Happy New Year..

Happy New Year to followers and readers. thanks to those who put themselves forward for interviews, Top Tens etc. A big thank you too, to all those who kindly reviewed my books on Amazon etc....much appreciated!

                           Happy New Year!!!

End Peace: Now on Kindle!!

Holmes and Watson: End Peace gains a belated Kindle release.....

1915. Sherlock Holmes to Watson: Stand with me here upon the terrace for it may be the last quiet talk that we shall ever have......... 1929. A small hospital somewhere in Dorset. An ante-room off a dimly lit corridor. It is night and there is not even the smallest amount of light penetrating the room. In the room itself a dim light enables us to see a figure in a bed. The pipes, tubes and all the trappings we associate with keeping someone alive have been removed. The man, for it is a man, lies prone and still. Still, but not silent. 1929 The last quiet talk.


A recent review on Amazon.com:

"I've recently finished "Holmes And Watson: End Peace" by David Ruffle. I couldn't wait to share my thoughts on this very innovatively written little masterpiece. So here goes... End Peace is filled with nothing but my favorite part of any Sherlock Holmes pastiche, dialogue. This fascinating book is literally 100% dialogue, it reads like an actual transcript of one long conversation and is completely delightful to digest.
The book takes place at the very end of Holmes and Watson's years together. What we have here is a retrospective look at their career and adventures together from the vantage point of a "final' conversation between our two beloved characters. However while that premise may seem pretty straightforward, Ruffle manages to throw in some VERY original and captivating twists and turns that keep you absolutely rapt. I do not exaggerate in the least when I say this.
Aside from the oh so curious way in which this conversation takes place and the mystery that encapsulates it, we have even more to be excited about. Answers to many questions and light shed on many stories from the canon! Who doesn't love that idea? During this retrospective conversation the duo go about discussing the fate of many characters from the original Conan Doyle stories as well as some of those cases that Watson often mentioned yet never chronicled. For example we learn what became of Detective Inspector Lestrade, Mrs. Hudson, Mary Morstan and many more characters that impacted the lives of Holmes and Watson. Call it literary closure if you will and masterfully done if I may say so myself.
Holmes and Watson also take the time to finally say things to each other they've always wanted and/or needed to, yet never have due to pride, respect or perhaps both. They are very candid with each other and "let some things out" that have been building up all these years. They also finally express some sentiments that will leave any Sherlockian/Holmesian, touched. Don't worry, David does this perfectly and their "honest moments" are done with elegance and tact. You'll have to read for yourself to see exactly what I mean.

David Ruffle is no stranger to writing brilliant books and this one follows suit. Given the majority of the subject matter in this book there is not much else I can say about the content without the risk of spoiling it for those of you who have yet to read it. On that note I will leave you with this: If you love Sherlock Holmes, buy this today. If you love good books, buy this today. If you ever wondered what happened to any of your favorite characters, buy this today. If you would be interested in listening in on a "final" retrospective conversation between Holmes and Watson, then seriously, buy this today.

This book is well worth its weight in gold. It is fun, mysterious, emotionally captivating, full of twists and did I mention it's 100% dialogue! No filler, no fluff, just the words of our beloved Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson. Well done Mr. Ruffle, well done... "

Get it for your Kindle here: Amazon USA and Amazon UK.

Amazon reviews....

Idly running through Amazon sites and checking reviews for my work (It was a quiet moment at work!) and the running total is as follows:

5*    102
4*      16
3*        7
2*        2
1*        4

All of which leads me to think I must have done something right along the way!! Thanks, all!

An interview with exciting, young writer Cassie Parkes

Cassie Parkes is seventeen,  likes Victorian things. Yes, you did read that correctly. They are slightly more common than you might think! She is a poet and has published a volume of Holmesian poetry straight to Kindle and also contributed to Tales From The Stranger's Room Vol. 2 (published by MX Publishing)

You are a young writer, where do you see your future writing career taking you?

