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Watson Does Not Lie
“I was told the creation of a Holmesian Chronology is practically a rite of passage. I was told once you have managed to make sense of the sixty stories you emerge a rookie no more. I was told it is a task that improves you and your understanding of The Canon. I’m not so sure…. Too many chronologists resorted to claiming either Watson lied, or could not read his own notes. Such ideas are scandalous. I wanted a chronology built upon the idea of Watson’s words as facts. Since I could not find one, I created one.” —Paul Thomas Miller
182 pages, Paperback
Published November 15, 2019
3 people want to read
About the author
Paul Miller
271 books7 followersLike every other writer, Paul entered college majoring in mathematics and a couple years in, changed his focus to teaching business and accounting. After graduation, Paul began a successful career as an IT sales exec., then cashed in to commit to fatherhood duties, full-time. Just like every other writer.
As his kids neared school age, Paul read a book about divining your optimal career. Voila, novelist! He cant vouch for all writers on this leg of the journey, but hes pretty certain both E"
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 28, 2022
A fabulous chronology of the Holmes stories working with the premise that everything Watson wrote was 100% correct, as far as he perceived it.
The result is a fascinating book that provides details for every story as well as a simplified time line and a full one.
Paul's research is incredibly in depth. Newspaper archives, historic weather reports, and the records of the Royal Albert Hall were all grist for Paul's research mill.
There is a lively timeline of John Watson's marriages, based on the references in the stories. The result being six wives in twenty two years...one has to wonder about John "Three Continents" Watson!
I came away with two things from this book. That the word "continuity" did not exist is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's personal lexicon, and that Paul Thomas Miller is one hell of a researcher.
This invaluable little book has gone straight into my research library.
Highly recommended to all fans of Sherlock Holmes.
The result is a fascinating book that provides details for every story as well as a simplified time line and a full one.
Paul's research is incredibly in depth. Newspaper archives, historic weather reports, and the records of the Royal Albert Hall were all grist for Paul's research mill.
There is a lively timeline of John Watson's marriages, based on the references in the stories. The result being six wives in twenty two years...one has to wonder about John "Three Continents" Watson!
I came away with two things from this book. That the word "continuity" did not exist is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's personal lexicon, and that Paul Thomas Miller is one hell of a researcher.
This invaluable little book has gone straight into my research library.
Highly recommended to all fans of Sherlock Holmes.
November 6, 2020
Paul, I have no idea if you'll ever read this, but I must say that I've read your book and that at first I had no idea what to make of it.
I will admit that I went into it probably from the wrong perspective, and spent a good while with a few friends talking about the sheer absurdity of "Watson creates freakishly large babies" and really just the concept of hypnotism in general. I then did a few google searches and upon finding your blog(s) decided that this book probably required a different approach.
Very much enjoyed the tongue in cheek humour throughout the book, and the at times ridiculous suggestions or convenient explanations ("it was simply someone else that got the details wrong"). It's a nice mixture of logic and research, and, uh, more thinly supported statements. It's also given me a lot of ideas, and I think I might just have to write a book of my own. "101 Reasons Why Watson Forgot About WIST", which will begin with the most likely theory (obviously the one you have put forth) and will end with some more farfetched ones (I'm thinking something along the lines of aliens, I will of course be scraping the bottom of the barrel by the time I reach reason #101). I'm also considering writing a Holmesian pastiche with inspiration taken from Bluebeard.
For people deciding whether or not to pick up this book, I'll say this: if you think you'll enjoy a thoughtful chronology with a bit of a ridiculous premise that doesn't take itself too seriously, you'll enjoy this.
Also I would just like to say that, as always, I am infinitely amused by the fact that every single Holmesian cares more about chronology and plot holes than ACD probably ever did.
P.S. I would recommend to anyone who read this book the essential supplemental "Watson is Full of Crap". Or hell, even people who haven't read this book.
I will admit that I went into it probably from the wrong perspective, and spent a good while with a few friends talking about the sheer absurdity of "Watson creates freakishly large babies" and really just the concept of hypnotism in general. I then did a few google searches and upon finding your blog(s) decided that this book probably required a different approach.
Very much enjoyed the tongue in cheek humour throughout the book, and the at times ridiculous suggestions or convenient explanations ("it was simply someone else that got the details wrong"). It's a nice mixture of logic and research, and, uh, more thinly supported statements. It's also given me a lot of ideas, and I think I might just have to write a book of my own. "101 Reasons Why Watson Forgot About WIST", which will begin with the most likely theory (obviously the one you have put forth) and will end with some more farfetched ones (I'm thinking something along the lines of aliens, I will of course be scraping the bottom of the barrel by the time I reach reason #101). I'm also considering writing a Holmesian pastiche with inspiration taken from Bluebeard.
For people deciding whether or not to pick up this book, I'll say this: if you think you'll enjoy a thoughtful chronology with a bit of a ridiculous premise that doesn't take itself too seriously, you'll enjoy this.
Also I would just like to say that, as always, I am infinitely amused by the fact that every single Holmesian cares more about chronology and plot holes than ACD probably ever did.
P.S. I would recommend to anyone who read this book the essential supplemental "Watson is Full of Crap". Or hell, even people who haven't read this book.
February 19, 2025
This is a good reference book if you need to organize the events of the Sherlock Holmes stories for whatever reason. I would not recommend reading cover-to-cover as I had attempted.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews