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Supernatural Sherlocks: Stories from The Golden Age of the Occult Detective
The ghost of a poor Afghan returns to haunt the doctor who once amputated his hand. A mysterious and malignant force inhabits a room in an ancestral home and attacks all who sleep in it. A man who desecrates an Indian temple is transformed into a ravening beast. A castle in the Tyrol is the setting for an aristocratic murderer’s apparent resurrection. In the stories in this collection, horrors from beyond the grave and other dimensions visit the everyday world and demand to be investigated. The Sherlocks of the supernatural—from William Hope Hodgson’s "Thomas Carnacki, the Ghost Finder," to Alice and Claude Askew’s "Aylmer Vance"—are those courageous souls who risk their lives and their sanity to pursue the truth about ghosts, ghouls, and things that go bump in the night. The period between 1890 and 1930 was a Golden Age for the occult detective. Famous authors like Kipling and Conan Doyle wrote stories about them, as did less familiar writers such as the occultist and magician Dion Fortune and Henry S. Whitehead, a friend of H. P. Lovecraft and fellow-contributor to the pulp magazines of the period. Nick Rennison has chosen 15 tales from that era to raise the hair and chill the spines of modern readers.
288 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2018
25 people are currently reading
146 people want to read
About the author
Nick Rennison
58 books22 followersNick Rennison is a writer, editor and bookseller. His books include Sherlock Holmes: An Unauthorised Biography, Robin Hood: Myth, History, Culture, The Bloomsbury Good Reading Guide and 100 Must-Read Historical Novels. He is a regular reviewer of historical fiction for both The Sunday Times and BBC History Magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
September 22, 2018
Most of the stories are not especially exciting, especially if you're a modern person who is familiar with the genre, but it's a good concept for an anthology and I'm glad it exists.
December 8, 2017
This is a wonderfully nostalgic collection of 15 short stories which instantly transport you back to the age of empire, where men with handlebar moustaches and frock coats investigate uncanny happenings.
The stories aren’t simply written in the style of the great Victorian and Edwardian detective novels – many of these pieces are over a century old and were, no doubt, shocking and provocative at the time. These days, they feel quite quaint and even a little naïve – but several are entirely successful in cranking up a creepy atmosphere.
The collection includes stories by Rudyard Kipling, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and HP Lovecraft, as well as many less famous but equally skilled writers. Some set their stories in the colonies – where a loudmouth sahib could by cursed by a fakir – or in the bosom of the landed gentry in the English countryside, where no one dare spend a night in a particular bedroom for fear of what stalks the sleeper.
Sometimes the mystery is solved by the ‘Sherlock’ of the story, but in other cases the uncanny events remain ambiguous; the tale being recounted by one who was there as a warning for anyone who might dabble in the unknown. More often than not, the supernatural element is scoffed at by naysayers but it remains the only explanation. If you must have every clue examined and explained then these stories are probably not your cup of lapsang souchong; there are few unambiguous endings.
Some of the writing is ridiculously frilly by today’s standards, but very often it’s elegant and subtle. This anthology reads like a series of spooky campfire stories. Not entirely serious, certainly nothing to give you nightmares (and no graphic violence), but deliciously eerie all the same.
If you enjoy the style of the original Sherlock books, or oblique, 19th century gothic horror, then this collection should suit you.
7/10
There are many more reviews of crime / thrillers at http://www.murdermayhemandmore.net
The stories aren’t simply written in the style of the great Victorian and Edwardian detective novels – many of these pieces are over a century old and were, no doubt, shocking and provocative at the time. These days, they feel quite quaint and even a little naïve – but several are entirely successful in cranking up a creepy atmosphere.
The collection includes stories by Rudyard Kipling, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and HP Lovecraft, as well as many less famous but equally skilled writers. Some set their stories in the colonies – where a loudmouth sahib could by cursed by a fakir – or in the bosom of the landed gentry in the English countryside, where no one dare spend a night in a particular bedroom for fear of what stalks the sleeper.
Sometimes the mystery is solved by the ‘Sherlock’ of the story, but in other cases the uncanny events remain ambiguous; the tale being recounted by one who was there as a warning for anyone who might dabble in the unknown. More often than not, the supernatural element is scoffed at by naysayers but it remains the only explanation. If you must have every clue examined and explained then these stories are probably not your cup of lapsang souchong; there are few unambiguous endings.
