Echoes of Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon

by Laurie R. King (Editor), Leslie S. Klinger (Editor)

Overview

In a stunning follow-up to the acclaimed In the Company of Sherlock Holmes, Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger present a brand-new anthology of stories inspired by the Arthur Conan Doyle canon.

Echoes of Sherlock Holmes puts forth the question: What happens when great writers/creators who are not known as Sherlock Holmes devotees admit to being inspired by Conan Doyle stories? While some of these talented authors are highly-regarded mystery writers, others are best known for their work in the fields of fantasy or science fiction. All of them, however, share a great admiration for Arthur Conan Doyle and his greatest creations, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

Some stories tell of Holmes himself (in Victorian Baker Street or modern New York, in various guises or a different gender), while others explore various Conan Doyle characters.

Although not a formal collection of new Holmes stories (though some do fit that mold), these tales are inspired by the Conan Doyle canon. The results are breathtaking—for long-time fans of Holmes and Watson, for readers new to Doyle’s writing, and for all readers who love exceptional storytelling. Featuring stories by Tasha Alexander, Cory Doctorow, Hallie Ephron, Meg Gardiner, William Kent Krueger, Jonathan Maberry, Catriona McPherson, David Morrell, Anne Perry, Hank Phillippi Ryan, and more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681772257
Publisher:	Pegasus Books
Publication date:	10/04/2016
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	1,073,082
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Laurie R. King is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous books, including the Mary Russell-Sherlock Holmes stories. She has won or been nominated for a multitude of prizes, has been chosen as the guest of honor at several crime conventions, and is probably the only writer to have both an Edgar Award and an honorary doctorate in theology. She was inducted into the Baker Street Irregulars in 2010.

Leslie S. Klinger is the editor of the highly-acclaimed The New Annotated Dracula; The New Annotated Frankenstein; and the two-volume The New Annotated H. P. Lovecraft, as well as the anthologies In the Shadow of Dracula and In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe. Together with Lisa Morton, he’s also edited the anthologies Ghost Stories and Weird Women, both with extensive selections of Victorian horror. He lives in Malibu.

Table of Contents

Introduction Laurie R. King Leslie S. Klinger ii

Holmes on the Range John Connolly 1

Irregular Meg Gardiner 29

Where There Is Honey Dana Cameron 45

Before A Bohemian Scandal Tasha Alexander 79

The Spiritualist David Morrell 91

Mrs. Hudson Investigates Tony Lee Bevis Mussan 109

The Adventure of the Dancing Women Hank Phillippi Ryan 119

Raffa Anne Perry 149

The Crown Jewel Affair Michael Scott 171

Understudy in Scarlet Hallie Ephron 203

Martin X Gary Phillips 221

The Painted Smile William Kent Krueger 241

The First Mrs. Coulter Catriona McPherson 259

The Case of the Speckled Trout Deborah Crombie 271

The Adventure of the Empty Grave Jonathan Maberry 283

Limited Resources Denise Mina 309

The Adventure of the Extraordinary Rendition Cory Doctorow 319

About the Contributors 339

Acknowledgments 347

Editorial Reviews

08/15/2016
King and Klinger’s strong third Sherlockian anthology (after 2014’s In the Company of Sherlock Holmes) features 17 stories from leading authors who draw on Conan Doyle’s work for inspiration. The end result is a rich variety of entries, including Tony Lee and Bevis Musson’s “Mrs. Hudson Investigates,” a post-Reichenbach mystery in comic book format. David Morrell sensitively examines Conan Doyle’s obsession with spiritualism in “The Spiritualist,” in which the writer has an unexpected encounter in London’s Psychic Book Shop, Library and Museum. John Connolly displays his gift for subtle satire in “Holmes on the Range,” set in his Caxton Private Lending Library and Book Depository, a home for fictional characters who have “assumed an objective reality” (including Holmes and Watson). Another high point is William Kent Krueger’s “The Painted Smile,” in which a therapist treats a child determined to have his identification with Holmes taken seriously. Other contributors include Anne Perry, Hallie Ephron, and Gary Phillips. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"A treasure."

