Murder in Baker Street: New Tales of Sherlock Holmes

by Martin H. Greenberg (Editor), Jon L. Lellenberg (Editor), Daniel Stashower (Editor)

Ingeniously contrived and shrewdly executed by some of the finest talents at work in crime fiction today, the stories in this premier volume celebrate the keen mind and singular manners of the Great Detective, Sherlock Holmes.

Contents:
Introduction - Daniel Stashower
The Man from Capetown - Stuart M. Kaminsky
The Case of the Borderland Dandelions - Howard Engel
The Siren of Sennen Cove - Peter Tremayne
The Case of the Bloodless Sock - Anne Perry
The Adventure of the Anonymous Author - Edward D. Hoch
The Case of the Vampire's Mark - Bill Crider
A Hansom for Mr. Holmes - Gillian Linscott
The Adventure of the Arabian Knight - Loren D. Estleman
The Adventure of the Cheshire Cheese - Jon L. Breen
Darkest Gold - L.B. Greenwood
The Remarkable Worm - Carolyn Wheat
Sidelights on Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
100 Years of Sherlock Holmes - Lloyd Rose
And now, a word from Arthur Conan Doyle - Jon L. Lellenberg

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Crime, Historical Fiction, Classics

277 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Martin Harry Greenberg was an American academic and speculative fiction anthologist. In all, he compiled 1,298 anthologies and commissioned over 8,200 original short stories. He founded Tekno Books, a packager of more than 2000 published books. In addition, he was a co-founder of the Sci-Fi Channel.

For the 1950s anthologist and publisher of Gnome Press, see Martin Greenberg.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of Sherlock Holmes stories from some well known writers. These are all pretty good stories. There are a couple of nonfiction pieces that are pretty good too.

Recommended for the Holmes fan.

[Gram · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mixed bag of Sherlock Holmes' pastiches, featuring some big name crime writers. Some are sharp and fresh, but others are far too long winded, as if the author is trying to recreate the writing style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle rather than tell a story.

[Ｆｒａｎｋｈ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The moment seemed to sum up my extraordinary friendship with Sherlock Holmes. Together, we had stood in many a drawing-room, many a library, and in our own rooms in Baker Street, examining evidence, discussing the significance of trifles, sifting through the debris of shattered lives, searching for truth and justice."

Continuing with my second anthology to read, relish and review for Sherlock Holmes' Birthday Month is Murder in Baker Street edited by Martin H. Greenberg., Jon L. Lettenberg and Daniel Stashower. This collection is composed of eleven compact tales of hard-boiled cases that are conventionally delivered in the typical Doyle-esque Victorian classic narrative which works to a certain extent in the seven stories that I favored the most. I was fresh from the heels of the first anthology I read ( Twenty-Two Hundred Baker Streets ) so I think comparing and contrasting these volumes has been unavoidable. It's truly an apples-and-oranges scenario, however.

While Twenty-Two Hundred was a volume that focuses more on alternate-universe scenarios and speculative fiction, the stories in Murder in Baker Street are all set in the established canon timelines with a few tweaks where Holmes and Watson were able to meet certain real-life figures (such as Bram Stoker) or become privy to witness the effects of inventions that they were never able to be acquainted with in Doyle's original stories.

In the editors' introduction, they specifically stated that they wanted their collection to stay true to the essence of Arthur Conan Doyle's characterization and formulaic writing and if you're like me who will always prefer the canon over anything else (including visual adaptations; however, Elementary to me is the closest one that captured the partnership of Holmes and Watson and the sheer attention to detail and procedural investigation that Doyle have employed whenever Holmes unravels a case) then this volume will please you if it's strictly based in a purist's perspective.

The authors who contributed their stories have certainly made a stellar effort to incorporate the exceptional elements that made Doyle's Sherlock Holmes timeless and critically-acclaimed in the first place, including the atmospheric grime and smog of London with all its horrors and wonders.

Each tale is self-contained as most of Doyle's short stories tend to be where a seemingly mundane or inexplicable problem at hand is brought by a client (who may be a victim, perpetrator or both) to 221b Baker Street where the world's only consulting detective and loyal bibliographer and friend reside. There the investigation starts which breathlessly or sometimes patiently unfolds until we get to the part where a twist or a solution is revealed that could either be very shocking or rather simple yet elegantly detailed and satisfying nonetheless.