Some of the writing is ridiculously frilly by today’s standards, but very often it’s elegant and subtle. This anthology reads like a series of spooky campfire stories. Not entirely serious, certainly nothing to give you nightmares (and no graphic violence), but deliciously eerie all the same.
If you enjoy the style of the original Sherlock books, or oblique, 19th century gothic horror, then this collection should suit you.
7/10
There are many more reviews of crime / thrillers at http://www.murdermayhemandmore.net
June 4, 2018
What is says on the cover. Stories about occult detectives. We get Thomas Carnacki, Flaxman Low, Dr John Silence and a whole host of others not often seen anymore.
Some of the stories have mundane explanations, others are less explicable. Several stories should not be read alone after dark!
Excellent and entertaining volume.
Some of the stories have mundane explanations, others are less explicable. Several stories should not be read alone after dark!
Excellent and entertaining volume.
October 9, 2018
Supernatural Sherlocks: Stories from the Golden Age of the Occult Detective (2018) by Nick Rennison (ed) provides readers with fifteen stories of the supernatural, ostensibly with a detective cast in the Sherlock Holmes mold. The stories are interesting and atmospheric and enjoyable as ghost stories. But....
My main quibble with this book is that if one is going to describe the investigators found herein as "Supernatural Sherlocks" then those investigators should resemble a consulting detective more than a psychic ghost hunter. There should be solutions to the puzzles In truth, most of these are ghost stories and tales of the supernatural. Period. Yes, there are "detectives" who are investigating the phenomena, but it is rare that any of these detectives produce concrete solutions and most of the stories that do offer solutions don't offer plausible reasons for those solutions.
Case in point: The first of the stories to involve anything like detective work is "The Blue Room" by Lettice Galbraith. Mr. Maxwell, a then-student at Oxford and later professor, and Miss Erristoun manage to sort out the haunting of the titular room, but there is no string of investigations to bring them to the solution. Miss Erristoun has what can only be described as a hallucination cum nightmare while staying the night in the room that shows her where a secret panel is that hides important material. But there is no reason for her subconscious (or whatever) to lead her there. IF Maxwell's and her discoveries in the library had revealed that there were secret panels to be found in the house, then at least there would be reason for her to sleepwalk or whatever and find the thing. But no--we'll just put it down to ghostly forces leading her where she needs to go.
Vance in "The Boy of Blackstock" sounds and acts the most like Holmes. He says, "It's much too early yet to form an opion. You ought to know by now, Dexter, that I never jump to conclusions." Like Holmes, he keeps his theories and observations to himself. The events are given a human solution up to a point, but the ending is left open to speculation--was "the mischievous boy of Blackstock" who appeared to Lord Rystone the human agent or really a ghost?
I don't mind ghost stories. Tales of the supernatural are good for this time of year--a nice little bit of spine-tingling while one is safely ensconced on a couch with a cup of hot tea or hot chocolate at hand. But don't try and convince me that any Holmesian detecting is going on...that won't do at all. The stories that had Holmes confronting the supposed supernatural always had him producing a perfectly reasonable human-related solution. He did not rely on supernatural answers and defenses. I feel like Rennison (or whoever came up with the title/theme) was relying on the name Sherlock Holmes to pull in readers. It certainly attracted my attention and I couldn't help feeling let down when most of the "detectives" in question weren't really all that Holmes-like.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
My main quibble with this book is that if one is going to describe the investigators found herein as "Supernatural Sherlocks" then those investigators should resemble a consulting detective more than a psychic ghost hunter. There should be solutions to the puzzles In truth, most of these are ghost stories and tales of the supernatural. Period. Yes, there are "detectives" who are investigating the phenomena, but it is rare that any of these detectives produce concrete solutions and most of the stories that do offer solutions don't offer plausible reasons for those solutions.
Case in point: The first of the stories to involve anything like detective work is "The Blue Room" by Lettice Galbraith. Mr. Maxwell, a then-student at Oxford and later professor, and Miss Erristoun manage to sort out the haunting of the titular room, but there is no string of investigations to bring them to the solution. Miss Erristoun has what can only be described as a hallucination cum nightmare while staying the night in the room that shows her where a secret panel is that hides important material. But there is no reason for her subconscious (or whatever) to lead her there. IF Maxwell's and her discoveries in the library had revealed that there were secret panels to be found in the house, then at least there would be reason for her to sleepwalk or whatever and find the thing. But no--we'll just put it down to ghostly forces leading her where she needs to go.