I am indeed a young writer! I'm young enough to still have a Withnail-esque attitude of "I can do anything!", so right now, I'd love to think that I could make a proper career out of my writing one day. I'd also love to try out every form of writing, too: prose, scripts, poetry etc. and really experiment with lots of different styles/platforms. There's a ton of dream characters I'd like to write for: Sherlock Holmes, The Doctor... basically, I think I'd quite like to be the future Mark Gatiss, haha!

You have an affinty for all things Victorian. Where did this come from?   I think my love of the Victorian era stems from the literature I enjoy: I've been a lifelong fan of Wilde and Conan Doyle, and their wonderful work encouraged a deep passion for the time in which they were writing. Sometimes I think I'd love to have lived in the 1800's, but I must sadly admit that I think I'd miss my phone too much! ("Timetravel? Nah, I'd rather play Angry Birds, thanks!")

Do you feel, then, out of time somehow? Or even out of step with modern life?   Oh definitely, sometimes. I'm awful with modern music, especially. My iPod is full of 80's music, haha! Like I mentioned before though, I am desperately grateful to live in the Internet age. Researching my work is made very simple, and video clips/music from different time periods often prove to be very powerful/inspiring, so I'm extremely grateful for the fact that I can access them easily.   There is on occasion a gay theme in your writing, is that a subject close to your heart?  

This is something a lot of people ask me about, and I'm never quite sure how to answer it. The decision to make a character (or characters!) gay is not usually a conscious one, rather my characters often pop into my head fully-formed, and their being gay is simply a part of who they are. Very rarely do I set out to write something thinking: "Right, this character will be gay and (s)he will show the struggles of non-heterosexual relationships." However, I do always strive to portray any gay characters in a positive light. It's often remarked that we live in a very liberal and open-minded society, yet homophobia is definitely still present. So when I do write a gay character, I like to think I'm fighting back at idiots like Nick Griffin, even if it's only in some small manner. (How that fool is still allowed an opinion, let alone a public one, I'll never know.) Placing gay characters in a time where homosexuality was still illegal also adds a great sense of danger to my texts, but I make sure not to simply have them be gay to "spice it up a little". Like I say, their being gay is simply a part of their character.

Your poetry on the subject of Sherlock Holmes related matters is excellent. Do you see yourself writing a full-blown pastiche?   Firstly, thank you! I'm delighted to know that you enjoyed them. The idea of writing a complete pastiche is something I've thought about many times, but the actual task is a very daunting and challenging one. I think I'd ideally like to wait until I'm slightly more experienced with writing before I commit myself to adding my own ideas to such a vast and revered circle of pastiche writers. It's something I would definitely like to do one day, but perhaps not one day too near in the future. I want to make sure I can get Holmes and Watson to sit perfectly within my mind before I start writing for them.

What other projects will be unfolding in the near future?   Ooh, now that would be telling! But I'll give you a few hints, so as not to be too cruel. My main piece right now is a novel about a post-WW1 war artist, who has PTSD and is trying to cope with life as best he can. The other piece is about highwaymen...who are also vampires. (Before anyone starts yelling "Twilight!" at me, my vampires are charming and frilly, as all good vampires should be.) I'll be posting updates about all of my writing on my Twitter account (@JamRolls) and on my blog (nineteenthcenturyninny.wordpress.com), so follow either of those if you're interested!

What next? University? Or?   I'd quite like to take a Gap Year to get some writing done, but I need to finish sixth form with some good grades first! I'm just going to keep on writing, and hopefully people will keep enjoying my work. After that-who knows? I'm excited though. Bring it on, life!

You can purchase Cassie's collection, 'The Diogenes Dilemma and other Sherlock Holmes Poetry' here: The Diogenes Dilemma

And visit Cassie's web page here: http://nineteenthcenturyninny.wordpress.com/

Mike Hogan interviewed.....

Mike Hogan is British, but he has lived most of his adult life abroad: Japan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand mostly. His obsessions are: classic films, Shakespeare, anything to do with Ancient Rome and the process of writing. he writeswrite comedy because he loves sparky dialogue and thrives on misunderstandings. He has written a trilogy of Sherlock Holmes novels which also feature Winston Churchill.

You have lived most of your adult life abroad. How did that come about?


After studying English Lit in a remote home for the bewildered in mid-Wales, I found that I was thoroughly unfit, and completely untrained for any sort of paid work in the UK. On the day Mrs Thatcher invaded Number 10, I flew to Libya to teach English. A couple of years later I took up a university job in Japan, then made birdhouses in the Philippines and finally was academic director of a group of schools in Bangkok. I retired a year ago.

What do you miss about England?

Theatres, pubs; I know I'm supposed to say Marmite or Scotch eggs, but you can get them at my local supermarket, albeit at a terrible price; proper bookshops (long may they last); ploughman's lunches; waitresses saying whatever you want is 'off'; Patrick Moore on the xylophone.

You are a devotee of Ancient Rome. How often do you visit the Eternal City? What is its appeal?

I went to Rome (and Pompeii) for the first time a couple of years ago; it was like coming home. I'd been mad on Rome since I was a kid: I made a Roman centurion with Plasticine from a plaster St George one time and my mum went mental. I admire Roman toughness, self-confidence and religious tolerance (aside from occasional, unseemly bouts of throwing to the lions).

I know you enjoy writing comedy, particularly comic dialogue. Which authors, in that vein, do you enjoy reading the most?

Patrick O'Brian - I suppose he's not best known as a humorous writer, but he is a master and commander of character, and that includes humour because people are funny creatures who say and do silly things. I don't read much in the humour genre, though Bill Bryson can make me laugh out loud. Then there's the Bard, of course: A Midsummer Night's Dream is my favourite.

What would you say was your biggest challenge in writing your Sherlock Holmes pastiches?

Avoiding cliches, while netting a chuckle or two. My view is that Watson, having lived cheek-by-Persian slipper with Holmes for seven or so years (in 1887, when my first three books are set), might be forgiven a little exasperation with his friend's eccentricities and self-absorption. I wanted to explore the tension that must exist whenever two people of wildly different backgrounds and habits are thrown together for so long. I suppose that means my Holmes is less cuddly than Jeremy Brett, and Watson is less accommodating than Edward Hardwicke, but I hope that they are still likeable. Also ACD lived and wrote his times; he didn't have to explain or show Victorian thought processes and obsessions. Holmes' poor opinion of women is legendary, and very much the norm in Victorian male society; the British male had won the lottery of life, and they tended to look down on lesser mortals such as women, Americans, or, Lord help us, the Irish. I had great fun pitting Holmes (in The Deadwood Stage) and then Watson (The Giant Moles) against proto-feminists, and both against Irish republicans in The Jubilee Plot.

Winston Churchill obviously plays a big part in your Holmes trilogy. Were there any false starts with other historic figures or was it always in your mind to incorporate Churchill?

I read a news report that said a significant number of people believed that Holmes existed in real life, and a ridiculous number thought that Winston Churchill was a fictional character. It occurred to me that an account by Watson of Sherlock meeting Winston and validating his existence as a real person might be fun as a short story. It grew.

And what next for you/ What is in the pipeline?

Another Holmes, I think, as they are great fun to write, but first a book set in Ancient Rome in 475 AD starring Romulus Augustus, soon to be the last emperor of Rome. I've just completed a coming-of-age story set in and around the Old Vic in London in 1963, Penny for the Guy Mr Olivier. I'd like to extend that story either further into the Beatles' era, or perhaps to long-haired, flared university life.

Visit Mike's web site: http://www.mikehoganbooks.co.uk/

Sherlock Holmes and Young Winston: The Deadwood Stage is available from Amazon UK, Amazon USA and all book-selling websites and bookstores everywhere.

The Missing Snowman heads out.......

....into the wide world, hopefully spreading delight wherever it pitches up. Prior to its travels, there was some extensive road testing. Skene School in Scotland were introduced to it one chilly day not so long ago and the result is here:

We were very lucky to be asked to preview and give our opinions on a new book written by author David Ruffle. The book called Sherlock Holmes and the Missing Snowman is a lovely story about a little girl Henrietta who loses her snowman and asks Sherlock Holmes to help her find out where he has gone.

