Sherlock Stranger than Truth is a collection of 13 brand new Sherlock Holmes mysteries featuring the Great Detective working side-by-side with such notable historical figures P.T. Barnum, Theodore Roosevelt, Annie Oakley, Nellie Bly, Lord Kitchener, Joseph Merrick a.k.a. the Elephant Man, And Many, Many More!!!
In the world of pastiche, Sherlock Holmes meeting, assisting, or opposing real-life characters is not an uncommon thing at all. We have had numerous such stories in various anthologies. However, this collection contains only such pastiches. And I must admit, they do an excellent job in terms of presenting those real-life characters through the glass of the Great Detective. The book begins with a witty 'A Truthful Preface' from the edito Ray Riethmeier. Then it has thriteen stories of varying length. Among them, I found the following truly memorable~ 1. 'The Adventure of the Copper Breechloads' by Zakariah Johnson: Brilliant, riveting and absolutely thrilling story featuring the one & only Annie Oakley. 2. 'An Audience with the Tsar' by Allyn Gibson: This poignant story, involving Tsar Alexander I, would touch the heart of every Indian who still ponders over the enduring mystery associated with the fate of our National Hero. 3. 'The Other Holmes' by Rachel M. Martens: Everyday we are flooded with stories of human depravity. But this story, centred around the acts of the notorious 'Devil of the White City', is one of the most chilling & disturbing works that I have read. I would remember this story for a very long time. 4. 'White Price Honor?' by Mike Adamson: Bengal had been ravaged by Churchill's wartime strategies that were aimed at preventing the Japanese, but which had eventually resulted in the death of five million Bengalis. Therefore, from MY perspective, this is the most gripping story of the collection— where British adultation over the Imperial 'Hero' Lord Kitchener gets challenged by the Great Detective himself. 5. 'The Adventure of the Specious Spouse' by Chris Chan: This neat humorous story involving the real-life persona of Mary Grace Quackenbos Humiston was a clever dessert to indicate the closure of the anthology. Some of the stories were tedious reads. Some were merely frivolous and lengthy— like jokes dragged too long. But overall, the collection is of very high standard. Highly recommended.
I casually enjoyed this one. It falls in line with historical fiction as Sherlock Holmes crosses paths with real figures. Most of these names were unfamiliar to me, which I found sad because a large number of these are American characters. My favorite was the story featuring Annie Oakley.