Bradley H. Sinor

This is a collection of half a dozen short stories linked by having connections (sometimes tenuous) to the Sherlock Holmes universe. Because they were originally published in a variety of magazines or theme anthologies, the genre elements are variable. In a couple of the stories Holmes himself doesn't even appear, although other characters from the Holmesverse do. There's also one new story written specifically for the collection.

What makes this book worth picking up is the number of side-references and callouts to characters and universes which will be quite familiar to a genre reader. In various stories we encounter John Carter of Mars, Gilbert and Sullivan, and Mark Twain, as well as the Illuminati and more. (None of that is spoilery.) The stories themselves are well-written but not heavyweight, suitable for relaxing with after a long and tiring day. I did catch two typos that an editor should not have missed, but those were relatively minor flaws in an otherwise enjoyable book.… (mer)