Most of the children enjoyed the story and thought the illustrations were very interesting too.

Crawford said, “It was fantastic!"



Rikey Austin



“An excellent story – I liked it all,” said Alfie.

Caitlin thought the story was brilliant especially when Henrietta kissed Sherlock Holmes on the cheek to say thank you for finding her snowman.         

Leah at 'The Well-Read Sherlockian' let her children loose on our 'missing friend'. The result is here:

'Having been blessed with three little people myself, I thought I’d give The Missing Snowman a field test. My kids are 10, 9, and 7–the first two a little older than Ruffle’s target audience, but since they still enjoy being read to, I figured they’d do in a pinch, so we snuggled up on the couch before bedtime. Here are their reactions:':

Daughter, 10: “Sherlock Holmes is like a mysterious character. He likes kids and talks to them so they can understand things.”


Son, 9: “It was great!”

Son, 7: “It was awesome!”

Star Rating: 5 stars out of 5 “This is a wonderful book that gets it right.”

Sherlock Holmes and The Missing Snowman is available from all good bookshops including in the USA Amazon , in the UK Amazon and Waterstones. For elsewhere Book Depository who offer free delivery worldwide.

An interview with David Nobbs

I am very pleased to present a brief question and answer session with David Nobbs, a master of the humorous novel, one of the UK's finest novelists working in that vein.

You have worked with many comedy greats over the years; Have you a particular comedy hero?

Leonard Rossiter, who was inspired both physically and verbally, hardly ever put a foot wrong, and combined subtlety and speed in a way that seemed barely possible, but only by a short head from Les Dawson, whose love of words, talent for physical comedy, and willingness to face challenges set him apart from any of the other comedians with whom I worked.


In a similar vein; Which actors do you feel have come closest to portraying your characters as you saw them?

All the regulars in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin and A Bit Of A Do. Nothing else came near, and it’s no wonder they were my most successful series.

Which of your novels are you the most proud of?



Funniest book I have ever read!

The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, Second From Last In The Sack Race, Going Gently, and The Fall and Rise of Gordon Coppinger. (No arguments from this quarter. DR)

Some of the episodes I have most enjoyed in your work has been some non-comic moments such as the death of Ponsonby, Percy Spraggs and the returning ghost of Neville Badger. These are handled so well, did you enjoy writing these episodes as much as the comic ones?

Yes, on the whole I did. Sometimes I think I am just a bit too anxious to make people laugh, and it’s just as important to make them feel. In fact, if they don’t feel for a character they can only laugh at them, not with them.


It seems to me there has been a change from the earlier comic novels to novels with a comic content. Do you see it the same way or do you not care for such labels?

I don’t like the label ‘comic novels’. I prefer the label ‘humorous novels’. I write novels that have a lot of comedy in them, but they have serious elements too. I think perhaps I have deepened the serious content, but I wouldn’t ever contemplate a novel with no humour, though I would rather like to try one, just once, that is utterly comic. I suppose the book where I got the mixture absolutely right was the first Reggie Perrin book. A deeply serious theme exploration of a man in crisis, but told just about entirely through comedy.


A new novel is on the way; Can you tell us a little about it?

I don’t think I can answer this question as the book is now out and you have reviewed it. (See post below for my review. DR)


And what of the future? What plans have you?

At the moment, and partly due to the difficulty of getting things accepted on television and even on radio, my mind is much taken up with my next book. There are two possible subjects. I will explore them in the next month and make my decision between them after Christmas. All I am prepared to say at this stage is that that one is a portrait of people in a small town and the other is written in the first person as a woman in her early forties.