Out of the eleven stories, I enjoyed seven the most. These are (1) The Man from Capetown by Stuart M. Kaminsky, the first story that establishes the setting and tone of the entire anthology; (2) The Siren of Sennen Cove by Peter Tremayne where a religious man visited Holmes after the detective's retirement to solve the mystery behind a series of shrunken ships in the coast; a very whimsical Moriarty story called (3)The Case of the Bloodless Sock by Anne Perry; (4) A Hansom for Mr. Holmes by Gillan Linscot that is narrated by another character, a modest cabbie who wanted nothing to do with Sherlock Holmes until he gets caught up in an assassination attempt; the very straightforward yet amusing puzzle-story (5) The Adventure of the Chesire Cheese by Jon L. Breen; (6) Darkest Gold by L.B Greenwood which had Watson trying to fool Holmes with a disguise as he follows his friend to a rather dangerous scheme involving a married couple and an ethnic tribe; and, finally, (7) The Remarkable Worm by Carolyn Wheat where Holmes and Watson get commissioned for their very own wax figures to be displayed in the London Museum yet they somehow ended up stumbling upon a terrible family affair. These were charming stories that hit me with nostalgia the strongest.

This anthology will be better appreciated if you've enjoyed the Doyle canon itself since the style and linguistics of the stories here are more conventional and in line with how the original author has written Holmes and Watson as well as the cases they solve. An enjoyable read, overall.

RECOMMENDED: 8/10

[Jane Cairns]

Great anthology of short stories about Sherlock Holmes - written by modern-day mystery writers such as Anne Perry, Loren Estleman and Edward D. Hoch. Loved this one.

[Erth · Rating 5 out of 5]

now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.

The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.

i would highly recommend this author and this book.

[Serena Strouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Choose this book because I needed a book with "murder" or "kill" in the title. I have never read Sherlock Holmes books but I have watched a few TV shows based off of the detective. I enjoyed reading short stories based off him and it was nice not having a large book for once. I love how he figures things out and this may have opened myself up to reading more books about him. 4/5 stars, no spice.

[Kayt O'Bibliophile · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll start by summarizing everything I'm about to say: only read this book if you are absolutely desperate for some apocryphal Sherlock Holmes. These stories are to Holmes what a twig is to a cane. They may share some qualities, but there's not much use for the former.

Now, granted, it's a collection and so some are better than others. Several stories were actually pleasant. The Case of the Borderline Dandelions, The Siren of Sennen Cove, and The Remarkable Worm were all okay, without too much of the "this isn't Holmes or Watson" feel you'll get from many other stories in this book.

The one standout story was A Hansom for Mr. Holmes by Gillian Linscott. It was the only story, out of eleven, that was not told from Dr. Watson's point of view. (It focused on a cab-driver, and between the fresh perspective and good writing, this one stood out from the other stories.

While the rest of the stories, then were terribly, horribly mediocre, there was also a standout at the other end of the spectrum. L. B. Greenwood's Darkest Gold was absolutely the worst story of the lot. Watson and Holmes barely felt like their true counterparts, the story was choppy, and in the end Holmes wasn't needed.

The story completely focused on and was solved by non-Holmesian characters. I got the impression that Greenwood wrote a short story (that wasn't good anyway) and then threw Watson and Holmes in there, making it even worse.

To add insult to injury, at the end of the book some writing with excerpts from actual Holmes stories, studying the character. Reading that, it's painfully obvious to see how the stories in this book often didn't grasp the detective and were just plain bad.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has many stories in it about cases that Sherlock Holmes and his colleague, Dr. Watson, solved. They ranged from finding something that was missing to solving a murder case that was presumed natural. My favorite one was when they had to find a murderer at a residence. She used a wax head to help in unfolding her plan.

I like the book a lot. There are many stories to choose from. It is hard to solve the case, though, because Holmes doesn't need much time to find what he is looking for. They are really good stories.

I think that everyone should read these stories. It gives a sense of suspense when trying to solve it in such a short time. The stories kept me guessing which they would to everyone else who read these wonderful tales from Dr. Watson. Get this book; you'll love it.

[Erik Deckers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mix of stories, including a couple by some favorite short story authors. All were worthy of inclusion and didn't stray too far from Doyle's detective in language, style, or believability.

[Chuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of passable Sherlock Holmes stories. The Anne Perry and Gillian Linscott stories are probably the best. The weakest is the L. B. Greenwood story--a strange tale about traveling through the jungle looking for Pygmies while a couple work out their marital problems. Holmes and Watson are along for the ride, and Watson narrates, but they don't really have anything to do with story.

[krin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this collection of short stories featuring Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, especially the ones "The Siren of Sennen Cove" and "A Hansom for Mr. Holmes". I also liked the essay "100 Years of Sherlock Holmes" which looked at how the Holmes character has been portrayed over the years on stage and film.

