The Wild Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

by Will Murray, Joe DeVito (Illustrator), Jason Eckhardt (Illustrator)

Ten traditional tales of Victorian London's greatest consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, as he investigates some of his most baffling mysteries.* Is a blue-skinned dinosaur tearing up the Essex countryside? "The Wild Adventure of the Indigo Impossibility" provides the astonishing answer. * Holmes and Watson plunge into the darkest dens of Limehouse in search of "The Mystery of the Elusive Li Shen." Is he man, myth, or monster?* What is the secret of the uncatchable Thames footpad chronicled in "The Adventure of Old Black Duffel?"* A famous American soldier of fortune asks Sherlock Holmes to locate a Russian adventuress long believed dead in "The Adventure of the Nebulous Nihilist."* Did fairies lure a young Manchester boy to his doom? "The Misadventure of the Bonny Boy" tells the chilling tale.* A wealthy art collector challenges Sherlock Holmes with an unsolvable riddle. Or is it a riddle? What is "The Enigma of Neptune's Quandary?"* Is a dead man haunting his office––or might an even stranger explanation exist for why his frightened face is imprinted on a windowpane? "The Adventure of the Glassy Ghost" reveals all.* A fiendish murderer strikes down victim after victim in "The Problem of the Bruised Tongues." The only clue: the discolored tips of their tongues.* "The Adventure of the Throne of Gilt." What could it be, and why should Dr. John Watson fear it so?* A revengeful enemy plots a gruesome end for Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in "The Unsettling Matter of the Graveyard Ghoul."

225 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 7, 2020

About the author

Will Murray is an American novelist, journalist, and short-story and comic-book writer. Much of his fiction has been published under pseudonyms. Will is the author of over 50 novels in popular series ranging from “The Destroyer” to “Mars Attacks”. Collaborating posthumously with the legendary Lester Dent, he has written to date nine Doc Savage novels, with “Desert Demons” and “Horror in Gold” now available. For National Public Radio, Murray adapted “The Thousand-Headed Man” for “The Adventures of Doc Savage” in 1985, and recently edited “Doc Savage: The Lost Radio Scripts of Lester Dent” for Moonstone Books. He is versed in all things pulp.

Reviews

[Evan Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will Murray, as you probably know, is the world's foremost living raconteur of Doc Savage, Tarzan, The Shadow and the Spider, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised to discover he also does a superlative job with Sherlock Holmes. But I am, at least a little. Holmes is a different breed of cat, solving problems with his brain instead of relying on muscles or guns. But Mr. Murray can apparently write anything he puts his mind to. Next thing you know, he'll probably be turning out The Wild Adventures of Hamlet.

The ten tales in this book put the Great Detective's brain to the test with a dazzling variety of baffling puzzles. And as in the original canon, several problems seem to border on the supernatural, as clients claim to be plagued with fairies, a ghost, a ghoul and a blue dinosaur. But with Holmes, as I'm sure you know, things are rarely what they seem.

The Holmes/Watson relationship must be handled just right to produce a good pastiche, and the author nails it here. It's clear these two are fast friends, and it's a pleasure to tag along on their adventures. There are visits to Limehouse (Fu Manchu territory), to the English countryside, to Manchester-by-the-Sea, to the Thames, and of course to such familiar haunts as Charing Cross Station, Scotland Yard and Baker Street. And while I'm pretty sure Will Murray wasn't hanging around those places 140 years ago, he makes us believe we're right there with our heroes. Along the way, we even meet an American named Colonel Richard Henry Savage, a real-life inspiration for the guy we know as Doc.

I haven't read every Sherlock Holmes pastiche ever written, but if I made a stack of the ones I have, it would be taller than me. And I'm 6'2". I have, however, read all ten of the tales comprising The Wild Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Volume One, and enjoyed every one of them. I'm already looking forward to Volume 2.

[David Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will Murray is a master of the pastiche, writing authentically in the prose style of the pulp era and bringing back to life such characters as Doc Savage, The Shadow, The Spider, Tarzan, and many others. In the present volume he applies his talents of authorial mimicry to the canon of Sherlock Holmes and succeeds in recreating the atmosphere and wit of the original stories. Unlike some of his more recent Doc Savage novels, which can be sprawling, these 10 short stories are tightly plotted and make for fun quick reads. Murray reproduces the hard-to-fathom super-intelligence of Holmes told through the words of the slightly thick Dr. Watson in charming fashion. I thoroughly enjoyed these tales and hope the the author carries through on this intention to publish more of them.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed these Holmes pastiches.
I'm hoping there'll be a second volume of Murray's Holmes stories out very soon.

[Tony Ciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding stories , touching on some great stories and characters of the past, nice triggering of novels and stories that I have enjoyed during my life. Loved Them!!!!

[Donn Sottolano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining

Excellent short stories with well conceived plots. Provided me with a couple of hours of Holmes & Watson which is always a good way to spend one’s time.