Die Rivalen des Sherlock Holmes: große Detektivgeschichten des 19. Jahrhunderts

Rivals of Sherlock Holmes #1

by Hugh Greene (Editor)

This work contains the following stories:
Max Pemberton: 'The Ripening Rubies'
Arthur Morrison: 'The Case of Laker, Absconded'
Guy Boothby: 'The Dutchess of Wiltshire's Diamonds'
Arthur Morrison: 'The Affair of the "Avalanche Bicycle and Tyre Co. Ltd"'
Clifford Ashdown: 'The Assyrian Rejuvenator'
L. T. Meade and Robert Eustace: 'Madame Sara'
Clifford Ashdown: 'The Submarine Boat'
William Le Queux: 'The Secret of the Fox Hunter'
Baroness Orczy: 'The Mysterious Death on the Underground Railway'
R. Austin Freeman: 'The Moabite Cipher'
Baroness Orczy: 'The Woman in the Big Hat'
William Hope Hodgson: 'The Horse of the Invisible'
Ernest Bramah: 'The Game Played in the Dark'

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Crime, British Literature, Victorian

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Sir Hugh Carleton Greene, KCMG, OBE was educated at Berkhamsted and Merton College, University of Oxford and became a journalist. He served as Director-General of the BBC from 1960-1969. One of his brothers was the novelist and screenwriter Graham Greene, OM, CH (1904-1991) and together they collected and edited 'The Spy's Bedside Book' (1957).

Reviews

[Dfordoom · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of Victorian and Edwardian crime and detective stories edited by Hugh Greene (brother of Graham Greene). There was a TV series also, back in the 70s. It's interesting that very few of these stories are straight imitations of Sherlock Holmes. It's also interesting that quite a few stories end without justice having been done, and in some cases the detective is the biggest villain of all! Some of these stories have the kind of moral ambiguity and atmosphere of corruption that is usually associated with the later American hard-boiled school of detective fiction.

I loved the two stories by Arthur Morrison, The Case of Laker, Absconded and The Affair of 'The Avalanche Bicycle and Tyre Co. Ltd'. Clifford Ashdown's The Assyrian Rejuvenator is another highly entertaining little story involving patent medicines and miracle cures. There are two female writers represented in this collection, and their stories are exceptionally good. L. T. Meade's Madame Sara is very much in the "incredibly exotic ways to murder people" mode, but very entertaining. There are two stories by Baroness Orczy (better known as the creator of The Scarlet Pimpernel). The Woman in the Big Hat is interesting as a very early example of a story featuring a female detective. The Mysterious Death on the Underground Railway is even more interesting, partly for the oblique way in which the tale is told and partly because the Old Man in the Corner is such an odd detective - he's a student of crime whose interest in crime seems to be confined to working out how crimes were carried out. He seems to have no interest in actually helping the police catch the criminal! For sheer outrageousness you can't go past William le Queux, with his wonderfully overheated and breathless and extremely paranoid story of diabolical plots against the British Empire being hatched by foreign agents, of whom there seem to have been thousands. R. Austin Freeman's The Moabite Cipher is the most Holmesian of the stories, and his detective Dr Thorndyke is the most Holmesian of the detectives. Overall the quality of these stories is extremely high - Holmes had some very worthy rivals!

[Whistler's Mom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Whitman's Sampler of Victorian detectives.

Arthur Conan-Doyle's writing skills were eclipsed by his genius as a publicist for himself and his most famous creation - Sherlock Holmes. He was a big, boisterous man with a larger-than-life personality and a firm grasp of the first rule of success - any publicity is good publicity. When American Robert Barr wrote a thinly-veiled spoof of the Holmes stories, Conan-Doyle was so delighted he befriended the young man and helped him up the ladder.

