‘Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective’ Vols. 7 & 8, and more

As a Sherlock Holmes fan, I’ve enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective books from Airship 27.

So far the series is up to 17 volumes and several ancillary volumes. Sadly, I’ve fallen behind in getting new volumes, so I am trying to catch up with reviews of volumes 7 and 8, along with two others.

Each of these volumes are well-designed, with good to great cover artwork by different authors, interior art by Rob Davis. Each story has an essay by the author running one to three pages on their story and the background on it. And we get a brief bio of each author. This is what I expect from New Pulp publishers, which we don’t always get. Some of the same authors appear in various volumes.

■ Vol. 7: We get four mysteries this time. First off is I.A. Watson‘s tale, which has Holmes going up against Spring-Heeled Jack! This time, Jack is a villain, and Holmes has to figure out what is behind it all. This story is heavily footnoted, which is a first for these volumes, I think.

Aaron Smith provides a tale that starts off when a couple comes to Holmes about another missing couple, and when they all return to the scene, the wife disappears! Who is behind it all and why? In Alan Porter‘s mystery, a strange stench in a northern town leads Holmes and Watson to find a body they can’t identify. With the aid of a real-life detective, they are able to unravel the bizarre case.

Last, we get the sequel to an original Holmes story in Greg Hatcher‘s piece. A bizarre set of murders puts a finale to that tale.

■ Vol. 8: This time we get three tales, but one of them is a novella that takes up half the book. I.A. Watson’s work kicks things off. And again it is footnoted. Here Holmes, in the early years of his career, is asked to examine a skeleton found in a crypt below a church. But it was buried during Roman times. What can Holmes do, and is there a modern crime here? We soon have a murder tied to it, and Holmes must figure it all out.

Ray Lovato gives us a locked-room murder that also includes a ghost! Can Holmes shift through the possibe suspects to figure out the culprit. Finally, Aaron Smith’s novella finds Holmes looking into a bizarre set of murders. The victims are all drained of their blood by the insertion of a spigot! Are we dealing with vampires, or dare I say, Count Dracula? Bram Stoker even helps out!

■ Holmes & Houdini Here we have a novel by I.A. Watson were Holmes meets Harry Houdini, of course. Though this is the fictionalized version of him, which has appeared in a collection of stories from Airship 27, of course. Set after Holmes’ return, he is challenged by what seems a message from the grave coming from Professor Moriarty! But others seem after the same secret. Mix in a group of elites called the Far Edge Club, who want to kill Houdini in some game. They have crossed paths with Houdini in I.A. Watson’s story in the Houdini collection. Also involved is Houdini’s manager, Martin Beck, who will actually team up with Watson for part of this one. And Col. Sebastian Moran also makes an appearance. We also get introduced a new Moriarty family member, and an addition to Watson, so to speak.

■ Sherlock Holmes: The Picture of Innocence: Unlike in prior works in the series which try to be canon-compliant, this novel by Chuck Miller instead proports to reveal the real story about the Holmes stories. We discover this from a piece written by Watson in 1940, but set in the early years, before Watson started to write the Holmes tales. We learn of his meeting with Conan Doyle, as both men were struggling to have their writings be successful. They are approached by Mary Morstan and her friend, Irene Adler. Morstan has a strange case. In the process, they also meet Oscar Wilde. We learn where several early Holmes stories came from, as well as the inspiration for Wilde’s only novel. And we learn how the Holmes stories were written between Watson and Doyle. While a different take from the rest of the series, this is another good tale.

Hopefully I will soon get some of the following volumes as I work my way up to volume 17. This will take me three or four postings at least. By which time, they will probably have 18 out!

If you enjoy Sherlock Holmes stories, do check them out. I’ve enjoyed every one so far, and find them excellent for Holmes pastiches that strive to stay true to the canon.