In London’s dark and foggy depths Holmes and Watson keep vigil against the various misdeeds of those gone astray and perpetrators who assume they can outsmart the Holmes and Watson dynamic duo. Snagging stalkers, blackmailers, mesmerists leave Holmes and Watson little time to enjoy Mrs. Hudson’s cooking or smoke a pipeful of shag tobacco. All of the recognizable tropes of the Holmes and Watson stories appear in The Recollections of Sherlock Holmes.
Arthur Hall‘s The Recollections of Sherlock Holmes hits all the right and best points for anyone who enjoys Holmes and Watson. Holmes accompanied by Watson and his service revolver seek clues in back alleys as well as posh surroundings. The duo are always on the lookout for new cases and experiences. Otherwise, Holmes exudes nervous energy and “abhorrence of inactivity. Of course, whenever a story involves a young woman, Watson delights in a pretty face and a shapely figure.
Whether catching jewel thieves red-handed or dealing with a case of a wife contracting with someone to kill her husband, Holmes is steady and calm in reading the clues and deducing the absolutely correct action. Of course, Watson is always up for an adventure and has Holmes’s back. The stories are engaging with spare prose that indubitably places Holmes and Watson in the center of any action. Criminals beware.
Arthur Hall is spot on with his choice of words to describe the pair and the setting. One can see the foggy streets with gas lamps gleaming faintly. One can almost smell Holmes’ shag tobacco as he ponders a problem. As always, sitting with his legs stretched out, Dr. Watson reads a medical journal nearby.
Always open to Holmes and Watson pastiches, whether full length or short stories, I liked this collection immensely.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Recollections of Sherlock Holmes
by Arthur Hall
edited by David Marcum
© 2023
MX Publishing