Many of his contemporaries weren't as talented at self-promotion and their work has been largely forgotten. In 1970, journalist Hugh Greene (brother of novelist Graham Greene) compiled a book of some of the best of those old stories and called it THE RIVALS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES. Eight of the thirteen stories in that book were the same as the ones in this namesake offering. The BBC ran a series of dramatizations and this book was a "tie-in" to that series.

If you cut your teeth on Sherlock Holmes, you're almost certain to find some of these writers to your liking. And (thanks to the miracle of epublishing) you can read more stories by the same author. Arthur Morrison created two detectives - the slimy, but fascinating Horace Dorrington and the quiet, jovial Martin Hewitt. I love both of them and have enjoyed the compilations of the stories about their cases. R. Austin Freeman's erudite Dr. Thorndyke put forensics on the map, but his sly scam artist Romney Pringle is my favorite. If you don't love Romney Pringle, there's something wrong with you.

Baroness Orczy's Lady Molly stories are NOT my cup of tea. (The more eccentric Loveday Brooke is my favorite Victorian lady detective.) I've grown very fond of Ernest Bramah's blind detective Max Carrados and was thrilled when all the stories that feature him became available in a Kindle edition. But if you become infatuated with Guy Boothby's ingenious, light-fingered Simon Carne, you're out of luck. As near as I can tell, Boothby wrote only two stories about this enterprising "gentleman thief" and both are included in this book.

As you can see, my original "Rivals" started me on a path that has led to many hours of pleasure. I hope this book does the same for you.

[Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice little sampler of detective fiction from the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, this one lives up to the title superbly. A handful of once-famous authors featured here reveal the scope of the genre, from gender-twist Holmesian characters to those of dubious morals who don't mind using crime-solving as a way to make some quick cash.

Max Pemberton's THE RIPENING RUBIES kicks things off with a high society ball and the hunt for a notorious jewel thief, culminating in an effective set piece quite remarkably. Next up is Arthur Morrison's THE CASE OF LAKER, ABSCONDED, which introduces insurance investigator Martin Hewitt in a tight and engaging little case. Morrison returns for THE AFFAIR OF THE 'AVALANCHE BICYCLE AND TYRE CO., LTD' featuring the unscrupulous Doddington, although this is something of a minor story, although worth a look because it's so different.

THE DUCHESS OF WILTSHIRE'S DIAMONDS sees Guy Boothby showcasing another loose-moralled character, and despite the intricacy of the plot I found it a rather minor effort, although still fun. But the anthology starts to get really interesting with the presence no lo less than three excellent tales from the prolific R. Austin Freeman, the first two written under his Clifford Ashdown pseudonym. THE ASSYRIAN REJUVENATOR sees Romney Pringle as another unscrupulous fellow, with the important point that he's intensely likeable with it; the story is a joy to read as a result. Pringle returns for THE SUBMARINE BOAT, and it's an adventure even more enjoyable than the one previous. THE MOABITE CIPHER is an adventure for the scientifically-minded Dr Thorndyke, and it's another near-perfect story that makes me eager to read more from this author.

MADAME SARA, by L.T. Meade and Robert Eustace, is my favourite story featured here. It's the introduction to a six-part story series released as THE SORCERESS OF THE STRAND, and it features no less than two thoughtful, intrepid heroes and a very well-written master villainness. THE SECRET OF THE FOX HUNTER is a typical story from spy-minded William Le Queux, and very clever at tying together big, international plots with localised murder mystery action. Baroness Orczy features twice here; THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILWAY is a fun little puzzle for the Old Man in the Corner, while THE WOMAN IN THE BIG HAT sees Lady Molly handling a straightforward case. The last two stories are very novel: William Hope Hodgson's THE HORSE OF THE INVISIBLE sees psychic sleuth Carnacki tangling with a powerful apparition in an action-packed narrative, while Ernest Bramah's THE GAME PLAYED IN THE DARK sees blind detective Max Carrados tackling a gang of international criminals.

The best thing about all this? The anthology was so popular – a television series even followed – that Greene edited a number of sequels, and I'll be sure to check them out.

