What do you think?
Rate this book
The Uncollected Cases of Sherlock Holmes
The Uncollected Cases of Sherlock Holmes presents eight new stories about Holmes which set the great detective against the background of Victorian England, an era of enormous progress, in science, transport, and medicine but which also witnessed a surge in urban poverty, prostitution and imperial adventurism. Each of the stories in this collection engages with an aspect of this background.
In ‘The Sicilian Defence', Holmes comes to the aid of a disgraced army veteran who has fallen in love with a Sudanese woman and incurred the wrath of her father, whilst in ‘The Archaeopterx' Holmes has to recover an important fossil which has been stolen from the Natural History Museum. In ‘The Missing Heir’ Holmes is asked to find the heir to a great fortune, considered by his family to be mentally unstable, and in ‘The Dunwich Ghost’ he investigates the plight of an old army colleague of Watson’s who is haunted by the ghost of his dead wife.
The Holmes who emerges from these stories justifies the description of him by Watson as the ‘best and wisest of men.’ Whether investigating a gang of forgers, securing justice for a murdered prostitute or facing a Russian spy we see his ferocious intelligence alongside a strong humanitarian bias. Despite his idiosyncracies, his solitary temperament, his melancholia and addiction to cocaine, he is both a man of his time and a man for our time.
The author of this volume is Geoffrey Finch, an Associate Lecturer in English Language at the Open University. Geoffrey has taught at Universities in Africa, New Zealand and the UK. He lives in Greater London with his wife and their cat, Humphrey, who makes a guest appearance in the fifth story, ‘The Cathedral Cat’.
In ‘The Sicilian Defence', Holmes comes to the aid of a disgraced army veteran who has fallen in love with a Sudanese woman and incurred the wrath of her father, whilst in ‘The Archaeopterx' Holmes has to recover an important fossil which has been stolen from the Natural History Museum. In ‘The Missing Heir’ Holmes is asked to find the heir to a great fortune, considered by his family to be mentally unstable, and in ‘The Dunwich Ghost’ he investigates the plight of an old army colleague of Watson’s who is haunted by the ghost of his dead wife.
The Holmes who emerges from these stories justifies the description of him by Watson as the ‘best and wisest of men.’ Whether investigating a gang of forgers, securing justice for a murdered prostitute or facing a Russian spy we see his ferocious intelligence alongside a strong humanitarian bias. Despite his idiosyncracies, his solitary temperament, his melancholia and addiction to cocaine, he is both a man of his time and a man for our time.
The author of this volume is Geoffrey Finch, an Associate Lecturer in English Language at the Open University. Geoffrey has taught at Universities in Africa, New Zealand and the UK. He lives in Greater London with his wife and their cat, Humphrey, who makes a guest appearance in the fifth story, ‘The Cathedral Cat’.
Audible Audio
Published June 10, 2025
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 17, 2025
The Sherlock Holmes stories in this volume were varied and finding the adventures with Doctor Watson are not only enjoyable , but gives you a rather satisfying feel upon reading them.
June 22, 2026
Eight short stories that (for the most part) are excellent pastiches. The author catches Watson's voice very well in the narration and Holmes comes across as Holmes in his brilliant detective work. The dialogue catches the late Victorian/early Edwardian vibe required to make the tales seem real.
The cases often involve secrets that would hurt a person or family if revealed or, in one case, national security. So there is a nice justification for why they were never before published and were hidden away after "Watson" wrote them.
There's a nice variety of mysteries, all with some nice plot twists and satisfying conclusions. I especially enjoy "The Great Game," which involves Holmes investigating a circus to figure out which of the performers is really a Russian assassin. The ending reminds us that Watson is a veteran soldier who doesn't flinch in a gunfight.
The author is obviously a fan of the original Canon and respects the characters of Watson and Holmes. But I suppose it's inevitable that when we are dealing with Holmes--"The man who never lived but will never die" and whom all Holmesians think of as a real person--that a reader might find interpretations of the Great Detective or Watson that don't seem "right" within any pastiche. We all have our personal versions of Holmes locked within the Holmesian confines of our minds.
In this case, Finch takes one mention of Watson gambling from "The Adventure of the Dancing Men" and turns it into a major part of the good doctor's character, to the point where a reader might think of it as an addiction. That doesn't strike me as true to Watson.
Perhaps more importantly, the first story states outright that Watson sometimes embellishes Holmes' abilities when he records a case. In fact, it's explicitly said that Holmes' "Sherlock Scan" ability--his ability to deduce details about a person by simply looking at them and picking up subtle clues--is an embellishment. I admit I disliked this. The Sherlock Scan is an important part of Holmes' brilliance and an important part of his universe.
But, all the same, Finch does a 95% correct job of writing pastiches that do feel like "true" Holmes adventures. My criticisms are of the "your mileage my vary" type; many Holmesians will not be as bothered by them as I was. Overall, I enjoyed reading this one.
The cases often involve secrets that would hurt a person or family if revealed or, in one case, national security. So there is a nice justification for why they were never before published and were hidden away after "Watson" wrote them.
There's a nice variety of mysteries, all with some nice plot twists and satisfying conclusions. I especially enjoy "The Great Game," which involves Holmes investigating a circus to figure out which of the performers is really a Russian assassin. The ending reminds us that Watson is a veteran soldier who doesn't flinch in a gunfight.
The author is obviously a fan of the original Canon and respects the characters of Watson and Holmes. But I suppose it's inevitable that when we are dealing with Holmes--"The man who never lived but will never die" and whom all Holmesians think of as a real person--that a reader might find interpretations of the Great Detective or Watson that don't seem "right" within any pastiche. We all have our personal versions of Holmes locked within the Holmesian confines of our minds.
In this case, Finch takes one mention of Watson gambling from "The Adventure of the Dancing Men" and turns it into a major part of the good doctor's character, to the point where a reader might think of it as an addiction. That doesn't strike me as true to Watson.
Perhaps more importantly, the first story states outright that Watson sometimes embellishes Holmes' abilities when he records a case. In fact, it's explicitly said that Holmes' "Sherlock Scan" ability--his ability to deduce details about a person by simply looking at them and picking up subtle clues--is an embellishment. I admit I disliked this. The Sherlock Scan is an important part of Holmes' brilliance and an important part of his universe.
But, all the same, Finch does a 95% correct job of writing pastiches that do feel like "true" Holmes adventures. My criticisms are of the "your mileage my vary" type; many Holmesians will not be as bothered by them as I was. Overall, I enjoyed reading this one.
May 16, 2026
A good book for a book of short stories. I usually find it difficult to give collections more than 3*
August 3, 2026
Not the very top shelf, in my opinion, but a highly enjoyable collection of well-written canonical pastiches. I quite liked this author's take on Holmesian tapestry and would not be opposed at all to reading more from him.
The narration by Michael Langan is, again, very professional and pleasant to listen to, I like his performance overall. Alas, the voice position he picked for Holmes grated on me a bit at first, I don't know why, it was not a problem in the previous narration I've heard from him...
Hic sunt spoilers, possibly:
The Sicilian Defence - 4/5
Major John Bartholomew engages Holmes in a case of escalating harassment of him and his Sudanese wife Isabella. Items from their household become missing only to reappear a few days later, they received anonymous threatening letters, and as the latest development, the Major's dog had been poisoned, a chess piece found by his dead body. Yet, before Holmes and Watson manage to pay a visit to the unfortunate household, things take a turn for the worse and the wife is kidnapped.
The Pike at Saltmarsh - 4/5
Holmes is asked to investigate a peculiar behaviour at Saltmarsh fen, where a woman keeps leaving flowers by a headstone near a toll house, only for them to disappear a few days later. The keeper of the toll house suspects these might be a coded message for somebody and is now afraid he himself is being stalked.
The Great Game - 4/5
A seemingly accidental death of a tightrope walker from a visiting circus is connected to the investigation of a russian spy that Mycroft tasks Holmes with.
The Last Highwayman - 4/5
During a much needed vacation Holmes and Watson encounter a suspicious disappearance of local female hermit. Who were the man attempting to ambush her and what connection does she have with a noble family from Scotland?
The Cathedral Cat - 3/5
A man accused of murdering his streetwalker lover request Holmes' help in clearing his name.
The Missing Heir - 4/5
Holmes is engaged in the case of possible kidnapping of the youngest son of the Earl of Craigmouth. Although dearly loved, the missing young man lead a very sheltered life due to his intellectual disability. To make things worse, shortly after Holmes starts his investigation, the Earl's stepson is murdered.
The Archaeopteryx - 4/5
Holmes is asked to investigate a theft of a famous fossil from the British Museum and the disappearance of the nightguard who was supposed to be watching over it. The world of archaeology is apparently full of old grievances.
The Dunwich Ghost - 5/5
While Holmes is investigating a case abroad, Watson pays a prolonged visit to his former army comrade. Colonel Wainwright, who recently became a widower, is now interested in spiritualism and asks Watson to accompany him to a séance. The ancient burial mound on the Colonel's estate hides a secret and there's also a mysterious sound of a bell tolling in the depths of the night. A canonical pastiche full of lovely Lovecraftian allusions.
The narration by Michael Langan is, again, very professional and pleasant to listen to, I like his performance overall. Alas, the voice position he picked for Holmes grated on me a bit at first, I don't know why, it was not a problem in the previous narration I've heard from him...
Hic sunt spoilers, possibly:
The Sicilian Defence - 4/5
Major John Bartholomew engages Holmes in a case of escalating harassment of him and his Sudanese wife Isabella. Items from their household become missing only to reappear a few days later, they received anonymous threatening letters, and as the latest development, the Major's dog had been poisoned, a chess piece found by his dead body. Yet, before Holmes and Watson manage to pay a visit to the unfortunate household, things take a turn for the worse and the wife is kidnapped.
The Pike at Saltmarsh - 4/5
Holmes is asked to investigate a peculiar behaviour at Saltmarsh fen, where a woman keeps leaving flowers by a headstone near a toll house, only for them to disappear a few days later. The keeper of the toll house suspects these might be a coded message for somebody and is now afraid he himself is being stalked.
The Great Game - 4/5
A seemingly accidental death of a tightrope walker from a visiting circus is connected to the investigation of a russian spy that Mycroft tasks Holmes with.
The Last Highwayman - 4/5
During a much needed vacation Holmes and Watson encounter a suspicious disappearance of local female hermit. Who were the man attempting to ambush her and what connection does she have with a noble family from Scotland?
The Cathedral Cat - 3/5
A man accused of murdering his streetwalker lover request Holmes' help in clearing his name.
The Missing Heir - 4/5
Holmes is engaged in the case of possible kidnapping of the youngest son of the Earl of Craigmouth. Although dearly loved, the missing young man lead a very sheltered life due to his intellectual disability. To make things worse, shortly after Holmes starts his investigation, the Earl's stepson is murdered.
The Archaeopteryx - 4/5
Holmes is asked to investigate a theft of a famous fossil from the British Museum and the disappearance of the nightguard who was supposed to be watching over it. The world of archaeology is apparently full of old grievances.
The Dunwich Ghost - 5/5
While Holmes is investigating a case abroad, Watson pays a prolonged visit to his former army comrade. Colonel Wainwright, who recently became a widower, is now interested in spiritualism and asks Watson to accompany him to a séance. The ancient burial mound on the Colonel's estate hides a secret and there's also a mysterious sound of a bell tolling in the depths of the night. A canonical pastiche full of lovely Lovecraftian allusions.
March 26, 2026
How has this book not received more recognition?! I came across this pastiche while hunting for "Uncollected Sherlock Holmes", as a devoted Sherlock fan would. I had been absolutely obsessed with Sherlock for the past year, and was skeptical about whether to pick up pastiches to satisfy my Sherlock thirst. Because this book featured some promising-sounding story titles, I ended up buying it.
