Baker Street Irregulars: Thirteen Authors with New Takes on Sherlock Holmes

by Michael A. Ventrella (Editor), Jonathan Maberry (Editor and Contributor), Jim Avelli (Contributor)

Sherlock Holmes is reimagined in this anthology of 13 new stories by contemporary authors including Gail Z. Martin and Jonathan Maberry.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s immortal character Sherlock Holmes has been captivating mystery lovers since his first appearance on Baker Street in 1887. Now contemporary authors take the brilliant detective far beyond his usual stomping grounds in thirteen wildly imaginative stories.

The settings range from near-future Russia to a reality show, a dystopian world, and an orchestra. Without losing the very qualities that make Sherlock so beloved, these authors spin their own singular riff on one of fiction’s truly singular characters.

Contents:
’Locked by Mike Strauss
Identity: An Adventure of Shirley Holmes and Jack Watson by Keith R. A. DeCandido
The Scent of Truth by Jody Lynn Nye
The Adventure of the Reluctant Detective by Ryk Spoor
A Scandal in the Bloodline by Hildy Silverman
The Fabulous Marble by David Gerrold
The Scarlet Study by Jim Avelli
Delta Phi by Heidi McLaughlin
Beethoven’s Baton by Austin Farmer
The Adventure of the Melted Saint by Gail Z. Martin
Automatic Sherlock by Martin Rose
The Hammer of God by Jonathan Maberry
Code Cracker by Beth W. Patterson

Genres: Mystery, Anthologies, Short Stories, Fiction, Fantasy, Ebooks

302 pages, Paperback

First published March 21, 2017

About the author

Michael A. Ventrella's humorous adventure novels include "Big Stick," "Bloodsuckers: A Vampire Runs for President," "Arch Enemies" and "The Axes of Evil."

He is the editor of many anthologies, including "Release the Virgins!," "Three Time Travelers Walk Into...", "Across the Universe" (with Randee Dawn) and the "Baker Street Irregulars" anthologies (co-edited with NY Times Bestselling Author Jonathan Maberry).

His web page is www.MichaelAVentrella.com and he can be easily found on Facebook and other social networking sites. His blog regularly interviews prominent authors.

Mike lives in the beautiful Pocono Mountains with a tolerant wife and four obnoxious cats. In his spare time, he is a lawyer.

Reviews

[Indy Quillen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I purchased this during the book signing and two of the authors, Jonathan Maberry and Austin Farmer, are friends of mine. But I bought and read it because I'm a Sherlock Holmes fan. The book didn't disappoint. Although there were a few stories I didn't connect with, they were still well written and others may love them. But on the whole it was great fun and I found more than a few of the stories to be genius! Best part is I've discovered some new authors to read. If you love Sherlock I recommend you check it out. The game's afoot!

[Kelly]

Various authors deliver stories on alternate Sherlocks in nearly every genre.

Standouts for me were "A Scandal in the Bloodline" by Hildy Silverman, "Delta Phi" by Heidi McLaughlin, The Adventure of the Reluctant Detective" by Ryk Spoor and "Automatic Sherlock" by Martin Rose.

I also enjoyed editor Mayberry's contribution, which is perhaps the longest and most complete story in the anthology.

[Raz Scarlet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Locked - Mike Strauss: ★★★★★
Identity - Keith R. A. DeCandido: ★★
The Scent of Truth - Jody Lynn Nye: ★★★
The Adventure of the Reluctant Detective - Ryk Spoor: ★★★★★
A Scandal In The Bloodline -Hildy Silverman: ★★★★★
The Fabulous Marble - David Gerrold: ★★
The Scarlet Study - Jim Avelli: ★★★
Delta Phi - Heidi McLaughlin: ★★
Beethoven's Baton - Austin Farmer: ★★★★
The Adventure of the Melted Saint - Gail Z. Martin: ★★★★★
Automatic Sherlock- Martin Rose: ★★★★
The Hammer of God - Jonathan Maberry: ★★★★★
Code Cracker - Beth W. Patterson: ★★★
(3.3 Stars)

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book received from NetGalley.