[Adelais · Rating 4 out of 5]

Дуже гарний збірничок детективних історій часів Конан Дойла про сищиків та шахраїв від менш знаних сучасників.
The Case of Ripening Rubies: ходити на світські прийоми стало страшно, бо коштовності так і крадуть. Довелося втручатися ювелірові прямо на танцях, бо хто як не він і взагалі не вперше. ЦІкаво, що тоді на балах хто тільки не вештався (чи то авторським припущенням).
The Case of Laker, Absconded: втік якось банківський клерк з грошима, але у справу втручається агент страхової компанії, і все виявляється не так просто.
The Duchess of Wiltshire's Diamonds: безсмертний сюжет про рекламу, пил в очі і як викрасти діаманти, прикидаючись ніжним аристократом з слугами-індусами. Колись вже читала, але все одно цікаво.
The Avalanche Tyre and Bycicle Company: як два шахрая знайшли одне одного на оборудці з велосипедами (і трохи побилися, як годиться).
The Assyrian Rejuvenator: ще одна оповідка з серії "яке їхало, таке й здибало". Як один шахрай викрив другого, що торгував молодильними аромалампами (задовго до онлайн-магазинів), трішки нажився і здав у поліцію на взаємне задоволення всіх з собою включно.
Madame Sara: про те, як небезпечно ходити до косметолога, якщо ти багата спадкоємиця. Але видно, що це оповідь з цілої збірки, в ній виглядало б цікавіше.
The Submarine Boat: навіть шахраї бувають патріотами, особливо коли можна заробити грошей на французах. І взнала нове слово airtights - американський варіант для консерв.
The Secret of the Fox Hunter: шпигуни так і бігають між Великою Британією, Німеччиною і Росією, бо треба вкрасти секретний документ, який вже кілька разів то зникав, то десь захований лежить. Пафосу забагато, але Шліссельбург пишуть правильно.
The Mysterious Murder at the Underground Railway: метро - не зло, але вбивства там теж трапляються. І якщо молоду жінку вбили нібито через ревнощі, то насправді шукайте гроші.
The Moabite Cypher: всі думали, що то російські анархісти, а виявилися звичайні злодюжки з такою-сякою освітою, які вміють шифрувати і шифруватися.
The Woman in the Big Hat: якщо зійдуться розкішна майбутня співачка з континенту і ніжна англійська трояндочка, хто кого заламає? Відповідь трошки очевидна, а ще тут є леді Моллі з Скотленд-Ярду.
The Horse of the Invisible: це з детективом Карнакі, який спеціалізується на надприродному. Так собі, про старе прокляття з конякою і його використання у корисливих цілях, але частину не пояснено ані туди, ані сюди.
The Game Played in the Dark: досить звичайна історія з пригод Макса Каррадоса, сліпого детектива, і як він всіх перехитрив, але неможливо не зацінити, як автор вихваляється іншими заекранними справами.
Then look at that jade fylfot charm pawned for one-and-three down at the Basin and the use that could have been made of it in the Kharkov ‘ritual murder’ trial. А fylfot, як підказує гугл, це стара назва свастики.

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

The time frame of Sherlock Holmes debut into the arena of literature is an interesting one, and the writers here do reflect some influence of this style though some have broken through to have a distinctive enough style on their own. The differences are that some embraced the “Raffles” - following the evil doer more than the detective. Some have a much more plodding beginning before plunging into the story, but once I was half way in the second half felt the stories were much more developed and very intriguing. The ending story of Max Carrados (the blind detective) had one of the best ending twists.

Always nice to see writing from a period of time that was just an interesting as the one author that has become synonymous for the period and genre.

If you like this period you should also check out and try to find stories by Andrew Spiller. (He’s not in this collection, but certainly is of this period.)

[Andrew G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume, along with a similar (larger, yet more haphazardly chosen) collection edited by Alan K. Russell (with the same title) gives a wonderful overview of the golden age of detective fiction. Although that term is usually taken to refer, at least in British detective fiction, to the period between World Wars, when country house parties were reinvented by Bright Young Things and writers such as Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy Sayers, and Agatha Christie made their debuts, I believe it is a misnomer: my own belief is that this was not a golden age but rather a Renaissance--the literal rebirth of a genre that had foundered upon the rocks of World War I.

The true golden age of detective fiction, I think, began with Poe's M. Dupin, and ended with the Conan Doyle story "His Last Bow." It seems no coincidence to me that one of the final Holmes stories is set in the overcast summer of 1914, while Agatha Christie's first novel, the thriller-like "Secret Adversary", concerns the adventures of two freshly-discharged veterans (Tommy, a soldier and Tuppence a nurse).

For those who do not believe me, read "His Last Bow" and see if the elegiac scene of Holmes and Watson upon a terrace does not seem, in many ways, a goodbye to a world that can be dealt with the purely rational terms of a Holmes or Hewitt or Thorndyke. "There's an east wind coming, Watson," says Holmes. "...such a wind as never blew on England yet. It will be cold and bitter, Watson, and a good many of us may wither before its blast."

As Vincent Starrett wrote, in an essay about why it is Holmes appeals to us...
"We love the times in which he lived, of course: the half-remembered, half-forgotten times of snug Victorian illusion, of gaslit comfort and contentment, of perfect dignity and grace. The world was poised precariously in balance, and rude disturbances were coming with the years; but those who moved upon the scene were very sure that all was well: that nothing ever would be any worse nor ever could be any better. There was no threat to righteousness and justice and the cause of peace on earth except from such as Moriarty and the lesser villains in his train. The cycle of events had come full turn, and the times were ripe for living--and for being lost. It is because their loss was suffered before they had been fully lived that they are times to which our hearts and longings cling.
And we love the place in which the master moved and had his being: the England of those times, fat with the fruits of her achievements, but strong and daring still with the spirit of imperial adventure. The seas were pounding, then as now, upon her coasts; the winds swept in across the moors, and fog came down on London. It was a stout and pleasant land, full of the flavor of the age; and it is small wonder that we who claim it in our thoughts should look to Baker Street as its epitome. For there the cabs rolled up before a certain door, and hurried steps were heard upon the stair, and England and her times had rendezvous within a hallowed room, at once familiar and mysterious…"

For those who long to return to such a room, if only for an hour, I highly recommend this collection--as well as its eponymous cousin edited by Alan Russell. Some stories are better than others, of course--the John Thorndyke and Romney Pringle tales are equal to some of Conan Doyle's--but all are full of the flavor of the era.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting selection of stories written during what I'm going to call the fin de siecle featuring Detectives of various types: from the blatant Sherlock Holmes rip-off, through the corrupt, the occult, the blind and even - shock, horror - the female.

It's a mixed bag in terms of quality for me. Some of the stories are shruggable nonsense but there's a few - The Horse of the Invisible featuring the occult investigator Carnacki springs to mind - that are genuinely fascinating. Written by William Hope Hodgson this was strange enough and well-written enough to encourage me to get 'Carnacki: The Ghost Finder' for my Kindle (as it is free being out of copyright.)

And it was interesting to discover that Baroness Orczy, who I only knew as the author of the Scarlett Pimpernel, also does a fine line in detective stories. Her stories I think are the best written, although I saw the solution to 'The Woman in the Big Hat' coming from quite a distance.

I also particularly enjoyed 'The Duchess of Wiltshire's Diamonds' by Guy Boothby and 'The Affair of the Avalanche Bicycle and Tire Co. Ltd.' by Arthur Morrison about which I won't go into detail because it would spoil by of them.

The introduction by Hugh Greene, who edited the collection, is also worth a read as it outlines a little about the writer's whose stories are included in the collection (about some of whom little is known indeed.)