My thanks to David for his time in answering my questions, questions which no doubt he has been bombarded with many times before. Check his books out...you will not be disappointed.

www.davidnobbs.com

David Nobbs's latest novel reviewed

David Nobbs is one of the UK's finest comic-novelists and the creator of many well-loved characters such as Reggie Perrin, Henry Pratt etc. A screenwriter of note for many TV shows,'The Fall and Rise of Gordon Coppinger' is his nineteenth novel. Its title is at once reminiscent of the entry of Reginald Iolanthe Perrin into the literary world some thirty-seven years ago. Are there parallels between the two men? Do the books share a common theme? First, I see the author's career as two distinct halves, from the early out and out comic novels (those that make you laugh out loud helplessly) to the novels which have comic moments. Perhaps that sounds too simplistic, but it's how I see his work. Even those 'out and out' comic novels have moments of beauty which move, (Ponsonby's death in 'Reggie', Percy's death in 'A Bit Of A Do'), there are lines which I re-read many times, so breathtaking they can be. The change came with 'Going Gently', a richly rewarding read (alliteration....can't beat it!) of the final days in an old woman's life and her review of her life and family. It's dark yet uplifting, sad with many richly comic moments. Further novels seemed to me to continue that trend away from the earlier dialogue-lead comic novels to novels which dealt more with the realities of life; in essence they did not rely solely on comedy for their enjoyment. Which takes us to Sir Gordon Coppinger. Whereas Reggie Perrin descended into a form of madness (or an alternative sanity), Sir Gordon falls into reality and sanity. There are great insights on what it's like to live your life in the glare of the public eye, to be 'adored' (not by waiters), to be feted and how quickly this can change when reality begins to crumble. To his amazement, as this 'fall' occurs he begins to find himself, the human being within as opposed to the caricature he has become. Along with the extremely well-written glimpses of family life, home life and sibling rivalries there are some exquisite moments between Sir Gordon and his butler, Farringdon. Farringdon is straight out of the Jeeves mould and his language is Wodehousian (up to a point!) and when writing comedy it can never be a bad thing to be reminded of Wodehouse. I still cannot tell you whether I felt any sympathy for Sir Gordon (perhaps we are not meant to). He is presented warts and all with all the weaknesses of any man and fortunately a few strengths too. 'The Fall and Rise of Gordon Coppinger' is a worthy addition to David Nobb's canon. It's involving and amply pays back the time that is spent in reading it. It's very well written as you would expect from this author and as much as I enjoy the earlier works ('Second From Last In The Sack Race' makes me laugh out loud more than any other book I have ever read!) I feel with each successive book David Nobbs grows more accomplished as a novelist, he didn't get where he is today by simply writing comedy. Highly recommended.

'The Fall and Rise of Gordon Coppinger' is available at more bookshops and websites than you can shake various sticks at.

Visit David Nobb's website at: http://www.davidnobbs.com/

TopTens from 'Doctor Dan'

Dan Andriacco discovered Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes stories at about the age of nine. Not long after, he became acquainted with such greats of the Golden Age of detective fiction as Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, Rex Stout, John Dickson Carr, Erle Stanley Gardner, and many more.He has been a member of the Tankerville Club, a Cincinnati-based scion society of the Baker Street Irregulars, since 1981. That connection is reflected in many ways in his book Baker Street Beat: An Eclectic Collection of Sherlockian Scribblings. Andriacco's Sebastian McCabe - Jeff Cody mystery series, (three books to date)set in a small town in Ohio, is very much in the tradition of his Golden Age favorites.

"McCabe is a great detective in the classic mode," Andriacco says. "By that I mean he is a polymath amateur sleuth. He's a college professor at at small Catholic college, but he's also a mystery writer, a magician, and a linguist. I would love to meet the man, but I'm not sure I'd want to be his best friend.
"His 'Watson,' Jeff Cody is not only his best friend, but also his brother-in-law and the public relations director for the college where Mac teachers. These multiple relationships carry multiple tensions, which I hope is a source of humor. These books are supposed to be fun and funny. Judging by reviewers, they seem to hit that mark for most readers."