Vance in "The Boy of Blackstock" sounds and acts the most like Holmes. He says, "It's much too early yet to form an opion. You ought to know by now, Dexter, that I never jump to conclusions." Like Holmes, he keeps his theories and observations to himself. The events are given a human solution up to a point, but the ending is left open to speculation--was "the mischievous boy of Blackstock" who appeared to Lord Rystone the human agent or really a ghost?
I don't mind ghost stories. Tales of the supernatural are good for this time of year--a nice little bit of spine-tingling while one is safely ensconced on a couch with a cup of hot tea or hot chocolate at hand. But don't try and convince me that any Holmesian detecting is going on...that won't do at all. The stories that had Holmes confronting the supposed supernatural always had him producing a perfectly reasonable human-related solution. He did not rely on supernatural answers and defenses. I feel like Rennison (or whoever came up with the title/theme) was relying on the name Sherlock Holmes to pull in readers. It certainly attracted my attention and I couldn't help feeling let down when most of the "detectives" in question weren't really all that Holmes-like.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
May 26, 2020
My Occult Detective Book Club is currently reading this gem of an anthology. It covers well-known occult detectives like Diana Marburg and Thomas Carnacki, as well as one-time sleuths that have disappeared into obscurity. One common thread throughout the anthology is the importance of having a healthy respect for the unseen world. Those who dismiss it…don’t fare well. The introduction to each story is thoughtful, pointing out some of the xenophobia and other issues that show how dated these stories can be, while also celebrating their contribution to the supernatural canon.
April 28, 2020
A nice collection of stories related to occult detectives from the time span of 1890 to 1930. Some of the initial stories do not feature any detective who was part of a series; but independent investigations. Among them 'Number Ninety' by B.M Crocker will be a personal favorite of mine(maybe because it does not explain away everything and keeps space for speculation). 'The Blue Room' by Lettice Galbraith is also notable for the unique solution. Gradually we move towards trademark occult detectives starting with a Flaxman Low story by E and H Heron - 'The Story of Yand Manor House'(which I had read previously as a part of Flaxman low stories. It is one of my favorites). The title of the collection references Sherlock Holmes, hence it is only proper that it would have a story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is titled 'The Brown Hand' and is naturally very imaginative and interesting. William Hope Hodgson's story 'The Gateway of the Monster' featuring Carnaki - the ghost finder was thrilling as well as unique. 'The Boy of Blackstock' by Alice Askew and Claude Askew features occult detective Alymer Vance and his Watson like sidekick Dexter. The story seems not to contain any supernatural elements until the climax at the end. A memorable one. Then 'The Death Hound' by Dion Fortune was also unique in its subject and featured the psychic detective Dr Taverner. Finally 'The Shunned House' by H.P Lovecraft was something I had not read among his stories before. It is closer to a classic supernatural tale compared to his other works.
This book introduced me to a variety of authors as well as occult detectives, whom I would like to check out in the future.
This book introduced me to a variety of authors as well as occult detectives, whom I would like to check out in the future.
December 23, 2019
This is a pleasant collection of short stories. The stories are mostly by little-known authors who wrote supernatural mysteries in the vein of Carnacki the Ghost Finder, although there are at least two stories with extremely bland clones of Holmes and Watson. The stories are interspersed with some big names like Doyle, Hodgson and Kipling. If you like ghost stories in the occult detective tradition, it's a mellow way to spend the time.