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmes was not the only detective at work in late Victorian England. Others, some honest, some untrustworthy, all highly capable, were at work all over England. This book contains short stories featuring several of those sleuths.

I always enjoyed Agatha Christie's book Partners in Crime. Tommy and Tuppence Beresford set up a small detective agency in the hopes of tracking down a master criminal. In part of the book, they decide to emulate some other fictional detectives. I remember reading the book and wondering who they were talking sometimes. This little collection features a few of the people they copied.

Lady Molly of Scotland Yard, as she is called, although there is no official title given, is the only woman in the book. Her case, I thought, was a rather easy one. The rest of the sleuths include the Old Man in the Corner with his piece of string, Dr. Thorndike, Romney Pringle - one of the few to appear twice in the book, Duckworth Drew of the Secret Service, and several others. Some I had never heard of before, but a few of the stories, like the one with Martin Hewett chasing down a missing bank clerk and some stolen cash, I had read before. I enjoyed all the stories. The editor picked out a great variety and I would love to read another such collection. Recommended for fans of historical mysteries, espionage, or the short story.

[Simon Dobson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An eclectic collection of detective fiction largely contemporary with Holmes' exploits. It's a mixed bag, featuring both well-known and now-forgotten authors, and it's easy to see the selection process at work: the stories of William Le Queux and Baroness Orczy stand out (in completely different ways) for their skilled construction.

[Sylvain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Le titre est un peu trompeur car on pourrait penser qu'il s'agit d'une histoire de Sherlock Holmes. En fait, ce livre est un ramassis de nouvelles dont les personnages ont vu le jour dans les mêmes années que les histoires de Conan Doyle (soit au début du XXe siècle) mais sous la plume de divers auteurs. En lisant ces nouvelles, je retrouvais le même genre d'histoires et d'atmosphères que dans la série télévisée d'animation "Les Exploits d'Arsène Lupin".

[Rozonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good compilation of Victorian detective stories- not all of the detectives always respectful of the law. However, this compilation , in my opinion, has been surpassed by an imitation, Stuart Davies' Shadows of Sherlock Holmes, which shares some choices, but includes more exciting tales and interesting detectives.

[Jessica Geist · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read of mystery authors who were contemporaries with Doyle. Plenty of poison flowed through the pages, and some of the detectives themselves skated even closer to the line of lawlessness than Sherlock Holmes. One of my favorite stories in the collection was "The Affair of the 'Avalanche Bicycle and Tyre. Co. Ltd'"

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Not gonna lie, some of those stories had me feeling like I had stumbled into the universe without a clue what was going on, but that's just the nature of the thing. All of the stories were enjoyable and very clever. I loved the contrast of these stories vs. Sherlock Holmes.

And now I am going to go see how many free books I can get by some of these authors. :D

[Vishal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A difficult one to finish. Some of them are quite lazy affairs, while some quite entertaining. None though with the intelligence one thought a Sherlock Holmes Rival might. Yet, the era of gaslight is truly recreated in these stories. Interestingly, a couple of them have the main protagonists as crooks themselves. Had each of them been a full novel they would definitely be something worthwhile.

[Josephine Waite · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave up on this; pretty terrible short stories loosely gathered together because they concern crime and are written for the same trashy mags that Sherlock Holmes stories were printed in. If you were a writer and you wanted to find out how not to write a suspenseful crime short story, this might be of use.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Late Victorian and Edwardian mystery writers, contemporaries of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, presented as short stories. An historical look at the state of mystery writing at that time and as good as Conan Doyle.

[Jessica Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a collect it is very entertaining and manageable. There were a couple of authors I didn't care for, but it is a large collection. There are plenty of stories to choose from. It introduced me to a few authors I would like to explore further.

[Davidg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable collection of short Crime stories from the Victorian/Edwardian era. But the title is slightly misleading in that there is no character who compares with the great detective or has the atmosphere that Conan Doyle managed to create.