I had never read a retelling of Sherlock Holmes prior to reading this anthology. If they are all as well written as this I will be looking for more. In here we have gender bent, vampire, and "old" Holmes to name a few. Each different version gives the story a unique twist. When I actually grabbed this off of the TBR pile, I read it all in one day, I just couldn't put it down.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book free as an ARC in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley. I thought it was a really interesting look at the Sherlock Holmes character type. Written as short stories, it was great to be able to read one at time. I think my favorite was Ho, Ho, Holmes - it felt the most similar to the traditional character while still being different & fun.

I’m also reading this for the PopSugar Reading Challenge - rewrite of a classic!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love short stories, and every story is this collection is excellent. The basic concept is wonderful, and they take it to every possible level. If you like Sherlock Holmes, if you like excellent short story writing - read this.

[Tim Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not for purists. I thought it was fun.

With about 187,412 Holmes tributes/pastiches/satires out there, it's not easy to come up with new ideas. I admit I have not seen SH as a parrot or a nun before.

This doesn't come close to Robert Fish's The Incredible Schlock Homes, though.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not a short story person. I want to ideally just live in long novels, lol. However, Sherlock Holmes has always been a favorite of mine, so I picked this book up on a whim.

I fell in love.

Now not all stories are five stars. but enough of them were for me to clearly give the book as a whole 5 stars. I loved the variety and the creativity of all the concepts. "'Locked", "Identity: An Adventure of Shirley Holmes and Jack Watson", "The Scarlet Study" "The Adventure of the Melted Saint" and "The Hammer of God" I desperately long for full novels of. I found "Code Cracker" "Beethoven's Baton" and "Automatic Sherlock" highly enjoyable.

Check out this book. There is sure to be a story tailor-made for your enjoyment.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank netgalley and Diversion books for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This collection was kind of all over the place, some pieces felt thought out and genuine, while others felt like cheap fanfiction.

Locked-2 stars
Identify: an adventure of Shirley Holmes and Jack Watson-3 stars
The scent of the truth-DNF
The adventure of the reluctant detective-5 stars
A scandal in the bloodline-4 stars
The fabulous marble-DNF
The scarlet study-DNF
Delta Phi-4 stars
Beethoven's baton-4 stars
The adventure of the melted saint-DNF
Automatic Sherlock-3 stars
The hammer of God-3 stars
Code cracker-DNF

Price: free via netgalley

#COYER

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to look up reviews of this collection when I was 3/4 of the way through with reading it... after I hit one that I thought was absolutely idiotic. What's interesting, though, is that there's so much variation in the opinions! Even among those of us who thought there were good stories and bad in the mix. The one I liked the least was someone else's favorite. Maybe that means it's a well-rounded collection of stories! So I don't think I'll give my opinion of each individual story... because your opinion will likely be completely different from mine. :-)

[CleverBaggins · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was not only a horrible book, but so bad it made me furious as I read each story. I have never read such horrible stories Sherlock or no and can't believe they were published. Out of thirteen only a couple were even ok and none were excellent. Here is a breakdown if you're interested.

'Locked by Mike Strauss
The most badly written story of the lot. So bad that I'm not sure it isn't supposed to be some kind of satire or something. So very horrible that it made me feel sick with anger at how excited I was to start this book. Will NEVER read this or anything he writes again.

The Scent of Truth by Jody Lynn Nye
Another also that led me to buying this book. I know her from various scifi and expected a lot more from her than this story. It was ok as a story. I'd give it maybe 3 stars itself. The idea was interesting but ultimately boring. Her John was kind of a jerk which is never something I like. Disappointed but at least I wasn't furious.

Adventure of the Reluctant Detective by Ryk Spoor
The first story that sparked any interest in me. It was fairly well written and I was intrigued by what was going on. Not crazy about his interpretations of Sherlock and John but they weren't bad. The conclusion of the mystery was interesting and somewhat satisfiying. I feel fond about it probably more because I'd been so disappointed before than over it actually being good.

