler caused the first encounter between Newbury and Hobbes. A strange beast is hunting the waters of the Thames and it seems that Holmes isn't interested in the case and Watson sets out to seek help of Newbury and Hobbes and in doing this, Watson is secretly hoping to show how good he is to Holmes. With the promise of a leviathan in the Thames I thought this would go to the lines of the first short story with the supernatural, but instead George Mann introduces a bit of steampunk alternative in here, in a more than cool way! But on the whole there are many other elements like the rivalry between Newbury and Holmes and even though Holmes is not in the picture himself that much he does show that he is at his uncanny best in the end of the story. Man I really liked how George Mann captured Holmes "cockiness" in just those few actions.

These are just a few glimpses of the great stories that await you in The Casebook of Newbury and Hobbes. All the stories have been cleverly written and none feel like a revisiting of earlier events in the other stories. I really have to give it to George Mann that he manages to create 15 unique and diverse stories. These aren't the "murder committed - solved" kind of stories but many other aspects are being explored as well. From the mechanical with steampunk, the occult and myths with the supernatural down to deep questioned murder investigations this book has it all. And to top it all off, George Mann also shows an intervention with Watson and Holmes! The Casebook of Newbury and Hobbes is one cleverly written book with an rich set of stories for fans of Newbury and Holmes alike. Each story is readable as individually but with connecting some stories on a greater whole George Mann turns reading short stories into a whole new experience!

[Horror DNA · Rating 3 out of 5]

George Mann has taken the stock, almost cliched, characters of Clever Hero and Intrepid Sidekick and managed to keep them fresh and original. The role of Clever Hero is played by Sir Maurice Newbury, an 'investigator for the Crown'. In these stories the role of Intrepid Sidekick changes, but is generally his assistant Veronica Hobbes, with another constant character being his longtime friend Chief Inspector Bainbridge of Scotland Yard. While original, Mann has left enough there to let them remain familiar enough to easily accept at face value. We're not challenged by the characters and we get to know them as we get to know the rest of his world.

You can read Ron's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Casebook of Newbury and Hobbes is an action packed, edge of your seat gritty alternative to the usual Sherlock Holmes tales. It served as a refreshingly revitalizing foray into a new type of genre for me. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this series of short stories. They were completely unexpected and yet immensely entertaining. I have to say that there was never a dull moment. Once I started reading I had a very hard time stopping for sleep or anything else. They pull you in like nothing else and keep a tight hold on you the entire time.

I enjoyed watching the life progression of Newbury and Hobbes throughout these stories. You get a brief glimpse into the lives of these marvelously complex characters. We watch as they go through hard times and celebrate with them as they enjoy equally good times. There was a depth of character and camaraderie that you do not often see in most books today that sparked my curiosity and kept me coming back for more. The unexpected intellectual level of these stories kept me on my toes, and I was always challenged and kept busy trying to figure out what was going on.

George Mann is an exceptional author who kept my interest piqued and never failed to surprise me. I am very eager to read more from him in the near future as I know he is a veritable treasure trove of talent just waiting to be discovered. He writing quality takes on the feel of a very intimate level of conversation, and I found that very comfortable and disarming. This is definitely one author to keep an eye on because I think we can expect great things from him.

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The success of the Newbury & Hobbes series (modest so far but continuing to grow upon each release, I'm happy to say) has freed Mann to really just indulge his imagination - and what an imagination it is. He's got two series running, spanning the first 35 or so years of the last century, and he's managed to connect them together into one whole 'verse. These stories show that he's as adept with individual moments as he is with big cases and I sincerely hope that the "Volume One" on the cover is the promise of many, many more to come. Even if the N&H series ends after the 6th book, I will always welcome another visit with Newbury, Hobbes, Bainbridge, Angelchrist, Black, Arkwell, and Rutherford in the same way I look forward to new tales of Holmes, Watson, Hudson, Moriarty, Lestrade, and Adler. May Mann's creations have as prosperous a life.

Full review at RB to come sometime next week... and hopefully an interview with George Mann himself shortly thereafter!
Link will be here: http://wp.me/pGVzJ-OM

[Rachel C. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing's draggy and Newbury is not a very interesting character. Things happen to him, but he's not a vital, active agent in the events. As a writer, you really need to do better if you're invoking Sherlock Holmes as your model. (Not to mention literally having Holmes appear up in your story as the guy your detective outwits - that's some ego.) Miss Hobbes seems slightly more promising, but she only plays a minor role in these stories.

From what I can see, the general consensus in GR reviews is that the full-length novels are better; I may try one at some point in the future because steampunk is fun, but I'm not in any real rush.

[Matt Hlinak · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories in ‘The Casebook of Newbury & Hobbes’ are entertaining and hold up well by themselves, but this collection works best as a supplement to George Mann’s novels. Fans of Sherlock Holmes and steampunk will particularly enjoy these stories, though anyone with a taste for adventure will find much to like here.

Read my full review at http://www.popmythology.com/the-caseb....

[Deanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

More a 3.5 stars book, just wish there was more Veronica Hobbes in the stories. I also admit that I do love the longer books and see these only as a taster. Can't wait for the next Newbury and Hobbes book to come out.

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

So disappointing. The writing and world building was nice, but the "conclusions" to each mystery seemed to gave just been plucked out of nowhere, with little reference to the preceding plot. The plots overall were disjointed and sophomoric.

[Malcolm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mann’s stories from in and around the Newbury & Hobbes oeuvre engage and entertain, interlink with other strands of Mann’s work (both The Ghost and Sherlock Holmes) with a smattering of old school horror (all very Jane Eyre, mad woman in the attic like). There are new villains and rivals (Lady Arkwell seems an intriguing addition to the body of work) and just traces of stories around the novels – especially to do the strange case of Veronica’s Heart (in The Executioner’s Heart ) and cosmological skulduggery. Despite all this these seem a little lightweight, perhaps because the novels allow cases to develop and spiral, whereas these – there is only one over 20 or so pages – are short, sharp and direct. I appreciate the skill and form of some (most notably ‘A Rum Affair’ and to a lesser extent ‘What Lies Beneath’, the epistolary horror story), but for the most part these help me complete a set rather than add much to it.

That said, there is much to relish in Mann's inventiveness.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this collection of ‘steampunk’ and ‘alternate-verse’ stories considerably different from other, similar collections. Most of the stories contained herein feature the Crown investigator Sir Maurice Newbury, and in some very peripheral cases, his beautiful, smart, dynamic, and deadly companion/associate Ms. Veronica Hobbs. However, not all of them are about the adventures of the duo, and hence the ‘casebook’ is actually a more diverse collection, with several cases being plain & simple reminiscences rather than cases.
But let me go about it in a more systematic manner.

Prefixed by a frank ‘Introduction’ and suffixed by an honest & informative ‘Story Notes’, we have the following stories (?) here: -
1. “The Dark Path”: A very young Newbury encounters a deadly foe, accompanied by Templeton Black, in this refreshing story.
2. “The Hambleton Affair”: Following the classic tradition of ‘English’ fireside stories, this tragic tale unfolds, as Newbury recounts a case before Sir Charles Bainbridge. Somewhat overdrawn.
3. “The Shattered Teacup”: A Newbury & Bainbridge investigation into a crime, with a slightly creepy plot-device adding to the ‘charm’. Good one.
4. “What Lies Beneath”: A very disturbing tale, told in an epistolary format, without any supernatural or steampunk aspects.
5. “The Lady Killer”: And in this story Newbury meets his Irene Adler, i.e. Lady Arkwell. Although we unraveled the mystery long before the poor chap in the middle could comprehend what was happening, this story was indeed a pleasure to read.
6. “The Case of the Night Crawler”: A crossover story, with Dr. Watson playing an extremely active role rather than Holmes, this one was mildly enjoyable.
7. “The Sacrificial Pawn”: A compact & fast-paced story involving Newbury, Bainbridge, and Ms. Hobbes, which threw so many tantalizing snippets at the readers that one might rush to Amazon immediately afterwards, placing a rather largish order to see through this series.
8. “Christmas Spirits”: This was not a story, but a dark, depressing, and fatalistic opium-induced pipe dream. Therefore, no comments.
9. “Strangers from the Sea”: This was another ‘tale’ (?) involving Templeton Black, with huge dollops of sympathy and self-pity, but nothing else.
[These stories are seriously dragging the collection down, you know!]
10. “The Only Gift worth Giving”: Another Christmas story that threatened to go all dark & dreary, until Lady Arkwell happened!
11. “A Rum Affair”: A short, ruthless, and quite breathless story. Good one.
12. “A Night, Remembered”: Perhaps the author had also felt that the sagging shoulders of Newbury et.al were finding it too much to carry the burden of this collection, and hence Peter Rutherford stepped in. Oh, boy! This story, another reminiscence of Newbury, but narrated to Rutherford, has everything, including Lady Arkwell! Outstanding.
13. “The Maharajah’s Star��: By now the collection has firmly shifted its focus to Rutherford, and here it is he who draws this tale from Professor Angelchrist. Nice one.
14. “The Albino’s Shadow”: One of the biggest super-villains to have graced the pages of pulp and penny dreadful, Zenith the Albino makes his entry into the Newbury-Hobbes universe via this enjoyably taut tale.
15. “Old Friends”: This story truly acts as a finale, as far as this collection, and overall these adventures & tales are concerned. I enjoyed it immensely (grinned, as a matter of fact).