[Dabs · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag--some of these are wonderful, and others are awful.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some fascinating short stories in the spirit of Sherlock holmes. A very enjoyable read, and a good way to meet some new detectives.

[Cindy DeLong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories I enjoyed, but others I had trouble following.

[José Luis Valenciano]

El Sherlock Holmes de sir Arthur Conan Doyle no fue el primer detective de la literatura, ya que el August Dupin de poe y el Lecoq de Gaboriau, por nombrar dos de los más célebres, le precedieron en el tiempo. El gran mérito de Doyle fue inaugurar la edad de oro del género detectivesco y sentar sus cánones. Tras Holmes llegó toda una pléyade de personajes carismáticos y enigmáticos, situados a ambos lados de la ley: Ladrones de guante blanco como Arsenio Lupin (que en una de sus historias se enfrenta a Herlock Sholmes) y el Raffles de Hornung; detectives como el Carnaki de Hodgson, el profesor Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen, alias "la máquina pensante" de Futrelle y tantos otros.
Esta recopilación de Hugh Greene nos trae relatos de contemporaneos de Doyle, incluyendo la propia Baronesa de Orczy, creadora de la Pimpinela escarlata. Se leen con gusto y se puede llegar a palpar el ambiente de las calles de Londres de finales del siglo XIX.

[EmBe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich las diese Anthologie mit Vergnügen. Sherlock Holmes war nicht der einzige Detektiv, der in den Magazinen des 19. Jahrhunderts mit ihren Abentuern, Gaunerstücken und Fällen sich tummelten. Die Detektiv-Geschichten waren ein Genre, das sowohl von Autoren wie Autorinnen gepflegt wurde. Einige der "Rivalen" waren damals sehr bekannt. Interessant an den Geschichten war auch, dass diese Detektive keineswegs nur positive Figuren waren. So wie Arsène Lupin waren auch einige Gauner. Ein lesenswertes Panoptikum der Kriminalistik im viktorianischen Zeitalter, das immer auch einen Einblick in diese Zeit bietet.

[LuAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

In terms of a clever plot, unique characters, atmospheric setting and straightforward yet descriptive style, none of these stories excel in all as do most of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories. In some of these the detective is nearly a nonentity with the focus on the plot. I liked best: “Madam Sara” by LT Meade & Robert Eustace, “The Woman in the Big Hat” Death of the Underground Railway” by Baroness Orczy, and Ernest Bramah’s Max Carrados “The Game Played in the Dark.” By far the most unusual and compelling is “The Game Played in the Dark” by Henry Hope Hodgson. But I see why Sherlock Holmes continues his popularity while these detective and their authors do not.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A total of 40 stories from 16 different authors (some are co-authors, with most being written by a single authors) focusing on other investigators of crime from different positions that would have be literary rivals of Sherlock Holmes. Arthur Conan Doyle and H. G. Wells were the only two I was familiar with before reading these tales. Some stories seemed to be homages and/or pastiches where I saw definite connections to specific short stories of Sherlock Holmes told by his biographer, Dr. John H. Watson.

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 1970, 'The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes' is a small collection of detective short stories originally published over the years 1894-1914. Mercifully, none are blatant attempts to emulate the Holmes stories - whilst there were, I m sure, many such to choose from, the editor has been quite discerning not just in the style of story but has also managed to include amazing writers. Great fun.

[Stephen Burridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my opinion most of these stories aren’t really 4-star fiction, but they are generally fun and interesting thrillers and crime stories. Extra star for the period interest and the evident knowledgeable selection and editing.

[Sarah Gallini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable Holmes style mysteries. I did slightly dislike the fact that there were so many different detectives used because I wasn't able to get attached to them.

[GORDON · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful collection of Victorian Penny Dreadful detective stories, later adapted as a PBS/BBC tv series.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8