DR. DAN’S TOP 10s


TOP 10 ORIGINAL SHERLOCK HOLMES STORIES

"The Hound of the Baskervilles"
“His Last Bow”
“The Adventure of the Red-Headed League”
“The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle”
“The Adventure of Charles August Milverton”
"The Adventure of the Speckled Band”
“The Final Problem”
“The Adventure of the Empty House”
“A Scandal in Bohemia”
"The Valley of Fear"

TOP 10 PASTICHES

"The Final Solution" – Michael Chabron
“The Adventure of the Unique ‘Hamlet’” – Vincent Starrett
“The Adventure of the Unique Dickensians” – August Derleth
The West End Horror" – Nicholas Meyer
Sherlock Homes vs. Dracula: The Adventure of the Sanguinary Count – Loren D. Estleman
Dust and Shadow – Lindsay Faye
Murder in the Vatican: The Church Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes – Ann Margaret Lewis
Goodnight, Mr. Holmes – Carol Nelson Douglas
Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Boer Wagon – Kieran McMullen
Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Horror – David Ruffle
(I won’t mention “The Peculiar Persecution of John Vincent Harden”)

TOP 10 PLACES

221B Baker Street
The Diogenes Club

Simpson’s in the Strand

Reichenbach Falls

Baskerville Hall

Stoke Moran

Birlstone Manor House

King’s Pyland, Dartmoor

Pondicherry Lodge

The Sussex Downs (Holmes’s villa)

Visit Dan's excellent blog at: Baker Street Beat where you can find details of where to purchase his excellent books. And much more!

Sherlock Holmes And The Case of the Bulgarian Codex

New from Tim Symonds, the author of Sherlock Holmes And The Dead Boer At Scotney Castle (MX Publishing 2012).

It's the year 1900. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson receive an urgent commission from the Prince Regnant of Bulgaria to come to Sofia. The Codex Zographensis, the most ancient and most sacred manuscript in the Old Bulgarian language has been stolen. Its disappearance could lead to the outbreak of war between Russia, Austro-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire…

What follows is a story of duplicity, murder, vampires and greed for vast estates in Bulgaria and Hungary, with the fate of millions in Sherlock Holmes's hands.
Although the events in Sherlock Holmes And The Case Of The Bulgarian Codex are fictional, the principal character Prince Ferdinand is based closely on one of the most compelling personalities in world history, the real Prince Regnant, later Tsar, who ruled Bulgaria from 1887 until his forcible abdication in 1918.

A snippet: The Balkans loom…


CHAPTER I    IN WHICH WE DINE AT SIMPSON’S

"SNORTING and champing at the bit like a high-strung warhorse, the Orient Express stayed its departure from the Gare de Strasbourg while Sherlock Holmes and I flung ourselves from a five-glass landau and clambered into the private cars of the Prince Regnant of Bulgaria. Our boxes tumbled in behind us. It was late on a Friday afternoon in April, in the year 1900. With a minatory scream the immense train pulled away on its long journey to Stamboul. Soon Paris was left behind. Without noise or jerk we were going fifty miles per hour without seeming to move. The case of the Bulgarian Codex had commenced."


Amazon UK and kindle reader link at : Kindle

and all bookselling websites worldwide and bookstores.

Ten Days to go......................

Ten days to go to the publication of 'Sherlock Holmes and the Missing Snowman'. Here is no childish Sherlock Holmes, no Sherlock Holmes as a mouse, a dog or a cat etc. But a canonical Holmes. In 221b where he belongs, with the fire roaring, the unopened correspondence transfixed to the mantle by a jack-knife, the pipe rack ready for use. In Watson's corner we have the framed pictures of General Gordon and Henry Ward Beecher (yes, I know it should be unframed!). It may be a book aimed at younger children, but great pains have been taken to produce a recognisable Holmes and Watson in a recognisable and authentic setting and here there is a big thank you to Rikey Austin, her illustrations are quite, quite wonderful. Winter is on the way, Christmas is on the way and this will hopefully delight any child or indeed adult who find it in their Christmas stockings.

Sherlock Holmes and The Missing Snowman is available to pre-order from all good bookshops including in the USA Amazon , in the UK Amazon and Waterstones. For elsewhere Book Depository who offer free delivery worldwide.

The Trilogy.......

The publication in December of 'Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Trials' will bring to a close the Sherlock Holmes/Lyme Regis trilogy. So, what can you expect from each book in the series? How closely are they connected?
Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Horror: Takes its inspiration from Bram Stoker's Dracula and of course from Lyme Regis. It introduces a love interest for Watson and several characters in the town who take on a life of their own in the two subsequent books. Started as a two page exercise and grew from there. Originally self-published in December 2009 and I was pleased with the response to it. The expanded 2nd edition, published by MX Publishing, features extra content. The extra content: Two 'lengthy short' pieces involving Holmes with the Australian cricket team of 1899 and a re-working of MR James's 'Casting The Runes'. Three Christmas pieces including 'Henrietta's Problem' the begetter of 'Sherlock Holmes and the Missing Snowman'. Two ghost stories and a poem complete the collection.
Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Legacy: Faster paced than its predecessor and a tad more violence along the way (all understated). An old adversary is out for revenge and not just on Holmes and Watson. Four violent deaths punctuate the tale before a resolution take place culminating in one more death. Lestrade and Mycroft Holmes put in an appearance as do the Lyme Regis 'regulars'. There is humour too, mostly regarding Watson's various attempts to devour plum puddings. There is humour too in the extra content: Here, Holmes and Watson encounter Laurel and Hardy, visit the land of Oz, star in their own version of Masterchef and stumble into a Dad's Army/Frasier episode!!  Humour too in a poem I wrote as an ode to Holmes in the style of William McGonagall. A history of Lyme Regis is included and two poems celebrating life in Lyme.
Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Trials: Have to say, no great mystery here, but rather, me celebrating Holmes and Watson in Lyme Regis. There is a revenge motif again and chicaneries of the Admiralty play a part too. A lot of the action takes place in the Royal Lion Hotel, a fine place for it! I have tried to make it bright, breezy and fun as befits the end of the series and the characters. Submarines, actresses, madmen, shaggy dog, and a good time had by all. Pinched a paragraph from David Nobbs, one of the UK's leading comic novelists, to finish it all off (with his permission). And that's about it really, apart from the extra content: This time it's just one story, based on an unpublished account mentioned by Watson, 'the Grosvenor Square furniture van'. Imagined here as a story of haunting and possession. Maybe.

Sherlock Holmes and The Lyme Regis Horror is available from all good bookstores worldwide including in the USA Amazon and Barnes and Noble - and in all electronic formats including Amazon Kindle, Kobo and Apple iBooks(iPad/iPhone).

Sherlock Holmes and The Lyme Regis Legacy is available from all good bookstores worldwide including in the USA Amazon, Classic Specialities and Barnes and Noble  - and in all electronic formats including Amazon Kindle, Nook, Kobo and Apple iBooks (iPad/iPhone)

Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Trials: is available to pre-order from all good bookstores worldwide including in the USA Amazon and UK: Amazon and Waterstones.

The Wormwood Scrubs Enigma....

When two prison guards are found beheaded in the barren countryside surrounding Her Majesty's Prison at Wormwood Scrubs, Inspector Lestrade seeks Holmes' singular powers to determine how the murders could have been committed in separate locations with the only footprints being those of the murdered guards themselves. With Doctor Watson at his side, Holmes sets out on this new adventure and uncovers deeper mysteries still; mysteries that will not only test the detectives' powers of observation and deduction, but his skepticism of the paranormal as well.

Now, this is how I like pastiches to be, namely on the short side with characterisations of Holmes and Watson spot on. To me very often less is more and here the author presents us with a novel crime which appears to be 'impossible' yet how can we possibly think that with Sherlock Holmes on the scene. It's the equivalent of a locked-room mystery, but takes place outdoors. The plot development is skilful and not hurried along in spite of the brevity of the tale. The atmosphere is perfect and even the odd Americanism can be forgiven. I enjoyed this very much, but then as I have said it's exactly the kind of pastiche that does appeal to me; short, sweet and thoroughly entertaining. A big well-done to J. Andrew Taylor.