A Scandal in the Bloodline by Hildy Silverman
I was hopeful again. I ove a good vampire/ sorta werewolf Sherlock story. Ultimately stupid. Made Sherlock into a hopeless pining for Irene stereotype which is completely out of character and not even written to make it in character. By the end of this one I felt angry and disgusted by the whole book again.

The Fabulous Marble by David Gerrold
Another author that made me want to buy the book. The story wasn't bad at all. Was actually interesting. The problem being it wasn't a Sherlock Holmes story. Felt like he had a story, changed the names and went hey look I can make scfi-y acronyms of Sherlock names. Wasn't worth reading the rest of the book. Still disappointed.

The Scarlet Study by Jim Avelli
This one was just disgusting. He had Sherlock in love with Irene again, no real John Watson and Sherlock was no one and nothing wish I'd never read this one. Not even an original idea. Biggest note I left on this story was the word BARF underlined twice if that gives you a clue.

Delta Phi by Heidi McLaughlin
Another female Sherlock only done badly with a very lame story, stupid plot and even more stupid conclusion. Made both John and Sherlock dumb. Badly written too. Words used that don't mean what the author obviously meant them too. (you can't open a door with luster)

Beethoven's Baton by Austin Farmer
Boring. Boring. Boring. That's pretty much it. Nothing horrible but man boring.

The Adventure of the Melted Saint by Gail Martin
Another author I was excited to finally read. Not a bad story. Decent writing. A very cute mystery at the end. The Sherlock character was okay, but kind of forced? A good idea but not greatly executed. Not enough Sherlock, either. Also made John Watson just a dog. Not okay. Not a cute enough mystery to fix all that.

Automatic Sherlock by Martin Rose
Actually the best Sherlock character in the book I think. Kind of a cute story. I like the idea. The John character is meh to potentially good. Still nothing to rave about.

The Hammer of God by Jonathan Maberry
The last author that made me want to grab this book. I know he's a fairly big writer for kind of scifi/horror. After this I'll never pick up his books. This story was EXTREMELY boring. Barely finished. The characters didn't seem like Sherlock nor John. SO BORING. Have fallen into a sort of disgusted despair by now about this book.

Code Cracker by Beth Patterson
I was excited about this one. Sherlock as a parrot could be fun! Give me some humor please! Anything interesting! Instead Got a stupid John Watson, a kind of cute Sherlock as a bird and one of the stupidest mysteries in the book. A dumb mystery with an even more dumb conclusion.

All in all this is possibly the most disappointed I've been in a book in a VERY long time. I'm still so angry and mad I spent money on this that I can't get over it. Hopefully these stories will be forgotten soon enough. Nothing was memorable anyway beyond how disgusted they made me feel. Don't recommend this to anyone ever.

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmes is hella popular these days with movies, television shows, and books all re-imagining how these books could be reinterpreted -- brought into the modern day or different genres. This book invites thirteen different authors to do just that.

Locked Mike Strauss
Set up as Sherlock and Watson being on some sort of reality show where Sherlock solves crimes and Watson plays the bumbling fool, who in fact is is league with the producers to make Sherlock look good. I didn't really get a good feel for the show or for Sherlock. The premise was interesting (basically the producers hire people to commit crimes so that Sherlock can solve the case) but didn't play out well in a short story.

Three stars

Identity: An Adventure of Shirley Holmes and Jack Watson Keith R. A. DeCandido
There have been a LOT of gender-swapping of the Holmes and Watson characters. Some more successful than others. This story not only plays with gender but with race. Set in the modern day, Watson encounters Martha Hudson while covering for her oncologist. It plays close to the beloved Sherlock Holmes we all know except that Shirley is her niece in this case and Martha wants someone to move in and keep an eye on her. The case they solve will be familiar to Holmes fans with some nicely updated twists.