[Esther · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short stories by well known authors recreating Sherlock Holmes. Most of the stories stay close to the original character with new plots. Enjoyable reading. In particular I enjoyed "The man from capetown", "The case of the bloodless sock", "The adventure of the Cheshire Cheese", and "Darkest Gold".

[Sharonbrown3158 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a sucker for anything Holmes!!! I love all these stories. The Case of the Vampire's Mark was my favorite.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not great but the short stories grew on me as I went and made me want to read Sherlock Holmes again. It's been a loong time.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holmesian short stories by modern authors

[Armanda Moncton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many excellent stories in the style of Conan Doyle, with three essays also, two of which are by the master himself.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to enjoy this more but some of the stories were just so... cheesy.

[Nick Marturano · Rating 4 out of 5]

The realistic fictional mystery book titled Murder in Baker Street, is a book with multiple mystery stories in one book. The book was edited by Martin Greenberg, Jon Lellenberg, and Daniel Stashower, yet has a bundle of completely different authors that wrote each of the stories inside. Each story may be a different mystery, but they all exhibit the same idea. Every story proves how clever Sherlock Holmes is, because of what little details he picks up on to use as clues in cases that other people just do not see. With this being said, every short mystery inside the book has multiple different characters, depending on each story. However, every story includes the lead detective Sherlock Holmes, and his partner Dr. Watson. Every story is told from Watson's point of view, so the reader never knows what Holmes is thinking about when he is at a crime scene, until he tells or shows Watson what he is thinking. Each mystery seems to start at a different place and time, however they all seem to start when a person comes to them asking for help on a potential crime. This could be a missing person case, like The Case of the Bloodless Sock, or someone coming to Holmes saying they think that they may be murdered today, like in The Man from Capetown. Whatever the case seems to be, lead detective Holmes and his assistant Watson are always willing to help crack the case.
In my opinion, the theme of the book is looking for the deeper meaning behind your surroundings and anything that sparks your interest, as Holmes does when he is looking for clues. Holmes uses what he already knows in cases, to find further evidence that may lead to a solution for the case, which is the reasoning behind this claim. As an example of these actions, in the story The Case of the Bloodless, Holmes finds what appears to be a dead end lead, when they figure out that the child was supposed to have been brought to this empty stable they were at. However, Holmes didn't leave without searching, and he found a child's sock hidden in the hay, meaning that the child was there. Out of all the mysteries inside the book, this was the one that best represented the theme in my opinion. There were multiple other examples just like the sock one in this story, that all included Holmes searching for more clues at every new lead in the case that they got. From Watson's point of view, it just looked like he was searching for some junk object, however it was always surprising how much information Holmes pulled out from finding items such as a sock in a stable. When the reader is reading about the cleverness of Holmes every move, and how everything he does has a certain purpose, makes this reading more enjoyable. The authors were also able to add on to the mysterious part of the mysteries, because they were all excellent at building suspense before a huge clue was found, or using a very deep or serious tone before revealing a plot twist. Considering all of these factors of the book, in my personal opinion, this book is a must read for any readers who enjoy mysteries, or plot twist endings to end a story.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is certainly not the worst pastiche collection I've read, but it still leaves much to be desired. Even the stories I liked had problems and none can hold a candle to the Canon.

In a lot of the stories, I found that the resolutions weren't clear or didn't explain everything. In one story Holmes actually asks the bad guy to simply leave and there's no indication of any charges being brought up on him. In another, the crime was solved but the story ended before catching the bad guy. And the first story feels like it started and ended in the middle of a longer story.

While the editors claim that they are devoted to issuing a high level of story-telling, there are quite a few grammatical errors throughout the book and several of the stories contradict each other. For example, in one story Holmes gets onto a client for not believing in the supernatural and in another story, Holmes scoffs at a man who believes in the supernatural.

A couple of the stories bothered me with their more adult themes (such as the naked siren, Watson's scantily clad admirer and one client being the author of the Kama Sutra). There are no stories in the Canon that I would not want my children to read, but these storylines are ones I would certainly avoid.