So, overall, disregarding the maudlin and seriously depressing couple of pathetic & groggy stories in the middle, this book has several readable and enjoyable stories. Although they are utterly formulaic, with practically no mystery to challenge or stimulate the readers, I liked them a lot.
Recommended for Christmas or fireside readings, with a rider that some of the stories might tend to put you to sleep.

[Laura Haas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not too bad. It was a nice collection of short stories featuring some of my favourite names from the series. Newbury, obviously being the main one; Veronica wasn't a key player in many of them, but she was mentioned here and there, along with Sir Charles Bainbridge. I rather enjoyed George Mann's portrayal of Dr. John Watson in one of the stories.

However, a word to the wise about this book, it gives away spoilers from the other books in the series (The Executioner's Heart and The Revenant Express) as some of the stories in this novel take place after the events of those novels have taken place.

It was also nice to see a new name in the series, Peter Rutherford. I hope he gets a set of books of his own someday.

Overall, it was a nice set of stories. A good filler while waiting for the release of the next novel.

[Renee Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice addition to the George Mann stories.

However I feel it was sort of a toss in due to the ridiculous wait for the Revenant Express. The end of the book with its timeline and Mann's thoughts on the stories make so many veiled promises of books "soon" to come are interesting, but George put your words to more frequent use. The wait between novels is excruciating. Please give Dr. Who a rest. Get on with more Newbury and Hobbs. BTW the Revenant Express was not as good as it should have been, since your casebook have away the end.

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The short stories from between the novels, filling in some of the blanks such as who is the mysterious Lady Arkwell , and how did Newbury fall foul of the Cabal of the Horned Beast. A mixed bag, as all short story collections tend to be.

The Dark Path - 2*
The Hambleton Affair - 2*
The Shattered Teacup - 3*
What Lies Beneath - 2.5*
The Lady Killer - 4.5*
The Case of the Night Crawler - 4*
The Sacrificial Pawn - 3*
Christmas Spirits - 2.5*
Strangers from the Sea - 3*
The Only Gift Worth Giving - 3*
A Rum Affair - 2.5*
A Night, Remembered - 3*
The Maharajah's Star" - 4*
The Albino's Shadow - 3*
Old Friends - 3*

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these stories are quite obvious and formulaic. None of these stories are terribly interesting, and when you introduce Sherlock Holmes into the mix, if your story does anything other than absolutely shine, you're doing yourself a disservice. None of this really needs to exist, and you definitely don't need to read this in order to read the series as a whole..

[Elizabeth (Miss Eliza) · Rating 4 out of 5]

From disappearing valets to monstrosities lurking in the shadows of Cheyne Walk, creatures from the deep to lost Indian jewels, become an armchair detective with the best from Sir Maurice Newbury to the Doctor John Watson. And every great detective has to have his or her Moriarty. We learn more about Sir Maurice's adversary, Lady Arkwell, as well as Veronica Hobbes's "chess" partner with whom she has had several contretemps, Zenith the Albino. Whether you are returning to the world of Newbury and Hobbes or just stopping in for your first visit, this collection of stories will chill your spine and leave you wanting to read just one more story before your bedtime. That is if you can sleep once you find out the secret of "What Lies Beneath."

I have said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again, books with short stories are always a risk. There's the whole consistency issue as well as flow. I can guarantee that you will spend more time thinking about that one story that wasn't up to scratch then you do all the other ones that were great. But more importantly is the flow of the book. Because each story is so different and starts a new narrative there's sometime not the impetus to keep going to the end, especially if you hit one of those weaker stories. Luckily The Casebook of Newbury and Hobbes is the exception that proves the rule full of unique individual stories within a connected world.

The Newbury and Hobbes series has always lent itself to comparisons with Sherlock Holmes, and rightfully so in my mind. Therefore, like Conan Doyle's writing, it lends itself to the short story format. In fact sometimes the longer Newbury and Hobbes books have too much going on and these little stories are a nice way to have a short and sweet little tale that isn't bogged down by the overarching narrative but still gives you nudges and winks as to the universe they inhabit.

What sets this above other compendiums though is that we are given insight into George's process. At the back of the book there is a timeline of events (very handy), but more importantly little story notes in which George talks about why he wrote the story or what drove his decisions. It gives you a feeling that at the end of perusing this volume, like Newbury and Bainbridge, you have sat down on opposites sides of the fireplace in great comfy chairs and had a chinwag with George as to what he was doing. The insight into his writing makes it all the more memorable. There was one turn of phrase that caught me most when he was discussing "The Maharajah's Star" and that was that he likes the "smaller, nested stories that all come together at the last moment." This is exactly how I feel and also how I think some of the stories work and some don't.

To succeed the stories need to be encapsulated, like a little jewel that sparkles on it's own but only at the end does it shine out and radiate among the expanded universe. Which is an overly flowery way of saying separate but connected. Take "Christmas Spirits" as the prime example and easily the weakest story in the book. In this loose re-imagining of A Christmas Carol Newbury dwells on his life and what has happened and what is to come. This stories makes almost no sense without the knowledge gleaned from the longer books. It pulled me out of the moment and destroyed the flow of being entranced by these jewel like stories.  Which goes to show what a balancing act it is when compiling a collection. Just one that's not quite right and you're distracted.

But this one flaw which might have more to do with my hatred of that particular Dickens tale leads me to that aspect which George just nailed, and yes, it oddly has to do with Dickens. George is able to mimic other writers. I wouldn't say he's aping them, because despite giving the feel of Arthur Conan Doyle or Wilkie Collins his writing is still distinctly his own; clean, concise and conversational, with an approachability that I feel Nancy Mitford is the paragon of and which George captures as well. But he's able to lend an air to his stories that connect with writers that are contemporary to his stories, giving them a depth most other Steampunk books aren't able to do.

In my favorite story "The Dark Path" George gives us a more classic detective story that brings to mind Wilkie Collins and The Moonstone... a copy of which is found in the missing valet's room. A coincidence? I think not! "What Lies Beneath" gives us an utterly delicious and creepy story that would have made Poe proud. While the aforementioned "Christmas Spirits" channels some Dickens and "The Case of the Night Crawler" brings John Watson back to life, though in a far more modern story then Conan Doyle would have penned. By writing in this way he acknowledges his predecessors while creating his own path. I am again reminded of something George said in his story notes. George says that in "Old Friends" he shows that "the old guard [can] retire in peace ... safe in the knowledge that someone else is out there now." Well, the old writers can retire in peace safe in the knowledge that George is carrying on their legacy in grand style but never forgetting what he owes to them!

[Anne Patkau · Rating 3 out of 5]

14 tales from building horror to Xmas warmth. Monsters-- built, grown, both. Most of Hambleton format .. Have I ever told you .. ? Major roles for Bainbridge, Angelchrist 1900s, Rutherford 1930s. Minor for Sherlock, Watson, Lady Arkwell, villain elegant Albino Prince.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well interwoven storylines.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable short stories with Mann's occult detective and the people that surround him.

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing & not as good as the novels - the plots are often hurried & unsatisfactory.

Where is The Revenant Express? Reading this made me realise how much of the books I've forgotten.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book of short stories related to the characters of Newberry, Hobbes, Dr. Watson, and Rutherford. It would be better if you had read any of the related books first.

[PyranopterinMo · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories could be excellent if they were much better. With attractive actors and scenery and tolerable fx and scripts this would make an excellent tv series.

[aem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of interesting characters and stories

[Rebecca Hale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This needed more Veronica in it. I'd like a story about what she was doing before she met Newbury and maybe how they met.