Four stars

The Scent of Truth Jody Lynn Nye
A futuristic sci-fi Holmes. In this case, the Holmes-character is a dog-like being from another planet (named Baskur, naturally) and he has mainly retired but is lured into another case by a middle-aged journalist. There was some really nice world-building for a short story in this one and the info-dumping was kept short and tight.

Four stars

The Adventure of the Reluctant Detective Ryk Spoor
I swear I've read this one before. Or at least a similar version. Supposedly a case that takes place somewhere in the middle of the Holmes canon, soon after Mary dies, it starts with a strange woman entering Sherlock's apartment. She is not quite... right. For the woman she claims to be, there are some glaring discrepancies. To tell too much more would give the ending away but it wasn't quite up to the snuff of ACD.

Two and a half stars

A Scandal in the BloodlineHildy Silverman
Suppose that Watson became a werewolf after an encounter with the Hounds of the Baskervilles. And that Sherlock was turned into a vampire at the edge of the Reichenbach Falls by Irene Adler. Now it is present day and Irene's huband, the paterfamilias, is missing. If he dies, she will go to. As will Sherlock.

Three stars

The Fabulous Marble David Gerrold
An interesting take where Watson is... some sort of computer program? Not an AI, exactly, since that's more what Marble does/is. There is a particular brand of sexbot, the Lorelei, that can become whatever the user desires; man, woman, other. Several bots that have been dismantled and their... well their male options have been removed. This one was a little too weird for me but a nice idea.

Three stars

The Scarlet Study by Jim Avelli
In a world where Big Brother makes people take drugs to keep them dumb, Sherlock Holmes has a brief, shining moment of reversing the trend.

Three stars

Delta Phi Heidi McLaughlin
If Watson were a love-struck frat boy and Sherlock an oblivious girl on campus, it would take a very special case to bring them together.
I love romance novels, I love cheese, this was a little too much.

Two stars

Beethoven's Baton Austin Famer
Sherlock and Watson are violinists in Ludwig van Beethoven's orchestra but it seems like someone is plotting to kill the great man.
Again, a little too much of a reach and the ending was bonkers.

Two stars

The Adventure of the Melted Saint Gail Z. Martin
Quirky. Very quirky. Sherlock was not the main character in this one. It felt like she (Shelley is transgender in this story) was just stuck into another story. As a Sherlock Holmes story, it was maybe a two/two and a half but I liked the idea of a Museum collecting objects that have ghosts attached, waiting for their mysteries to be solved.

Three stars

Automatic Sherlock Martin Rose
Dr. Jovan Watson is Russian, working on a robot that will perform the perfect surgeries. But instead of his dream being realized, he is left with a robot that can... solve crimes? Might have been better as a more developed story.

Two and a half stars

The Hammer of God Jonathan Maberry
A really interesting take where Sherlock Holmes and John Watson become a novice and her mentor who are called in to solve a series of crimes that seem to have been perpetrated by God himself. Not sure how I feel about this as a Sherlock story but I liked the idea.

Three stars

Code Cracker Beth W. Patterson
Sherlock is a crime-solving parrot. Do I need to say more? The idea was interesting, the story was just meh.

Three stars

[James Uscroft · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know that a character has long since been ploughed into the ground when even their most fantastical reimaginings have long since become insufferably trite and cliched. And as I've pointed out in a previous review of another hack author's attempt to cash in on Conan-Doyle's legacy, Sherlock Holmes is now less of a character than he is a 1-dimensional collection of stereotypes which, like Robin Hood, authors are free to jam into any asinine story and setting which they desire.

Sherlock Holmes as an idiotic Reality TV star,

Shirley Holmes is a woman in a 21st century retelling of one of Conan-Doyle's worst original stories,

Sherlock Holmes is a sentient space dog,

Sherlock Holmes is a vampire,

...Even reading these pithy summaries should let you know exactly what you're in for, because they've all been done to death. And the more that I listened to this intelligence insulting dross, the more that I despised it as each story made the next even more of a struggle to begin, let alone finish. But in the end though, the sheer number of 5 star reviews for this drivel makes it clear that I'm one of the few people who feels this way.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for a PopSugar Reading Challenge Prompt - Modern retelling of a classic. I had picked up the book several years ago at a local fantasy/sci-fi con, and had somehow never gotten around to actually reading it. It's some very deconstructed takes on Sherlock Holmes. You've got Sci-Fi, you've got medieval mysteries, you've got modern romance. I did love seeing inside the brains of these authors given only the prompt - do Sherlock Holmes.

So... it's difficult to give this a star rating. Some of the stories were very interesting, some less so. And it's all subjective, anyhow, what I love isn't what other people might love. So I ended up with varying degrees of enjoyment, but overall, worth the time and effort reading. For those who care - my two favorite stories were by Heidi McLaughlin and Jonathan Maberry.

[Outlander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of the 13 short stories in this anthology only 2 stand out as 5 star treats. The Reluctant Detective by R Spoor (a sort of holodeck story) and The Hammer of God by J Mayberry (dark ages detective nuns), a close runner up was The Code Cracker by B Patterson (did Sherlock ever get her sunflower seeds ?) rating 3 1/2 stars. 3 others with a 2 star rating were Shirley Holmes (what, no lies ?) by K Decandido, Locked (a touch teenager-ish for me) by M Strauss and Scarlett (sad, very sad) by J Avelli all the remaining 6 were lucky to make a 1 star rating - of special note as being really bad were the vampires, Morrie Arty and Beethoven.

[Marina 🐣 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dreadful. Couldn't possibly decide which story I despised most. The stories have very little to do with Sherlock Holmes and almost appear as an insult to Conan Doyle's great detective!
There were maybe 2-3 interesting ideas, but even those stories weren't great. All in all a complete waste of money!

[Erin Kelch Zerby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not to canon but entertaining

I'm a huge Holmes and Watson fan and stumbled on this after re-reading the canon at new year. While these are not true to the original at all, they are fascinating and suck you in. I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy pieces of every story and I think I'll be reading this again.

[Karly Glauser · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book because I like Sherlock Holmes, I enjoy mashups/remixes and was looking forward to Maberry's story. His was the best by far, some of the new takes on the detective duo were a bit of a stretch. Overall this was just an okay book, the good stories were overshadowed by the less quality stories and weren't strong enough to save this book.

[Dee Schendel · Rating 1 out of 5]

insulting

These stories are ridiculous. Sherlock Holmes as a vampire. Sherlock Holmes as a dog creature from another planet. One story involved a robot but by then I was just scrolling through, so I didn’t bother reading that one. These stories are an insult to the Sherlock Holmes franchise and to Arthur Conan Doyle

[LAWRENCE GILSDORF · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wide Varieties of Tales

Some were more entertaining than others. Many authors excelled in imaginative creativity. I particularly enjoyed the final episode. I am sure that you will find a favorite of your own.

[Yosef Shapiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different versions ofSherlock Holmes and related characters. Some are better than others.

[James Hauenstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a confession to make. I’m actually in the process of reading Backer Street Irregulars 2. Good Reads couldn’t find the book so I’ll change my review if it turns out to be a bad read.

[Beth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ranked Book 15 (out of 15) of my holiday reads - August 2019

Leave it to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

[Serg Koren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit uneven. There are some really good stories, some not really Holmesian. It balances out to a 3.

[Jacob Pakula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sherlock as a gross slobbery sentient alien dog is good.

[Stasia Higgins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some very interesting stories and some absolutely awful ones.

[Al · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointing. Too tongue in cheek and more of spoof than anything. A couple of stories were OK.

[Della · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some winners, but also skipped a couple.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable. From a robot to an African Grey parrot, Sherlock takes many forms. My favorite were the vampire, and the regular, old Sherlock.

[Zade · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology takes a bit too much latitude with the character of Sherlock Holmes for my taste. Vampires and werewolves and robots, oh my. Jonathan Maberry's story is quite good, though.