Overall like I said, these are not bad pastiches. If you're not as strict with your pastiches sticking to the Canon as I am, then you will most certainly enjoy this collection. There are quite a few interesting cases that I expected to and should have loved (such a Hansom for Mr Holmes, the Case of the Vampire's Mark, the Remarkable Worm, the Case of the Bloodless Sock and the Case of the Borderland Dandelions) but poor plots, poor writing and/or poor execution left me wanting.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The rating is higher more for the two essays at the end, which were the anthology's strongest pieces. The first few stories were poorly written and worse, poorly edited! I should preface this review by stating that I never read any of the original Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes stories, and that I've mainly come to this book out of interest for the BBC Sherlock tv show, which I love and enjoy. So that said, I'm not sure if some of these stories were imitiating the original stories, which prehaps lacked in more thorough punctuation, or if the editing of this anthology was just that bad. Misuse (or absense) of commas irritates me, and thus, the first story was very irritating for that reason, mostly. After reading the first two stories, I seriously considered putting the book down for good, since they were fairly unremarkable (besides the comma misuse) and bored me. They also made me wonder if, in the original Sherlock Holmes stories, Holmes is presented as a smart-ass who doesn't do much detective work and just shows up at the end to make a "stunning deduction" and out the criminal.

The third story, however, was decent and kept me reading the rest of the book. It's called "The Siren of Sennen Cove" by Peter Tremayne. There's a "ghost" involved, and an actual mystery which is investigated, so when it came time to make the "stunning deduction" and out the criminal, there was actual thought and intellect put into the evidence. I was impressed. The other stories I enjoyed:

"The Case of the Bloodless Sock" by Anne Perry, a Moriarty story (though he's not ever seen), has some good suspense;

"A Hansom For Holmes" by Gillian Linscott, the only story in the collection not narrator by Watson, but by a hansom cabbie: this one was fun to read, and very humorous as well;

"The Adventure of the Arabian Knight" by Loren D. Estleman, well-written with a well-told mystery, with good descriptions and believable characters, and with an ironic epilogue;

"The Adventure of the Cheshire Cheese" by Jon L. Breen, a story with a twist that proves just how good Sherlock Holmes really is;

"Darkest Gold" by L.B. Greenwood, which seemed to be tiresome at first but actually had a well-deserved, well-earned ending, and got better after disguises were shed;

"The Remarkable Worm" by Carolyn Wheat, one of the best well-written stories of the collection, which has an "A" story and a "B" story which dovetail nicely to make for a good conclusion to the mystery.

As mentioned, the last two are essays (actually, there's a third essay which I didn't read the whole of because my eyes were glazing over; it's called "And Now, A Word From Arthur Conan Doyle" by Jon L. Lellenberg. It's basically a summary of all the new words Doyle coined, or that were coined because of Sherlock Holmes, or what words took on new meanings because of Doyle, or Sherlock, and what was included in either the Oxford English Dictionary, or one of its many Supplements. But after its intro, I wasn't interested in reading the essay.) are reason alone to get and this book.

The first essay is by Arthur Conan Doyle himself, called "Sidelights on Sherlock Holmes". Conan Doyle spends time talking about his "most notorious character" mostly in terms of stage plays, what he wrote to be adapted for the stage, and what his relationship was with some of the actors who portrayed Sherlock on stage. He mentions his friendship with J.M. Barrie, who presented him with a short Sherlock parody following the disaster (and complete failure) of a play they'd co-written. Doyle also discusses the look of his Sherlock versus the look given by an illustrator, Sidney Paget, who had based the Holmes model on his brother Walter, who was more handsome that Doyle originally intended Sherlock to be. He also talks about the films (of the 40s, I'm guessing), of which his "only criticism is that they introduce telephones, motor cars and othe luxuries of which the Victorian Holmes never dreamed." What an interesting insight, which is just one among many in this great essay.

The second essay, "100 Years of Sherlock Holmes" by Lloyd Rose, I at first thought was another short story, but is instead a lengthy rumination on all of the actors who played Sherlock in the different movie versions (of the 40s). I found it very informative, and fascinating, so much so that I took the author's notions to heart when I went to the library and borrowed some of these old films. In summary, Jeremy Brett plays Sherlock as a strung-out coke addict, laughing too loudly at all the wrong moments. Basil Rathbone, his appearance based strong on Sidney Paget's illustrations, is one of the most lasting impressions of what Sherlock looks like and behaves like. Though, the author states, Rathbone's films were set during WWII and feature Holmes "fighting Nazis" and have little to do with the stories Conan Doyle wrote. Rathbone's films are also melodramas which feature Holmes constantly in some kind of physical danger or peril, and also portray Watson as, according the author, "obtuse", and in my own description, a stupid old man who's only purpose is comic relief, perhaps. (I borrowed all of the Basil Rathbones I could find; the creators of the BBC Sherlock always mention that the version Basil Rathbone portrayed stuck with them the most as they re-created Sherlock for a modern age.)

