Being a fan of almost everything in print regarding Sherlock Holmes, I read up on my favorite fictional character recently. The following works prove that the world’s best-known consulting detective is still plying his trade, hints at his retirement to beekeeping on the Sussex Downs notwithstanding.

Murder in Baker Street: New Tales of Sherlock Holmes, edited by Martin H. Greenberg, Jon Lellenberg and Daniel Stashower, is an anthology of short stories. Set in the style of Arthur Conan Doyle’s (ACD) Holmes oeuvre, the stories zip along at a hansom cab’s pace. Master mystery writers such as Anne Perry, Loren Estleman and Edward D. Hoch are represented.

Resurrected Holmes: New Cases from the Notes of John H. Watson, M.D., edited by Marvin Kaye, is another anthology of short stories by modern-day writers. These stories stem from cases mentioned in passing by Dr. Watson in ACD’s original canon, but which were never given their own complete story.

Brief essays rather than stories provide facts and insights about ACD, Watson and Holmes in The Bedside Companion to Sherlock Holmes: A Unique Guide to the World’s Most Famous Detective, by Dick Riley and Pam McAllister. Included are numerous illustrations, both original and modern-day, plus facts about Victorian London where Holmes and Watson lived. Various stage, screen and TV adaptations of the original canon round out this offering.

Finally, Sherlock Holmes: The Unauthorized Biography, by Nick Rennison, gathers details of Holmes’ life embedded in ACD’s stories, expands on them, and places them in perspective with the history of Victorian England. From Holmes’ interaction with Professor Moriarty and his criminal underworld to Holmes’ undercover work finding Jack the Ripper, this book posits many new details in the life of the world’s most famous consulting detective.

Great reading for any Sherlock Holmes fan.