Review: The Additional Investigations of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Hall

I am not one for reading, much less reviewing, pastiche efforts. This is because even the best of these are destined to fall short of those of the master...

Nevertheless, I admire all writers who reach for that high bar given the demanding nature of us Sherlockians and how harsh many of us can be when the stories we're given don't match our personal standards or cross our private "red lines."

Arthur Hall's book contains seven stories in the classic format (i.e. Victorian, no magic etc.) - my personal preference. They vary in length and complexity but all of them hang together. Given that the best premise can be ruined if the plot has holes, it is good that these are free of such gaps. If there were holes, I missed them.

For me, the best of this collection can be found in the stories "The Adventure of the Returning Spirit" and "The Adventure of the Grand Vizier."  For me, these had the most atmosphere and promising plots.

Whether you will like this collection or not very much depends on how you see Sherlock Holmes and what your "red lines" are.

Written by Alistair Duncan Buy my books here
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