A few other actors are mentioned by the author who calls each performance one that "fell flat"—from "a fool", "a smug bully", "a bisexual" and "a soft-hearted liberal"—all attempts that "were beside the point", since these are outside of the realm of which Doyle created for Sherlock. The author says: "The actors invovled don't seem to *get* it. As a character, Holmes is very precisely defined; an actor approaching the role plays it successfully only if he plays by Conan Doyles' rules."

So, overall, I was impressed by the aforementioned works, and I highly encourage fans of the original Sherlock Holmes—or any more modern counterpart—to check out this collection.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes nothing else will do. I have to once more travel fog-shrouded streets, to enjoy the company of the world's first (and foremost) consulting detective, Mr Sherlock Holmes, and his ardent biographer, Dr John Watson. Murder in Baker Street features the work of various talented writers, such as Loren Estleman, Anne Perry, Edward D Hoch, Stuart Kaminsky, and the late and lamented Bill Crider. The Crider story is a good one as it features an auspicious meeting of Holmes and Bram Stoker, and Estleman's tale of Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton's encounter with Holmes is also a joy. (For a variety of reasons Burton remains a source of fascination to me to this day.) The stand out story, however, was The Adventure of the Cheshire Cheese by Jon Breen, which packs a lot of fun and wit into ten pages. One of the characters in this story uses a literary device I myself have used (though admittedly with much less success.) This was an lively anthology.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable anthology of Holmesian stories by various different authors. As with any collection like this some tales are more interesting or engaging than others. Some drew on emergent technologies of the day, like the Siren of Sennan Cove (a difficult thing to do, given that the reader is easily able to deduce the crime by having the advantage over the sleuth). The Case of the Vampire's Mark followed the pattern of much Holmesian pastiche by linking in other great figures of the day, in this instance Bram Stoker, with a rather enjoyable variation on the Sussex Vampire.
My favourite was A Hansom for Mr Holmes largely because the author (Gillian Linscott) captured the voice of the cab driver and his jaded view of the Great Detective who was clearly more burden than benefit.
Definitely worth a read for any Holmes fans. Maybe a bit too self-referential for any people unused to Doyle's work (read the original before trying the tributes).

[Outlander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Swithered on the star rating, it was almost a 2 star. Not a bad effort but not up to Canon standard - as if ! 11 short stories and 4 essays. I have the usual bones to pick regarding spelling of whisky (not whiskey) and the difference between fog (mist, being white and having no smell or taste) and smog (being yellow, having a definite taste and a suffocating smell) so two entirely different things but invariably confused with spurious descriptions by authors. Burke and Hare were not grave robbers but murders (aside from the first which was a natural death) all bodies were sold to the University for medical research. Hare gave evidence against Burke and was released but Burke was hanged, used for dissection classes then his skeleton was and still is on show in Edinburgh, there are other gruesome artifacts.

[M. L. Valard · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

As with most anthologies some were better than others, or at least appealed to me more. There weren't any I outright hated, though some of them felt 'less authentic' (for whatever your value of that) than others. "The Case of the Vampire's Mark" by Bill Crider was fun and I enjoyed "A Hansom for Mr. Holmes" by Gillian Linscott partially by virtue of it not being written from Watson's point of view but instead of from that of a bit side character. Overall, though they were all interesting enough and it was an enjoyable anthology to pop my head into from time to time.

[DaShannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a Sherlock fan in the I've watched the movies and BBC series fan. I have read some short stories and listened to some audios. This was slow and enjoyable but not a favorite. As with most short story collections there are some good ones and some not so good ones. I do love the concept of taking a beloved character and letting other authors/artists continue his stories.

[Saklani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good collection of Sherlock pastiches, which I always enjoy reading. There are also a few vignettes about the character and his creator. The last piece, about the words coined by Doyle or emerging from there Sherlockian canon is particularly fun and illuminating.

Definitely something enjoyable for the Sherlock fan.

[Stacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the stories added to the Sherlock "world" by all these authors. They fit so well with the originals, style wise. Big fan! What I wasn't a big fan of were the couple at the end that were a note by Arthur Doyle and the very last section about the specific verbiage Doyle had used in the orginal, SNORE FEST. All around a decent read I picked up at the $1/bag library book sale, HAHA.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The quality of the stories varied a bit by author, but I thought in general they were pretty well done. I'm not sure how involved the editor was, but I was surprised to find that they generally shared similar "voice" and word choices. Overall it was a fun collection to read through.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Numerous entries in the style of Conan Doyle's short stories about the adventures of the world's first consulting detective. One entry from Conan Doyle himself.

My favorite was A HANSOM FOR MR. HOLMES told from the perspective of that cabby.

[Cris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most anthologies the collection is uneven, but overall more stories hit the mark than missed.