The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories - Part XXIX

Book excerpt: Featuring Contributions by: Ian Ableson, Wayne Anderson, David Marcum, Gordon Linzner, Barry Clay, Derrick Belanger, Wayne Anderson, Harry DeMaio, Craig Stephen Copland, Matthew White, I.A. Watson, Paul Gilbert, Arthur Hall, Marcia Wilson, Margaret Walsh, Frank Schildiner, Dan Rowley, and Tracy J. Revels, and forewords by Nancy Holder, Roger Johnson, Steve Emecz, and David Marcum “Somewhere in the vaults of the bank of Cox and Co., at Charing Cross, there is a travel-worn and battered tin dispatch box with my name, John H. Watson, M.D., Late Indian Army, painted upon the lid. It is crammed with papers, nearly all of which are records of cases to illustrate the curious problems which Mr. Sherlock Holmes had at various times to examine . . . .” - Dr. John H. Watson So wrote Dr. Watson in “The Problem of Thor Bridge” - and ever since, Sherlockians have been bringing us new adventures from this legendary tin dispatch box. While Watson’s original First Literary Agent only edited the pitifully few sixty stories that make up the original Canon, there have since been literally thousands of traditional adventures about the true Sherlock Holmes - and there will never be enough! In 2015, The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories burst upon the scene, featuring adventures set within the correct time period, and written by many of today’s leading Sherlockian authors from around the world. Those first three volumes were overwhelmingly received, and there were soon calls for additional collections. Since then, their popularity has only continued to grow. In Fall 2016, the series presented its first “themed” collection - Part V: Christmas Adventures - containing 30 new adventures that proved to be extremely and enduringly popular. With that in mind, we now revisit that season, with 57 more Christmas Adventures, ranging from a consequential case that occurred when Holmes was still a teenager, to another in the late 1920’s when Holmes - in retirement - was still at the top of his game. The fifty-seven stories in these three companion volumes are a thrilling mix of mysteries, whatever the season. Some are directly involved with Christmas, while others occur during and in around that season. These represent some of the finest new Holmesian storytelling to be found by the best pasticheurs, and once again they honor the man described by Watson as “the best and wisest . . . whom I have ever known.” 57 new traditional Holmes adventures in three simultaneously published volumes The game is afoot! All royalties from this collection are being donated by the writers for the benefit of the preservation of Undershaw, one of the former homes of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.