Best story? I hate to say it, but it's the Shunned House by HP Lovecraft. I'm not a Lovecraft fan in general, but this story stood out from everyone else's. Worst story? Definitely Dion Fortune's The Death Hound published in 1926. How can anyone read it and not feel like it's just a rip-off of The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902)? Hmmmmm…
Best story? I hate to say it, but it's the Shunned House by HP Lovecraft. I'm not a Lovecraft fan in general, but this story stood out from everyone else's. Worst story? Definitely Dion Fortune's The Death Hound published in 1926. How can anyone read it and not feel like it's just a rip-off of The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902)? Hmmmmm…
October 11, 2019
A good collection, but not a stand out one. Makes for a solid start to the month of October! The introductions to each story were informed, but not expressively informative. They sometimes hinted at "better" stories by the chosen author, and then didn't explain why this other option had been chosen instead. The last story was an excellent one to end the collection with, and in fact it seemed to build up to several of the more enjoyable stories in the second half of the book. Some of the earlier pieces were rather weak, even for being unexplained ghost stories. I did enjoy most of the stories, but it won't make the top of my recommendation list at any point.
Read
October 7, 20233.75🌟 overall
"The Shunned House" by H.P. Lovecraft is a 2🌟. The author's writing style was sooooo dull and dry af, the story was a sharp contrast to the rest in this collection. It stood out to me because I couldn't forget how bored I was reading it. It was written in this reported narrative with no dialogues at all. In hindsight, the premise of it was actually the most unique and creative in this collection, and I, admittedly, couldn't help but admire how Lovecraft came up with it. If it was written in a showing rather than telling style, I would've derived much enjoyment to the reading experience I had with it.
"The Shunned House" by H.P. Lovecraft is a 2🌟. The author's writing style was sooooo dull and dry af, the story was a sharp contrast to the rest in this collection. It stood out to me because I couldn't forget how bored I was reading it. It was written in this reported narrative with no dialogues at all. In hindsight, the premise of it was actually the most unique and creative in this collection, and I, admittedly, couldn't help but admire how Lovecraft came up with it. If it was written in a showing rather than telling style, I would've derived much enjoyment to the reading experience I had with it.
Read
May 22, 2020Not a bad book, if you've never read any of the stories before. E and H Heron (Hesketh and Kate Prichard)'s Flaxman Low, William Hope Hodgson's Thomas Carnacki, Alice and Claude Askew's Aylmer Vance, and Dion Fortune's Dr. Taverner. These are all wonderfully powerful stories of man versus the occult, and should be read by everyone with an interest in the supernatural.
Do yourself a favour, and if you enjoy short stories of the unusual kind, then quite simply, buy this book. It's a collection of the best short stories of their nature. Buy it!
Do yourself a favour, and if you enjoy short stories of the unusual kind, then quite simply, buy this book. It's a collection of the best short stories of their nature. Buy it!
June 27, 2018
Nice collection of mostly little-known ghost story thrillers from the late 19th and early 20th century. Not every story is a keeper, and there is some repetition of theme and tone, but I appreciate having these available. Authors represented include Kipling (one of the better stories in the book), Conan Doyle, and Lovecraft. The "Sherlock" aspect of the stories isn't always particularly strong, but most of these are, if nothing else, nicely atmospheric.
September 23, 2018
A horrible collection of short stories. While I am familiar with and enjoy Victorian and Edwardian fiction, these are mostly terrible examples of them. It is billed as some sort of anthology of occult detectives, while only two or three of them are anything other than people describing a ghost they encountered.
I will depart from my harsh criticism to say that the last story was a very good standout, The Shut Room.
I will depart from my harsh criticism to say that the last story was a very good standout, The Shut Room.
February 14, 2019
A nice selection of late 1800s/early 1900s ghost stories. Each story is proceeded by a blurb about the author and their influence on pop culture. I never realized that there were so many female writers during the time, probably because most of them wrote under a pseudonym. I recommend them for anyone who likes the writing style of the era, but also anyone who likes old horror movies from the golden era of Hollywood.
January 1, 2025
This was an interesting collection to read although the stories were a bit uneven. Some of the uneveness came from the use of the occult in the stories - some of the stories did it more convincingly than others for my late 20th century brain. Nowadays some of these stories wouldn't be classified mysteries but would be included in other genres like horror or perhaps fantasy. I'm happy to have read it.
November 25, 2018
Good anthology with a broad collection of authors. The introductions to each story were valuable, giving rich context to each tale.
Notable: funny how the plot of so many of these stories is “let’s spend the night in a haunted house!”
Also: the lovecraft story was so repetitive and dull.
Notable: funny how the plot of so many of these stories is “let’s spend the night in a haunted house!”
Also: the lovecraft story was so repetitive and dull.
April 17, 2025
A fun read, quite unlike the detectives of today
The language is very dated in parts, but then the stories are very old too. Part detective, part ghost story with perhaps a little history thrown in: good fun.
The language is very dated in parts, but then the stories are very old too. Part detective, part ghost story with perhaps a little history thrown in: good fun.
March 14, 2018
15 short stories from the master storytellers of yesteryear. I enjoyed it.
April 7, 2019
A mixed bag, enjoyed the Kipling and several others. My favorite was about the haunted baby/toddler. Definitely more on the horror side than on the mystery side fun read
February 10, 2020
Kolekcja opowiadań średnio związanych z oficjalnym tematem zbioru. Opowiadania zwykle też średnie.
March 25, 2023
Not for school but could be, a lot of fun.
September 17, 2023
A collection of short stories about the investigations of haunted houses and other paranormal phenomenon.
October 14, 2025
Very interesting collection of famous and less famous stories. I really enjoyed reading the biography of each author before the tale.
December 8, 2017
This is a wonderfully nostalgic collection of 15 short stories which instantly transport you back to the age of empire, where men with handlebar moustaches and frock coats investigate uncanny happenings.
The stories aren’t simply written in the style of the great Victorian and Edwardian detective novels – many of these pieces are over a century old and were, no doubt, shocking and provocative at the time. These days, they feel quite quaint and even a little naïve – but several are entirely successful in cranking up a creepy atmosphere.
The collection includes stories by Rudyard Kipling, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and HP Lovecraft, as well as many less famous but equally skilled writers. Some set their stories in the colonies – where a loudmouth sahib could by cursed by a fakir – or in the bosom of the landed gentry in the English countryside, where no one dare spend a night in a particular bedroom for fear of what stalks the sleeper.
Sometimes the mystery is solved by the ‘Sherlock’ of the story, but in other cases the uncanny events remain ambiguous; the tale being recounted by one who was there as a warning for anyone who might dabble in the unknown. More often than not, the supernatural element is scoffed at by naysayers but it remains the only explanation. If you must have every clue examined and explained then these stories are probably not your cup of lapsang souchong; there are few unambiguous endings.
Some of the writing is ridiculously frilly by today’s standards, but very often it’s elegant and subtle. This anthology reads like a series of spooky campfire stories. Not entirely serious, certainly nothing to give you nightmares (and no graphic violence), but deliciously eerie all the same.
If you enjoy the style of the original Sherlock books, or oblique, 19th century gothic horror, then this collection should suit you.
7/10
There are many more reviews of crime / thrillers at http://www.murdermayhemandmore.net
The stories aren’t simply written in the style of the great Victorian and Edwardian detective novels – many of these pieces are over a century old and were, no doubt, shocking and provocative at the time. These days, they feel quite quaint and even a little naïve – but several are entirely successful in cranking up a creepy atmosphere.
The collection includes stories by Rudyard Kipling, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and HP Lovecraft, as well as many less famous but equally skilled writers. Some set their stories in the colonies – where a loudmouth sahib could by cursed by a fakir – or in the bosom of the landed gentry in the English countryside, where no one dare spend a night in a particular bedroom for fear of what stalks the sleeper.
Sometimes the mystery is solved by the ‘Sherlock’ of the story, but in other cases the uncanny events remain ambiguous; the tale being recounted by one who was there as a warning for anyone who might dabble in the unknown. More often than not, the supernatural element is scoffed at by naysayers but it remains the only explanation. If you must have every clue examined and explained then these stories are probably not your cup of lapsang souchong; there are few unambiguous endings.
Some of the writing is ridiculously frilly by today’s standards, but very often it’s elegant and subtle. This anthology reads like a series of spooky campfire stories. Not entirely serious, certainly nothing to give you nightmares (and no graphic violence), but deliciously eerie all the same.
If you enjoy the style of the original Sherlock books, or oblique, 19th century gothic horror, then this collection should suit you.
7/10
There are many more reviews of crime / thrillers at http://www.murdermayhemandmore.net
March 31, 2023
Great short strange stories!
Library. March 2023
Great writing!
Interesting characters!
Suspenseful! Great, fun read!
Library. March 2023
Great writing!
Interesting characters!
Suspenseful! Great, fun read!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews