Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Deadly Illusion

by Ron Brackin

Before 221 b Baker Street, young Sherlock Holmes lodged in his rooms at Christ Church, Oxford. Before Dr. John H. Watson, Holmes was accompanied in his adventures by his college don, Rev. Charles Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll (yes, Alice’s Lewis Carroll). And before the tin dispatch box, which was found to contain a trove of unpublished adventures, there was discovered, in an old leather document case, a most unusual manuscript, published now for the first time.

Be prepared to enter the dark underworld of Victorian London! Seven Dials, Billingsgate, and the waterfront. A world peopled with murderers and magicians, royalty and rogues!

85 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2012

About the author

The author of the international bestseller, Son of Hamas, Ron Brackin has traveled extensively in the Middle East as an investigative journalist. He was in the West Bank and Gaza during the Al-Aqsa Intifada, on assignment in Baghdad and Mosul after the fall of Iraq and more recently with the rebels and refugees of Southern Sudan and Darfur. He has contributed articles and columns to many publications, including USA Today and The Washington Times. His other books include: Sweet Persecution; Between Two Fires; Iraq, My Handiwork; Around the World in 80 Days . . . the Rest of the Story; The Gospel according to Dracula; and You and Me and the Blackthorn Tree. He was a broadcast journalist with WTOP-AM, Post-Newsweek’s all-news radio station in Washington D.C. and weekend news anchor on Metromedia’s WASH-FM. And he served as a congressional press secretary under the Reagan Administration.

Reviews

[Ross Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Today is 2/21.
2.21
221.

So, I spent the last half of the day (221B) reading this book. It is an early Holmes adventure - no Watson, no Lestrade, no Mrs Hudson.

But this time, "Watson' is none other than Lewis Carroll (well, his real name - not the pen name he has taken up). What starts as a simple trip to see a Magician's act (and how it was done) turns into the hunt for what would turn into the Great Detective's Greatest Nemesis.

Along the way, there are brief appearances by a certain globe trotter, a man who travels both to the center of the Earth, under the sea and even to the Moon.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

An early Holmes story

This is a fun read set early in Holmes career before Watson was involved. It also shows some of the history of Moriarty and sets the stage for later things. We’ll written.

[Philip Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was tells of an adventure that occurred while Holmes was a student at Christ Church College, Oxford. At that time, in the term following events recorded in “The Gloria Scott,” Holmes and his Don, the Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, returned to Christ Church after watching a performance by Maskelyne, the magician. Dodgson seemed unable to see though the illusions created by the magician and asked Holmes to explain them. They were interrupted by a note from a friend of Dodgson’s who requested their attendance at a murder scene.

As became common in later years, The Scotland Yard Detective on the scene had completed his investigation by the time they arrived and told them to leave. Dodgson’s friend, whose house had been the scene of the crime, told them to stay and urged the Chief Inspector to listen to them. Holmes remarked on the murder weapon, an odd tool with no apparent uses, and told the detective some of the events that had occurred. After gathering up some of the evidence, the police left to search for the ‘burglar’ whom they thought had committed the murder, while Holmes and Dodgson went to see Maskelyne, who was able to identify the murder weapon from their drawing.

Holmes was finally able to identify the burglar and to help the police to capture him, but Holmes remained sure that the murderer was someone else, yet to be identified. In the meantime, the captured burglar was also identified as the robber who stole currency from The Bank of England, for which detectives were pursuing Phileas Fogg on his journey around the world.

Through careful investigation and planning, Holmes was able to arrange for the murderer to be induced to volunteer as a participant in Maskelyne’s magic performance. At this point, it had been determined that the main crime involved was treason, with the actual murder included as a personal triumph for the main criminal. The murderer was engaged in selling British Naval Designs to a German agent. The actual transfer was arranged to take place during the Maskelyne show, money for plans. The plans, the money and the agent were all taken, but the actual murderer had arranged for someone to fill in for him and so, managed to get away.

The tale is complex and full of interesting characters. Holmes’ telling of the tale is not so colorful and full of life as are Dr. Watson’s narratives, but even the bare facts provide an interesting diversion. The thieves’ terminology is colorful and well-explained and the characters are vividly portrayed. In addition, the ‘feel’ of the time and place is well conveyed, so that we get a real sense of events, albeit in a somewhat “rawer” format than Doyle was accustomed to use.


Reviewed by Philip K. Jones, March, 2014.

[Roger Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Sherlock Holmes pastiche. There are thousands! This one interested me because of the magic links with Lewis Carroll and the Egyptian Hall. Actually it wasn't too bad despite one or two anachronisms.