Newark Star-Ledger

"A winner for fans of classic mysteries and a complete joy for Holmes fanatics."

Bookreporter

2016-07-19
“Inspired” is the key word here, for contributors have been encouraged to interpret their remit even more broadly than in the editors’ previous two collections (In the Company of Sherlock Holmes, 2014, etc.).John Connolly sets the tone by confronting Holmes and Watson, enshrined in a magical library after Holmes’ death, with their inferior post-Reichenbach avatars. David Morrell, Jonathan Maberry, and William Kent Krueger walk similar metafictional tightropes when they arrange debates between Arthur Conan Doyle and a spectral Holmes over spiritualism, bring C. Auguste Dupin to console Watson at Holmes’ empty grave, and present a child-psychologist Watson providing therapy to a boy who believes he’s Sherlock Holmes. Other contributors briskly update the Great Detective. Meg Gardiner’s sleuth investigates a breach in computer security; Hank Phillippi Ryan’s Annabelle Holmes follows a trail of pictogram emails to a missing fiancee; Gary Phillips’ Sherlock, in a rayon shirt and bell-bottoms, investigates the assassination of an iconic civil rights leader; Cory Doctorow explores the problem of a conscience-driven leaker of secret intelligence. Meanwhile, back in the Victorian era, Tasha Alexander sketches a deft and funny prequel to “A Scandal in Bohemia,” Dana Cameron’s free-wheeling Watson recounts Holmes’ search for a hidden legacy, and Tony Lee and Bevis Musson give Mrs. Hudson a thimble-sized comic-book case more notable for visual style than narrative invention. Sherlock is channeled by Catriona McPherson’s lady’s maid, Deborah Crombie’s cheeky goddaughter Sherry Watson, Anne Perry’s TV Holmes, Denise Mina’s not-a-witch Shirley, and Michael Scott’s Dublin madam, who assists the police in their investigation of a celebrated real-life theft. Although most of these tales are more notable for their high concepts than the ways they’re worked out, Hallie Ephron’s tale of a movie actress who once played Irene Adler and is now understudying a much younger Irene is a delight from beginning to end.Though the level of inspiration in individual stories varies widely, every fan will find different reasons to cheer. And they’ll all marvel at the inventive range of this salute to the greatest of all fictional detectives.

Kirkus Reviews

"Yet another outstanding collection of stories (following the widely acclaimed In the Company of Sherlock Holmes) paying homage to the great detective Sherlock Holmes. A powerhouse of a collection, sure to please even the most particular Sherlockian."

River Heights Book Review

"This new anthology will obviously appeal to long-time fans of Holmes, as well as those readers who enjoyed the two earlier collections. If those previous collections passed you by, pick up this latest and experience how Holmes and Watson have influenced such a wide-ranging assortment of authors."

Bookgasm

"A most enjoyable and intriguing book"

The Washington Times

"If you are a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's consulting detective series, you owe it to yourself to read this collection. I found myself laughing with delight, and turning pages with trembling fingers, driven to see what came next as each new author spun a tale related, in some way, to Conan Doyle's immortal characters. The reader is sure to be amazed, delighted and entertained from one end of the book to the other."

The Oklahoman

There is much to please lovers of Sherlock Holmes in this second collection of short stories that relate to the great detective. Six performers narrate 18 stories by different authors, a conceit that works well for the most part. While some stories are better than others, most are excellent. And though it can be jarring to adapt to a new voice with each story, the narrators are an able bunch, and the device of changing voices highlights the variation among the stories. Included are a wonderful piece about what happens to characters (for example, Holmes and Watson) when their authors die; an argument between Holmes and Conan Doyle; and the intrepid wit of a 21st- century girl who is inspired by “The Man.” It’s all good fun. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

DECEMBER 2016 - AudioFile