J. Andrew Taylor lives in Kansas City, Missouri with his wife and children. He enjoys (in addition to reading & writing), playing the drums, live music, museums, historical sites and art fairs.

'Sherlock Holmes and the Element of Surprise' is available from Amazon UK, USA, Barnes and Noble,The Book Depository (free worldwide delivery)

Visit the author's website at: http://www.jandrewtaylor2012.blogspot.co.uk/

Special Offer

Lyme Regis Trilogy Offer from MX Publishing

This year is a great year for trilogies. David Ruffle's superb Sherlock Holmes and Lyme Regis series comes to a conclusion on 10th of December with Shelock Holmes and The Lyme Regis Trials. However, fans can get the book a month early if they order the Trilogy before the end of October - plus they will get a pre-publication copy of the gorgeous new children's book Sherlock Holmes and The Missing Snowman included free!!

Available on both the US and UK (inc Europe) sites -order before 31st October, while stocks last.

USA -MX Publishing USA

UK and Europe MX Publishing UK

A Taste of Lyme Regis.............



Early morning view from the shop.

Now available online.....fudges direct from one of the oldest shops in Lyme Regis. Quality Corner is housed in a building with Tudor origins which managed to escape unscathed through the major conflagrations which so often beset Lyme. The shop has existed in various guises for at least the best part of two hundred years and possibly longer. It's entirely possible the shop was in existence during 1804/1805 when Jane Austen visited the town and while it is not known exactly what kind of shop it would have been in that era, it's quite pleasing to think that Jane Austen herself would have wandered in from time to time.
An early drawing of Lyme. The shop is bottom-left of the picture with the beautiful curved frontage:

And now (insert fanfare here!) Quality Corner can offer everyone the chance to grab a taste of Lyme....click on the link below and that taste could soon be yours!

Quality Corner Lyme Regis Website 

























Another Top Ten......

.....these are from Charlotte Smith, the author of the Sherlock Holmes novel, 'The Murder at Lodore Falls'.

Top Ten Sherlock Holmes pastiche novels

That is a challenge! In no particular order I would have to make a beeline for the ones below. Most of these books I have reviewed on My Tin Dispatch Box!

Barefoot On Baker Street Charlotte Walters     
The Secret Journal Of Dr Watson Phil Growick

The Lyme Regis Horror David Ruffle

Sherlock Holmes And Tangled Skein David Stuart Davies

The Consulting Detective Trilogy Darlene A. Cypser

The Chronicles Of Sherlock Holmes Paul Gilbert

Crack In The Lens Darlene A. Cypser

Sherlock Holmes And The Affair In Transylvania Gerry O’Hara

Dust and Shadow Lyndsay Faye

The Outstanding Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes Gerard Kelly

Top Ten Books

Rebecca Daphne Du Maurier                
Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte

Great Expectations Charles Dickens

The Woman In Black Susan Hill
Dubliners James Joyce
Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection
Reach For The Sky Paul Brickhall
Oliver Twist Charles Dickens
Oscar Wilde Complete Short Stories Oscar Wilde
Twopence To Cross The Mersey Helen Forrester

Top Ten Actors or Actresses


Jeremy Brett (My all time favourite actor and not just because of Sherlock Holmes!)
Edward Hardwicke (A great actor, Dr Watson and loved him in Colditz and various other roles)
Richard Burton (Just because he is so handsome in toga!)

Clint Eastwood (All round versatile and great actor)

Gene Hackman (You know the film is going to be good if he is in the billing)

Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort!!!)
John Wayne (Greatest cowboy ever!)                                       
Kirk Douglas (I’m Spartacus!)
Lawerence Oliver (The Master!)
Dame Judi Dench (For being so good as M)

'Murder at  Lodore Falls' is available from Amazon UK, Amazon USA, and all book-selling websites around the world. Visit Charlotte's web site and read her reviews at My Tin Dispatch Box.