The Collected Papers of Sherlock Holmes - Volume 1

by David Marcum

At the age of ten in the mid-1970's, David Marcum discovered Mr. Sherlock Holmes, and from that point, he knew that the original 60 Canonical adventures would never be enough. This, coupled with his life-long desire to write, meant that eventually he would find a way to add new stories to The Great Holmes Tapestry. The years passed, and David collected, read, and chronologicized literally thousands of traditional Canonical Sherlockian pastiches. Then, in 2008, with time on his hands while laid off from his civil engineering job during the Great Recession, David finally found his way to Watson's Tin Dispatch Box, producing The Papers of Sherlock Holmes . These first nine short stories originally sat on a shelf in his Holmes book collection before he eventually decided to share them with others. That first collection was initially published by a small press in 2011, and then in 2013 by the premiere Sherlockian publisher, MX Publishing - and after that, there was no turning back. Since then, in addition to editing over 60 volumes (most of which are Sherlockian anthologies), David has written and published over 80 Sherlockian adventures in a variety of anthologies and magazines. Now these are being collected - along with a few others that haven't been seen before. These first five volumes contain the majority of David's Holmesian stories - so far, with additional adventures to be collected and published as part of this ongoing series in 2022. Join us as we return to Baker Street and discover more authentic adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the man described by the estimable Dr. Watson as " the best and wisest . . . whom I have ever known ." The game is afoot! Volume I - Tales (9 Short Stories and a Novel) The Papers of Sherlock Holmes (9 Short Stories) The Adventure of the Least Winning Woman The Adventure of the Treacherous Tea The Singular Affair at Sissinghurst Castle The Adventure of the Second Chance The Haunting of Sutton House The Adventure of the Missing Missing Link The Affair of The Brother's Request The Adventure of the Madman's Ceremony The Adventure of the Other Brother and Sherlock Holmes and A Quantity of Debt (A Novel)

651 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 8, 2022

Reviews

[Winry Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I might be biased, for I think that without a doubt, David Marcum belongs amongst the best Holmesian authors (or if one prefers: editors of Watson's rediscovered case notes). Some writers just feel right and entering their books is like meeting with dear old friends.

That said, I consider all the stories herein to be exceptionally solid pastiches, that would, in my eyes, be the highlight of a common anthology.

Hic sunt spoilers, possibly:

The Adventure of the Least Winning Woman - 3/5
Quite a peculiar case of still harmless but escalating harassment tied to the client's previous place of employment is brought to Holmes' consideration. What is going on with the London Messenger Service?

The Adventure of the Treacherous Tea - 4/5
A former Yarder is accused of poisoning his new colleague and seeks Holmes' help to clear his name.

The Singular Affair at Sissinghurst Castle - 4/5
American Philo T. Burke insists that a treasure is buried at Sissinghurst "Castle" grounds and goes as far as to vandalise the property. When the pack of journalists he brings there uncovers a suspicious skeleton, Holmes is certain of foul play.

The Adventure of the Second Chance - 3/5
Over the course of several years, Holmes attempts to help two generations of the Morgan family under the influence of Professor Moriarty's criminal organisation.

The Haunting of Sutton House - 5/5
While still out of sorts from the conclusion of their previous case, Holmes and Watson are tasked with accompanying Mr Raymond Thorne to a supposedly haunted house, acting as a voice of reason. Things are not as simple as they seem at first.

The Adventure of the Missing Missing Link - 5/5
Retirement era. Holmes, accompanied by Watson, is called to Oxford to investigate the theft of (an archaeological find). The case takes unexpected turns...
While this one is not particularly thrilling case-wise, the feeling of nostalgia, all those cameos and the worldbuilding of the Great Tapestry of Holmes' and Watson's lives is just... *mwah*

The Affair of The Brother's Request - 3/5
Holmes and Watson, now in their 60s, are visiting America. Waiting for certain matters to conclude, they decide to travel to Tennessee - Watson in an attempt to locate and reconnect with an off-branch of his family, and Holmes to fulfil an old promise. Not much of a case in this one, rather nostalgic.

The Adventure of the Madman's Ceremony - 4/5
Direct continuation of the previous story. While in Tennessee, Holmes and Watson encounter seemingly harmless cultists with nefarious intentions and intervene in their plans.

The Adventure of the Other Brother - 4/5
Holmes is called to investigate a murder for which his brother (not Mycroft, the other brother - the non-canon, speculated upon brother) was arrested. He and Watson team up with Holmes' youngest nephew to get to the bottom of the mystery.
This story connects the Holmesian tapestry with Solar Pons and, excuse me, Nero Wolfe?, as well as several other famous fictional detectives, in a very clever and imaginative way. (Mr. Marcum, now I so sorely need the case mentioned! Kindly deliver?)

Sherlock Holmes and A Quantity of Debt - 4/5
This novel has its own entry, no need to repeat myself.

[Christopher Lutz · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Marcum is a cornerstone of modern Sherlock Holmes publishing. His knowledge and passion for the canon and works building upon it is very nearly unrivaled. He mainly features as an editor, but it’s always a treat when one of his stories appears in a Holmes collection. Having a slew of short stories and a novel together gives readers an overarching narrative in addition to standalone tales as Watson (in Marcum’s interpretation) is mourning the lost of his first wife and reaffirming his role as Holmes’s partner in detection. While I don’t always agree with everything in his personal chronology (I don’t personally believe Watson was married to anyone before Mary Morstan) I know I can always count on David Marcum for an entertaining and well thought out visit to 221B Baker St.

The Adventure of the Other Brother was a treat and recommended to any other fans of Solar Pons.

[Tony Ciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of short stories, comments and even a novel, very enjoyable read and look forward to read more in this series.