The author was absolutely brilliant in his mimicry of Arthur Conan Doyle's style. I felt pretty comfortable following the narrative from the get go - The author captivated the character dynamics tremendously well, and was able to stay true to and even add onto character relations in a natural way, from Sherlock and Watson exchanging clever remarks to Mrs. Hudson revealing glimpses of her background. The characters (from the main cast to minor encounters) were likeable, and felt like real people with their own opinions and motives. Watson was handled especially well as a believably autonomous agent rather than simply a passive narrator. There were only a few brief moments where I felt Sherlock acted out of character, but overall, I could easily immerse myself into these adventures as if ACD had returned to life and wrote these tales himself. (Though it's worth noting that various portions of the narration were rather against religion and spiritualism, which you'd never see in original Sherlock stories, as ACD was a very spiritual person himself.)
I absolutely adored the mysteries in this collection. Each story had its own unique premise, and delivered on Sherlock's keen observation, logical deduction, and tension-filled actions. (Although the later half of the book was considerably weaker.) The solutions were often surprising and even awe-inspiring, while though certain story points didn't initially make sense, things would eventually come together in a satisfactory manner. Adding onto that were heart-felt moments and thought-provoking insights sprinkled throughout. Even when placed alongside the original works of Sherlock canon, I'd rank a good number of these stories to be above average - Nothing that contributed to my love of Sherlock was amiss.
The narrative isn't without its flaws, and I want to specify a few purely for the spirit of literary discussion. Note that none of the flaws listed are meant to indicate any disliking - I enjoyed this book thoroughly!
The Sicilian Defence - While the steps Sherlock took to solve the mystery were brilliant, readers might feel a bit cheated that the most prominent of the peculiarities - the chess piece - played no role in the case. “The Sicilian Defence” was obviously a title that inspires your imagination - I sure factored this story title into my purchasing decision. I liked the idea that a client intentionally placed a false clue to persuade Sherlock into taking his case, but had the chess piece carried more significance, or misguided the investigation in more momentous ways, the story title would have felt more justified. Otherwise, the entire premise of the case felt a bit like a false promise. This was made better by Sherlock suggesting that Watson use the clickbaity title for the story, and to be clear, I certainly am glad that I fell for the clickbait.
The Great Game - The tense premise of protecting a foreign emissary by identifying his assassin was fantastic. However, the story may have worked better as a straightforward murder investigation - The involvement of the Nawab and Mycroft felt undeniably forced (On a side note, readers like Mycroft because he outshines Sherlock in deduction skills, so Mycroft could have been better utilized as a character involved in the story and not simply a “quest-giver”). Why would the Nawab be so insistent upon going to a circus on a specific date (and not earlier), despite the threat of an “identified” assassin and the murder at the location shortly before? For that matter, how could the assassin be certain that the Nawab would come to the circus, and put all her efforts in infiltrating the staff and even planting a false lead (which I found brilliant, by the way) for the detectives far in advance? The premise of a VIP protection was too good to toss out, so perhaps going more into the Nawab’s character would have improved things - Maybe he’s a known admirer of a performer from this specific circus; Maybe the circus put up a special finale on their last night of performance, hence the timing of the Nawab’s visit (and the killing of the ringmaster before the show); Maybe a personal conversation with the Nawab would have made his obstinance more organic and believable.
The Dunwich Ghost - Has a great premise, but is probably the weakest entry in the book. The twist felt a tad bit contrived - Possibly because the second half of the book was filled to the brim with unexpected endings. This particular twist didn’t deliver the same kind of satisfying resolution for me though, and felt like subverting expectation merely for the sake of doing so: There wasn’t enough setup leading to it (Other than the fact that the brother highlighted his concern for the Colonel’s mental state, and knew Watson was coming for a visit beforehand); Very little deduction work came from Sherlock, while his investigative efforts were preliminary - No concrete backings could have led us to identify the correct culprit, nor could we believably expect the deus ex machina to actually be elicited by Sherlock’s feigned departure; Moreover, the majority of the events felt like wasted pages - It was fun to read about Sherlock climbing trees, or Watson visiting a medium, but a few sentences would have covered the simple developments those led to - Sherlock could have simply found more coins at the site, and Watson could have met the archeologist via any other mean. Hence, the prolonged character activities served little purpose aside from to entertain (which they did a splendid job at).
The author was absolutely brilliant in his mimicry of Arthur Conan Doyle's style. I felt pretty comfortable following the narrative from the get go - The author captivated the character dynamics tremendously well, and was able to stay true to and even add onto character relations in a natural way, from Sherlock and Watson exchanging clever remarks to Mrs. Hudson revealing glimpses of her background. The characters (from the main cast to minor encounters) were likeable, and felt like real people with their own opinions and motives. Watson was handled especially well as a believably autonomous agent rather than simply a passive narrator. There were only a few brief moments where I felt Sherlock acted out of character, but overall, I could easily immerse myself into these adventures as if ACD had returned to life and wrote these tales himself. (Though it's worth noting that various portions of the narration were rather against religion and spiritualism, which you'd never see in original Sherlock stories, as ACD was a very spiritual person himself.)
I absolutely adored the mysteries in this collection. Each story had its own unique premise, and delivered on Sherlock's keen observation, logical deduction, and tension-filled actions. (Although the later half of the book was considerably weaker.) The solutions were often surprising and even awe-inspiring, while though certain story points didn't initially make sense, things would eventually come together in a satisfactory manner. Adding onto that were heart-felt moments and thought-provoking insights sprinkled throughout. Even when placed alongside the original works of Sherlock canon, I'd rank a good number of these stories to be above average - Nothing that contributed to my love of Sherlock was amiss.
The narrative isn't without its flaws, and I want to specify a few purely for the spirit of literary discussion. Note that none of the flaws listed are meant to indicate any disliking - I enjoyed this book thoroughly!
The Sicilian Defence - While the steps Sherlock took to solve the mystery were brilliant, readers might feel a bit cheated that the most prominent of the peculiarities - the chess piece - played no role in the case. “The Sicilian Defence” was obviously a title that inspires your imagination - I sure factored this story title into my purchasing decision. I liked the idea that a client intentionally placed a false clue to persuade Sherlock into taking his case, but had the chess piece carried more significance, or misguided the investigation in more momentous ways, the story title would have felt more justified. Otherwise, the entire premise of the case felt a bit like a false promise. This was made better by Sherlock suggesting that Watson use the clickbaity title for the story, and to be clear, I certainly am glad that I fell for the clickbait.
The Great Game - The tense premise of protecting a foreign emissary by identifying his assassin was fantastic. However, the story may have worked better as a straightforward murder investigation - The involvement of the Nawab and Mycroft felt undeniably forced (On a side note, readers like Mycroft because he outshines Sherlock in deduction skills, so Mycroft could have been better utilized as a character involved in the story and not simply a “quest-giver”). Why would the Nawab be so insistent upon going to a circus on a specific date (and not earlier), despite the threat of an “identified” assassin and the murder at the location shortly before? For that matter, how could the assassin be certain that the Nawab would come to the circus, and put all her efforts in infiltrating the staff and even planting a false lead (which I found brilliant, by the way) for the detectives far in advance? The premise of a VIP protection was too good to toss out, so perhaps going more into the Nawab’s character would have improved things - Maybe he’s a known admirer of a performer from this specific circus; Maybe the circus put up a special finale on their last night of performance, hence the timing of the Nawab’s visit (and the killing of the ringmaster before the show); Maybe a personal conversation with the Nawab would have made his obstinance more organic and believable.
The Dunwich Ghost - Has a great premise, but is probably the weakest entry in the book. The twist felt a tad bit contrived - Possibly because the second half of the book was filled to the brim with unexpected endings. This particular twist didn’t deliver the same kind of satisfying resolution for me though, and felt like subverting expectation merely for the sake of doing so: There wasn’t enough setup leading to it (Other than the fact that the brother highlighted his concern for the Colonel’s mental state, and knew Watson was coming for a visit beforehand); Very little deduction work came from Sherlock, while his investigative efforts were preliminary - No concrete backings could have led us to identify the correct culprit, nor could we believably expect the deus ex machina to actually be elicited by Sherlock’s feigned departure; Moreover, the majority of the events felt like wasted pages - It was fun to read about Sherlock climbing trees, or Watson visiting a medium, but a few sentences would have covered the simple developments those led to - Sherlock could have simply found more coins at the site, and Watson could have met the archeologist via any other mean. Hence, the prolonged character activities served little purpose aside from to entertain (which they did a splendid job at).
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews