The Mammoth Book of the New Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes: 12 Original Stories

by Denis O. Smith

“‘Is it really possible, do you suppose,’ said Sherlock Holmes to me one morning, as we took breakfast together, ‘that a healthy and robust man may be so stricken with terror that he drops down dead?’”The much praised Denis O. Smith introduces twelve new Sherlockian stories in this collection, including “The Adventure of the XYZ Club,” “The Secret of Shoreswood Hall,” and “The Adventure of the Brown Box.” Set in the late nineteenth century before Holmes's disappearance at the Reichenbach Falls, these stories, written in the vein of the originals, recreate Arthur Conan Doyle’s world with deft fidelity, from manner of speech and character traits to plot unfoldings and the historical period. Whether in fogbound London or deep in the countryside, the world’s most beloved detective is brought vividly back to life in all his enigmatic, compelling glory, embarking on seemingly impenetrable mysteries with Dr. Watson by his side.For readers who can never get enough of Holmes, this satisfyingly hefty anthology builds on the old Conan Doyle to develop familiar characters in ways the originals could not. Both avid fans and a new generation of audiences are sure to be entertained with this continuation of the Sherlock Holmes legacy.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction-novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Historical Mystery, Anthologies, Short Stories, Ebooks, Mystery Thriller

587 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 23, 2016

About the author

In the 1980s I published five Sherlock Holmes short stories in individual booklets: The Purple Hand, The Unseen Traveller, The Zodiac Plate, The Secret of Shoreswood Hall and The Christmas Visitor.
In the 1990s, these stories were collected, with the addition of one new story, The Green Umbrella, as the first two volumes of The Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes. Two further volumes of The Chronicles followed, containing a further eight stories.
In 2014 and 2016, two volumes of The Lost Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes were published, containing a mixture of new stories and older stories which had appeared over the years in magazines, anthologies etc.
Now, forthcoming in December 2016, is my first Sherlock Holmes novel, The Riddle of Foxwood Grange.

Reviews

[Frank Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very good 3 stars. Almost a 4 star effort because the stories were quite engaging and entertaining but for a pastiche it missed a few marks.

Holmes is great, but not exactly the Holmes we know and expect. He's markedly more modern and I think I even spotted a few turns of phrase that would be anachronistic for the era. We get a remarkably considerate and thoughtful Holmes, which while not a true representation of his established character was still a lot of fun to read.

The cases were essentially perfect Holmes mysteries and covered the classic range of tales. From having things all worked out in the sitting room, to high action that requires immediate response.

An enjoyable read.

[Suica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wrote the comments after I finished each story.

“The Adventure of the Black Owl”: B+. I was so close to give this story an A- because I liked its tone and the beginning of the crime. But the explanations of the crime was really meh and some characters felt redundant.

“The Adventure of the XYZ Club”: C+. The title was rather misleading, I wish the “club” could have been explored more. The way one of the characters approached Holmes and asked for help was very forced and unconvincing. The crime lacked the excitement and was not interesting.

“The Adventure of the Velvet Mask”: D. Boring. Boring. Boring.

“The Adventure of the Old School Friend”: B+. I liked it! It strongly reminded me of the original Holmes stories, but if only there were more twists.

“The Adventure of the Brown Box”: C+. It was okay but too predictable.

“The Adventure of the Tomb on the Hill”: B-. Meh.

“The Adventure of the Purple Hand”: C+. I am sorry I am just disappointed in this collection I don’t have the strength to write comments anymore.

“The North Walk Mystery”: C+.

“The Secret of Shoreswood Hall”: D. Winding, aimless plot development and details, silly ending.

“The Adventure of the Minor Canon”: B-. The first half was fun and so promising, then it became very meh.

“The East Thrigby Mystery”: Don’t care. DNF.

“The Adventure of Juniper Cottage”: C+. It got worse towards the end.

Overall, a painful experience.

[Jeremy Reaban · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somewhat strangely, I'm more a fan of Sherlock Holmes pastiches, rather than the original thing. It's actually remarkable how bad some of the original stories are and how Conan Doyle seemed to be so careless (or more likely just apathetic) with details about Holmes and Watson. Still, he wrote several outstanding ones.

This is quite possibly the best, or at least the one I enjoyed the most, single author collection of pastiches I've read. The author does a great job of characterization and the mysteries are quite good, too.

[Abhinay Verma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some very good mysteries in this one.

[Madelon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whenever I read tales of the great detective, whether penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or by another who has picked up the mantle, the voice of Sherlock Holmes is always that of Jeremy Brett who, in my mind, will always be the consummate Holmes. Brett's portrayal encompassed not only the words but the very demeanor of a character so larger than life as to have become a living legend. I mention this because the way an author writes the character and the scenes often sound like Jeremy Brett is speaking the lines.

Anyone who has read the Holmes canon, has inevitably done so more than once. With that in mind, have you ever read mention of a maid at 221B Baker Street? Most of the authors who have expanded upon the tale, adhere to certain bits most faithfully. In all my reading of Holmes, by any number of authors, I have no recollection of a maid ever being mentioned. It's a small thing, but it does stand out for that very reason.

We all have our mind's eye image of Holmes. I was never a fan of the Basil Rathbone portrayal. The four Granada TV series presented, at least for me, the living, breathing Holmes, if you will, in the flesh. Jeremy Brett seemed perfect in the role. Although I have seen many of the modern takes on the adventures - Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), Jonny Lee Miller (Elementary), and, of course, Robert Downey, Jr. (two movies) it is the voice of Jeremy Brett that rings out as I read Sherlock Holmes' lines. It seems pretty obvious to me that Denis O. Smith had Brett in mind when writing words spoken by Holmes. For example, the word 'pray' is much used as in "pray proceed," "pray tell us," or "pray continue." Jeremy Brett's delivery of those words was most distinctive. I cannot also help but observe that Brett's portrayal has given rise to the silent laughter put forth in Smith's characterization of Holmes.

Although there is something decidedly 'off' about these stories when compared to the canonical, they are, nevertheless, delightful to read. I would have to say that I was most enchanted by "The Thrigsby Mystery" inasmuch as it purports to be a twenty year old unsolved case for which an 11 year old Sherlock provided a solution at the time of its occurrence.

I will confess that the florid language both in and out of the canon tend to make my eyelids droop and send me into a drowsy state. I don't, however, let that prevent me from enjoying the adventures of Sherlock Holmes whenever the opportunity presents itself. THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF THE NEW CHRONICLES OF SHERLOCK Holmes is indeed a lengthy tome and will make a good addition to the Holmes library of any aficionado.

[Brenda Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good group of detective stories. Clever plots. Enjoyed. I won this book through goodreads.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #: 15
Title: The Mammoth Book of the New Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes
Author: Denis O. Smith
Format: Paperback, 544 pages, used book sale
Pub. Date: Published August 23rd 2016 by Skyhorse
Awards: none
Popsugar Cat. Basic: A book set in a city that has hosted the Olympics (London)
Popsugar Cat. Basic: An anthology
Popsugar Cat. Basic: A book with at least a four-star rating on Goodreads (4.31)
Popsugar Cat. Adv.: A book by an author who has written more than 20 books (okay, 19)
Popsugar Cat. Adv.: A book with more than 20 letters in the title
Goodreads Cat.: 2. A book by an author whose last name is one syllable
Goodreads Cat.: 10. A book that is between 400-600 pages
Goodreads Cat.: 15. A book set in a global city (London)
Goodreads Cat.: 27. A history or historical fiction
Goodreads Cat.: 34. A book from a genre or sub genre that starts with a letter in your name (Detective)
Goodreads Cat.: 41. A mystery
Bookriot Cat.: 03.) Read a mystery where the victim(s) is not a woman
Bookriot Cat.: 07.) Read a historical fiction novel not set in WWII
Dagonell Cat.: A book about Sherlock Holmes NOT written by A.C.Doyle
Dagonell Cat.: A book with a character created by a different author
A-Z Title: M for Mammoth
A-Z Author: S for Smith
Rating: ****1/2 4.5 out of 5

A Sherlock Holmes book not written by A.C.Doyle is a favorite category of mine. I've got an entire bookshelf of them. urprisingly, I don't have any by this author and he's written nearly twenty novels and anthologies about Holmes. I greatly enjoyed the stories and I'll be looking to collect more of his works. I don't mind Sherlock losing once in a while, after all even Doyle had him beaten by "the woman"! :D But there were two stories where an innocent died because Holmes didn't solve the mystery in time. I think it would have been possible to write the story to spare the victim even if the villian still got away.

[Bethany Swafford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of 12 new Sherlock Holmes adventures in a "mammoth" anthology.

As someone who loves stories about Mr. Sherlock Holmes, I tend to be particular when it comes to a pastiche. This collection was better than I was expecting, which was a pleasant surprise since I'd never read this author before. Some stories were good, other more mediocre, and some exceeded all expectation.

The stories are of varying length, from brief to almost novella in length. The author has a good grasp of the friendship between Watson and Holmes I also liked that he did write the good doctor as an imbecile, which some authors do at times. The mysteries were interesting and kept me guessing.

There was only one story that I didn't care for: The Secret of Shoreswood Hall. The ending was too sad.

I would recommend this to readers who enjoy authors expanding on the world and characters left by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decently familiar Holmes

The first two and last two stories are arguably the weakest, but I enjoyed several of the middle ones almost as much as some of Conan Doyle’s. The author’s ability to reference technology and culture of the era is a strength when he recreates 1800s London, but a weakness when characters revel in meaningless details that don't move the story along. Perhaps the best compliment is that the familiar characters rarely seemed off-base and almost never innovative. Instead, they were hardly indistinguishable from the Holmes and Watson I've always imagined from the Doyle canon.

[Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book features 12 short stories featuring the famous detective. These are very well written mysteries that truly capture the original style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The plots are solved with deductive reasoning, not rough and tumble gun play or fisticuffs. The author, Denis Smith, captures the atmosphere of 19th Century England. He portrays the characters as they were originally presented by Conan Doyle. Mr. Smith does not embellish the character with post Victorian thoughts or add any endearing character trails to make Holmes or Watson more like modern man. Holmes and Watson are 19th Century men who adored England and the Queen and they always will be such men.

[Robert M. Roth MD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost but not quite

Voices matter and I didn't hear those familiar voices as written by ACD. Missing is the singular syntax of Watson as well as his vivid descriptions of Victorian England. Here, Sherlock is not his curmudgeonly self, rather he is friendly, chuckles, engages readily in conversation and explains some of his thinking as the case unfolds.

That said, not all is lost. There are a few notable and enjoyable tales to be read in this volume. Others are rather mundane. At best, this is an uneven collection of Holmesian chronicles.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Traditional, but...

This book contains twelve traditional Holmesian pastiches. They were overwritten, excessively detailed, completely devoid of humour or any kind of charm, and were frankly boring. Perhaps they would appeal the lover of history, as the author fills up the pages with details that can only mean something to those who are inclined towards such stuff.
I found the collection to be disappointing and tedious, with a few outre elements thrown in and then sunk under trivia.
Not recommended.

[M. J. Monahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holmes, Sherlock

Holmesian lore in the vernacular. Middle length stories to keep one amused on a commute, a flight or a read at bedtime. If one likes Sherlock Holmes stories, this will be appreciated as decent efforts. Readers educated after the 1960s will need patience and a dictionary and patience for some of the contributions as there are words of more than 4 letters, sentences of more than 5 words, and paragraphs of more than 2 sentences

[Ovidia Yu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

I'm sceptical of new attempts on the Sherlock canon, but even feeble attempts are better than nothing, so I try them. This time I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed this collection. Even the meanderings felt close to the original and the stories evoked both Victorian England and Sherlock and Watson. I could have devoured it at one sitting except I had to stop to look up the author to see if there were any other stories. Thank you Denis O. Smith!

[LAWRENCE GILSDORF · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure enjoyment for Sherlock Holmes Fans

I have become addicted to reading the Arthur Conan Doyle copy cats. Some of the tales are more intriguing than others. But they are entertaining none the less. Enjoy!

[Vickie Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not too bad

When I first started on this book I was a tad bit skeptical, but as the stories progressed they got better and better. I would definitely like to read more of the same from this author, very entertaining.

[Kevin D. Lacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Complex, simple and brief

There have been many stories added to the Holmesian library. Some are weak and some were overly taken with proving their mettle. This group of stories hits the sweet spot.

[Willie Kirschner · Rating 3 out of 5]

For old Holmes fans

Having thoroughly enjoyed the original Conan Doyle tails, I have taken to reading new adventures by various authors. I enjoyed these stories and think they are at least entertaining.

[NRVOUTDOORSMAN · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good job

One of the better Holmes send-ups. The author has a good grasp of the tone and language of the original. Except for one story presented as a reminiscence by Holmes of his boyhood, all in all a workmanlike effort.

[Ken Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable presentation of a broad selection of Sherlock Holmes mysteries. I enjoyed how Dr. Watson introduced the stories and the variety presented. Short story mysteries are difficult to pull off but the author did a good job doing so.

[Christine Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

I have read all of Conan Doyle’s stories of Holmes and Watson. In reading these I was unable to discern a difference. Only one of the stories did I feel that the author gave Holmes too much credit. I really enjoyed the book.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent Doyle Imitation

Short stories starring Sherlock Holmes. Many of these are quite good with a good ear for Doyle. Most seem to reflect the feel of Victorian England quite well. If one must have more Holmes stories, then these might fit the bill very well.

[Debbra W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sherlock

I enjoyed this book very much. I am language and image oriented and this book with it's grown up language and detailed descriptions gave me a good bit of fun. I never was at a loss to understand what was going on in the stories. I like that.

[Richard Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A True Holmes Compendium

I've read several authors that have written Sherlock Holmes stories, and I believe this author, Dennis Smith, has best captured the flavor and style of Conan Doyle.

[Graeme Newell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A throughly enjoyable collection of Sherlock Holmes pastiche stories. There are so many Holmes stories that are book length. Smith writes shorter stories that are easily digestible in a single sitting. Most enjoyable.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr Smith has captured Sir Arthur’s style superbly. I highly recommend his new Holmes adventures. Well written.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the better pastiches around. Smith manages to capture the atmosphere and plotting of the original. Will be reading more of his for sure.

[Jim Rickard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book

Fun short stories. I enjoyed the. Not quite the same as the originals but good. Good to read when you have 45 minutes

[Hannahlynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read for Sherlock fans!

I quite liked every story - author stayed very nicely in the style of Conan Doyle. I didn’t want them to be over!

[David Elkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good stories and a very well done series of tales