Sherlock Holmes: The Pearl of Death and Other Early Stories

by Gregg Rosenquist

Ten All New Early Holmes/Watson Adventures Discovered. Recently, a stash of unpublished stories, written by Doctor John Watson, assistant to the legendary Consulting Detective, Sherlock Holmes, were discovered hidden within the secret corners and shadows of the famous flat at 221b Baker Street. Collected together for the first time by author, GC Rosenquist, the ten newly unearthed stories detail the very earliest years of the Holmes/Watson partnership and shed a very different, personal and surprising light on their familiar relationship. In The Pearl of Death, Holmes and Watson are asked by Scotland Yard to recover a stolen, priceless, giant, cursed pearl and nearly die while doing so. Mrs Watson's Gold Locket presents a rare mystery that Holmes fails to solve. In the Mystery of the Nameless Man, a traveler with amnesia enlists Holmes aid in finding out who he is, where he came from and why he's in London. Lure of the Rhinoceros Head pits Holmes against an adversary he ll never be able to catch. The epic Case of the Marble Ghost presents Holmes with a mystery so baffling he nearly brings himself and Scotland Yard to ruin trying to solve it. Holmes, Watson and Mycroft, Holmes' older brother, interview the famous French adventure writer, Jules Verne, in The Predictability Problem. What they learn about the impending future of the British Empire rattles them to their cores. In Bane of the Black Brigand, Mrs Hudson is caught in her kitchen holding a bloody knife while standing over the murdered corpse of a strange copper-haired man. The Late Constable Avery shows how Holmes cleverly solves the murder of a constable's wife simply by using his immense powers of logic, observation and deduction. A Most Irregular Murder details Holmes very personal investigation concerning the murder of one of his Baker Street Irregulars. And finally, in The Adventure of the Underworld Assassin, Holmes detecting skills are tested to their limits as he tries to stop an assassin from destroying the British Government.

Genres: Mystery

228 pages, Paperback

First published April 9, 2015

Reviews

[Tony Ciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of early stories that have been been hidden away by Doctor Watson, many of these are of the early relationship with Sherlock Homes.

[fred jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting set of short stories from early Sherlock Holmes, some are better than others and Greg is no Conan Doyle but overall the standard is good. I liked the Jules Verne story, the irregular murder and the Pearl of death, I was less taken with the final story which had a few scenes that I did not think worked well. Keith Spilsbury is an entertaining narrator with a good range and I enjoyed his narration. Overall a worthwhile listen. I received a complimentary copy from the narrator and am leaving a honest voluntary review.

[Andy Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this to be a bit of a mixed bag. 10 stories from the early days of Holmes and Watson that were 'ok'. None stood out as great or terrible just... average I guess

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings

My thanks to Steve and Timi at MX Books for my review copy of this book. They are committed to bringing Sherlock Holmes to the masses and the restoration of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s former home, Undershaw House…

I will skip my usual story by story analysis of the book. The stories vary in length and quality. None are totally bad, but some just don’t have the spark they need. The mystery is too simple, or simply not much of a mystery!

I do want to highlight three out of the ten stories that shine in this anthology:

“The Case of the Marble Ghost” finds Holmes hired by former Ambassador Mr. Timmons P. Walsh to search for his missing wife. At the Ambassador’s suggestion, Mrs. Walsh has been sitting for a sculpture carved by Master George Benford, an artist of great skill.

The artist has angered the Ambassador by making Mrs. Walsh’s statue a nude study, but he allowed her to continue with the project. He could not bear returning to the studio, so he has hired a local cabby to transport her there and back on a fixed schedule. Mrs. Walsh has vanished after the latest sitting…

This story has real punch and the mystery is well planned and executed with near perfection!

“Bane of the Black Brigand” finds Holmes defending Mrs. Hudson on a charge of murder, the crime taking place inside 221B! The murdered man lies in the doorway to the mud room downstairs in Mrs. Hudson’s quarters. Whatever happened, Mrs. Hudson won’t breathe a word…

The story isn’t all that long, but the sheer audacity of having a crime committed within Mrs. Hudson place at 221B, and apparently by the landlady herself is brilliant!

And the final tale I want to examine is “The Adventure of the Underworld Assassin.” A Member of Parliament is murdered by sniper rifle, dying right in front of Doctor Watson. A riddle has been left for Holmes to solve or the next person targeted will be killed. And unless Holmes is successful within a given time, a further threat will be carried out.

The riddles were nicely done and the solutions feasible, if they are considered from the given point of view—and Holmes always has the correct point of view! The hinting at a possible mastermind is great, but even the reveal is done in such a way that there is room for a “maybe it wasn’t who we think.”

I will give these three stories a star apiece.

Quoth the Raven…

[Theda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the stories – the first one really made me laugh. The audio narrator hit his stride after first few stories, and at 1.2x speed. I’d recommend reading the book for a light and enjoyable reading or listening "Sherlock Day".
I know the synopsis has the stories listed, but these are my very brief notes:
The Pearl of Death -- quite amusing, loved the acrobatics
Mrs. Watson’s Gold Locket -- amusing, with a Watson twist
Mystery of the Nameless Man -- Holmes’ inimitable deductive powers
Lure of the Rhinoceros Head - Holmes deduces the interesting cause of death
The Case of the Marble Ghost -- artist hired to create life sized sculpture of wife
The Predictability Problem - interesting meeting with Jules Verne
Bane of the Black Brigand - Mrs. Hudson involved in murder?
The Late Constable Avery - Holmes deduces even at a party
A Most Irregular Murder -an injured boy dies in their suite
The Adventure of the Underworld Assassin = politician shot in front of Holmes, let the puzzles begin

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was enjoying this book, right up until the last story.

That story ruined the book for me. Not the plotting or the story itself, but the massive factual errors, that a few moments on wikipedia would have fixed. Let's just say no-one who was merely a Mister would be in the House of Lords, and they are NOT members of parliament. Small errors I will accept and gloss over, not something that large. The publisher, MX Publishing, SHOULD have picked it up as well.

If the facts don't fit your story, change your story, not the facts.