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The Redacted Sherlock Holmes - Volume 8
Orlando Pearson, master narrator of history and Holmestry, has done it again.
In this eighth volume of the acclaimed Redacted Sherlock Holmes we
- what Moriarty had done to be regarded as the Napoleon of crime
- why Watson's wound was first described as being in the shoulder and then in the leg;
- what happened in the first Hiatus between Holmes and Watson meeting after the Battle of Maiwand in 1880 and the first dated case in 1887;
- the fate of Agatha, Holmes's fiancée from Charles Augustus Milverton
Holmes also discovers a King of England while Mycroft suppresses the acts of a monster.
In this eighth volume of the acclaimed Redacted Sherlock Holmes we
- what Moriarty had done to be regarded as the Napoleon of crime
- why Watson's wound was first described as being in the shoulder and then in the leg;
- what happened in the first Hiatus between Holmes and Watson meeting after the Battle of Maiwand in 1880 and the first dated case in 1887;
- the fate of Agatha, Holmes's fiancée from Charles Augustus Milverton
Holmes also discovers a King of England while Mycroft suppresses the acts of a monster.
152 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 18, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 15, 2025
Continues the recounting of Sherlock cases, emulating the original Victorian style
This book, 8th in the series, follows on from Arthur Conan-Doyle’s stories about the famous fictional Baker Street detective by revealing ‘what happened next’.
In six new cases, as reported by Dr Watson, we learn some things we had always wondered about: why Moriarty was ‘the Napolean of crime’; what happened before Holmes and Watson met; what happened to Holmes’ fiancée Agatha; and just what was the nature of Watson’s war injury.
Holmes rescues aristocratic sinners from blackmail, cracks codes, saves royal families from potential assassination, lays ingenious traps for ne’er-do-wells, undertakes tricky espionage missions during WWII and calculates cricket batting averages. As is common with many fictional detectives, a seemingly random comment or an incidental observation often sparks his immense intellect.
To the enjoyment of modern readers, the writer emulates the wordy Victorian elegance of Conan-Doyle, though the style is less stilted. It also features a similar understated, self-deprecating, very British humour. An adorable example: French président Félix Faure, who died ‘in the embrace of his mistress’, was said to have ‘struggle[d] with the fourth line of the Marseillaise’ (the one about raising the flag).
Often the cases and their solutions are so understated you almost have to read it twice. The fictional narrator decries ‘sensationalism’. The point is not so much the solution to the case but the very Holmesian way Holmes handles it. He says things like, ‘by Jove’ and ‘this is quite a three-pipe problem’. They smoke cigars and ‘have elevenses’. Character is everything. Watson, Lestrade, Mycroft and Mrs Hudson are also great characters.
Readers will also find pleasure in discovering by Google searches that many of the odd details such as the Prince of Wales’ fauteuil des voluptés are taken from history.
Some familiarity with Holmes’ past cases will help but is not essential. An easy read, perfect for bedtime or beach.
This review first appeared in Historical Novels Review.
This book, 8th in the series, follows on from Arthur Conan-Doyle’s stories about the famous fictional Baker Street detective by revealing ‘what happened next’.
In six new cases, as reported by Dr Watson, we learn some things we had always wondered about: why Moriarty was ‘the Napolean of crime’; what happened before Holmes and Watson met; what happened to Holmes’ fiancée Agatha; and just what was the nature of Watson’s war injury.
Holmes rescues aristocratic sinners from blackmail, cracks codes, saves royal families from potential assassination, lays ingenious traps for ne’er-do-wells, undertakes tricky espionage missions during WWII and calculates cricket batting averages. As is common with many fictional detectives, a seemingly random comment or an incidental observation often sparks his immense intellect.
To the enjoyment of modern readers, the writer emulates the wordy Victorian elegance of Conan-Doyle, though the style is less stilted. It also features a similar understated, self-deprecating, very British humour. An adorable example: French président Félix Faure, who died ‘in the embrace of his mistress’, was said to have ‘struggle[d] with the fourth line of the Marseillaise’ (the one about raising the flag).
Often the cases and their solutions are so understated you almost have to read it twice. The fictional narrator decries ‘sensationalism’. The point is not so much the solution to the case but the very Holmesian way Holmes handles it. He says things like, ‘by Jove’ and ‘this is quite a three-pipe problem’. They smoke cigars and ‘have elevenses’. Character is everything. Watson, Lestrade, Mycroft and Mrs Hudson are also great characters.
Readers will also find pleasure in discovering by Google searches that many of the odd details such as the Prince of Wales’ fauteuil des voluptés are taken from history.
Some familiarity with Holmes’ past cases will help but is not essential. An easy read, perfect for bedtime or beach.
This review first appeared in Historical Novels Review.
October 25, 2024
As always, history pervades Orlando Pearson’s latest installment of The Redacted Sherlock Holmes, and its range in Volume VIII is more than usually ambitious. The earliest story dates from 1882, the latest from 1940 (with an epilogue from 1945). Within these historical confines, the subject matter varies widely. Two of the stories—dealing, respectively, with the death of a French statesman and the unmerited reprieve of a prolific sculpturer—are scandalous, the latter particularly so. Two others are political, with Holmes cracking secret codes to thwart the evil machinations of Fenians and Nazis. (“The Book-Thief and the Blitz” also solves a mystery from an earlier epoch of British history.) The last pair of tales are canonical in origin. In a sequel to “Charles Augustus Milverton,” Holmes makes eventual amends to Aggie, the housemaid he deserted. “The Doctor and the Demon” finds Watson inviting his cocaine-addled roommate to attend a cricket match, where Holmes employs his quickly-acquired expertise to save the doctor from his own bad habits. This was my favorite story, but all of them are fine ones. Let us hope there will be many more editions of The Redacted Sherlock Holmes.
April 19, 2025
Interesting stories based on historical figures and times, loved them!!!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews