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The Return of Sherlock Holmes: Further Extraordinary Tales of the Famous Sleuth
Fifteen brand-new stories about the British super sleuth by an assortment of talented tale-tellers!
Sherlock Holmes and Watson have been household names for generations. In this new anthology from Maxim Jakubowski, you can read all about the dynamic duo in a new light and revisit the legacy of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. From brand new stories to deeper looks into famous Sherlock Holmes cases, fans have a new chance to delve into the world of Holmes, Watson, and their crime-solving capers.
"One highlight is Paul A. Freeman's imaginative 'Sherlock Holmes and a Case of Humbug, ' in which the detective doubts Ebenezer Scrooge's change of heart resulted from ghostly visitations and uncovers a violent crime. Another is Eric Brown's eerie 'The Curse of Carmody Grange, ' in which Holmes investigates a disappearance from a sealed room attributed to a centuries-old curse." --Publishers Weekly
"I have been a fan of Maxim Jakubowski for years. There just is no finer mystery writer and editor anywhere." ―Alexander Algren, author of Out in a Murder Mystery Flash Fiction
Sherlock Holmes and Watson have been household names for generations. In this new anthology from Maxim Jakubowski, you can read all about the dynamic duo in a new light and revisit the legacy of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. From brand new stories to deeper looks into famous Sherlock Holmes cases, fans have a new chance to delve into the world of Holmes, Watson, and their crime-solving capers.
"One highlight is Paul A. Freeman's imaginative 'Sherlock Holmes and a Case of Humbug, ' in which the detective doubts Ebenezer Scrooge's change of heart resulted from ghostly visitations and uncovers a violent crime. Another is Eric Brown's eerie 'The Curse of Carmody Grange, ' in which Holmes investigates a disappearance from a sealed room attributed to a centuries-old curse." --Publishers Weekly
"I have been a fan of Maxim Jakubowski for years. There just is no finer mystery writer and editor anywhere." ―Alexander Algren, author of Out in a Murder Mystery Flash Fiction
- GenresMysteryAnthologies
340 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 10, 2021
68 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Maxim Jakubowski
270 books157 followersMaxim Jakubowski is a crime, erotic, and science fiction writer and critic.
Jakubowski was born in England by Russian-British and Polish parents, but raised in France. Jakubowski has also lived in Italy and has travelled extensively. Jakubowski edited the science fiction anthology Twenty Houses of the Zodiac in 1979 for the 37th World Science Fiction Convention (Seacon '79) in Brighton. He also contributed a short story to that anthology. He has now published almost 100 books in a variety of areas.
He has worked in book publishing for many years, which he left to open the Murder One bookshop[1], the UK's first specialist crime and mystery bookstore. He contributes to a variety of newspapers and magazines, and was for eight years the crime columnist for Time Out and, presently, since 2000, the crime reviewer for The Guardian. He is also the literary director of London's Crime Scene Festival and a consultant for the International Mystery Film Festival, Noir in Fest, held annually in Courmayeur, Italy. He is one the leading editors in the crime and mystery and erotica field, in which he has published many major anthologies.
His novels include "It's You That I Want To Kiss", "Because She Thought She Loved Me", "The State Of Montana", "On Tenderness Express", "Kiss me Sadly" and "Confessions of a Romantic Pornographer". His short story collections are "Life in the World of Women", "Fools for Lust" and the collaborative "American Casanova". He is a regular broadcaster on British TV and radio and was recently voted the 4th Sexiest Writer of 2,007 on a poll on the crimespace website.
Jakubowski was born in England by Russian-British and Polish parents, but raised in France. Jakubowski has also lived in Italy and has travelled extensively. Jakubowski edited the science fiction anthology Twenty Houses of the Zodiac in 1979 for the 37th World Science Fiction Convention (Seacon '79) in Brighton. He also contributed a short story to that anthology. He has now published almost 100 books in a variety of areas.
He has worked in book publishing for many years, which he left to open the Murder One bookshop[1], the UK's first specialist crime and mystery bookstore. He contributes to a variety of newspapers and magazines, and was for eight years the crime columnist for Time Out and, presently, since 2000, the crime reviewer for The Guardian. He is also the literary director of London's Crime Scene Festival and a consultant for the International Mystery Film Festival, Noir in Fest, held annually in Courmayeur, Italy. He is one the leading editors in the crime and mystery and erotica field, in which he has published many major anthologies.
His novels include "It's You That I Want To Kiss", "Because She Thought She Loved Me", "The State Of Montana", "On Tenderness Express", "Kiss me Sadly" and "Confessions of a Romantic Pornographer". His short story collections are "Life in the World of Women", "Fools for Lust" and the collaborative "American Casanova". He is a regular broadcaster on British TV and radio and was recently voted the 4th Sexiest Writer of 2,007 on a poll on the crimespace website.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 20, 2024
Not sure why I try with spin-offs, chasing that first read feeling I guess. Other than the reimagined Christmas Carol and one or two others, a bit of a dud.
August 6, 2025
As usual with such collections, there are a few bad eggs. But the others are consistently good, and I'm in a generous mood. Five stars.
September 20, 2023
I was pleasantly surprised by the improved quality of this anthology - compared with the previous instalment. At least in my eyes, there were far better stories included.
Hic sunt spoilers, possibly:
Bonnie MacBird - The Silver Lining - 5/5
Countess Elena Rameau hires Holmes to recover some silverware allegedly stolen by a lady's maid who is having an affair with her husband. The Countess herself takes a liking to Watson, to Holmes' amusement. Holmes and Watson become embroiled in events stemming from the permissive nature of the Rameaus' marriage.
Eric Brown - The Curse of Carmody Grange - 4/5
When the occult writer Oswald Carmody disappears, his daughter calls on Holmes. Travelling to Carmody Grange, they hear of an earlier disappearance, a family curse, and Carmody's search for a magical portal.
Paul A. Freeman - Sherlock Holmes and a Case of Humbug - 5/5
On Christmas Day, Holmes decides to investigate the previous year's transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge and uncovers an old crime.
Nick Sweet - The New Messi - 3/5
Holmes deduces that the disappearance of Watson's fiancée's footballing-fanatic son Leroy is the work of Moriarty in a bid to divert him from filing his plan to bring about the collapse of the world economy.
What an everloving heaven... oooh, a parody. I admit, I was actually amused once I realised I could not take this seriously.
John Grant - The Adventure of the Talking Board - 4/5
During a party, a group of friends manages to contact the spirit of Sherlock Holmes through an Ouija board. They are reminded of a trick they played on a fellow student in the cellars of an Oxford college and his subsequent mysterious disappearance.
Not exactly a Holmesiana, but it's a lovely homage.
O'Neil de Noux - The Booby's Bay Adventure - 5/5
Because he wrote a monograph on that subject, Holmes is asked to verify the authenticity of a painting by the Scottish painter Gowan Gindick, located at Halmouth Abbey inside the Booby's Bay nudist resort.
Such a silly romp.
Ana Teresa Pereira - The Adventure of the Red Dress - 4/5
I am not exactly a fan of the way the story was framed (John has been commissioned by the editor of The Strand to write a Sherlock Holmes story, but his mind is on his lover, Fay - and it seeps into the story he is writing). And yet... the actual case (Lawrence Mason married Violet some two years ago. Returning home after a visit to London, he finds his wife completely changed in appearance, but the servants don't seem to notice) had an almost dream-like feeling, and I quite enjoyed it.
Matthew Booth - The Wargrave Resurrection - 3/5
(This story is also included in the 4th MX book of SH.)
Henry Collins consults Holmes after seeing the publisher Theodore Wargrave entering a Whitechapel lodging house, three years after he supposedly shot himself in the head.
Jan Edwards - The Case of the Waterguard - 3/5
On the day that Holmes is packing to leave Baker Street for Sussex, Billy the page receives a letter telling him that his estranged father - Caleb Thomkins - is in gaol, charged with the murder of a water guard. Holmes learns that the incident happened when customs officers swooped on the smuggling operation that Caleb had been a part of, but he claims that the man was already dead when he stumbled over him.
David N. Smith - The Adventure of the Bloomsbury Pickpocket - 4/5
After forestalling the American criminal Mason Lassiter's attempt to charter a merchant ship in London, Holmes is called upon by a widow whose daughter has fallen in with a disreputable crowd and did not return home the previous night. Shortly thereafter, Lestrade arrives with news of a robbery at the British Museum.
Martin Daley - The Dulwich Solicitor - 5/5
While Watson is courting Miss Morstan, Holmes suspects a foul play after noticing a new, well-dressed, addition to the ranks of the Baker Street Irregulars, and subsequently discovering that the boy has been left destitute after the death of his well-to-do parents.
Philip Vine - The Adventure of the Missing Master - 1/5
A reincarnated Holmes appears at the Islington flat of the grandson, and reincarnation of, Dr Watson and his wife, the reincarnated Mary Morstan. Holmes had been tasked by Mycroft with finding the missing reincarnation of the Tibetan king, Songtsen Gampo, but now that the news of his disappearance has been leaked to the press, he also has to uncover the traitor among Mycroft's staff.
This was... a bit of a confusing mess.
L. C. Tyler - The Pale Reflection - 4/5
Watson is outraged by rival detectives distributing advertising flyers on Baker Street. Holmes is visited by Richard Cromwell, who says that his pharmacist cousin in Cambridge believes that the Prince of Wales was responsible for the death of Prince Albert, thirty years prior.
Cristina Macía & Ian Watson - Sherlock Holmes and the Butterfly Effect - 3/5
Maggie Mo of the Chinese State Security Ministry sends Oxford scholars David Mason and Rajit Sharma back in time to find Sherlock Holmes and bring him to the year 2050.
The idea and quite a few tidbits were rather interesting, but overall I found it hard to read.
David Stuart Davies - The Case of the Secret Assassin - 5/5
Mycroft put Holmes on the case when the Nazis' top assassin, Alex Brunner is smuggled into Britain to kill Churchill.
I don't think I've so far stumbled upon a literary pastiche on the Baker Street Dozen - while it's not my most beloved adaptation, it was spot-on.
Hic sunt spoilers, possibly:
Bonnie MacBird - The Silver Lining - 5/5
Countess Elena Rameau hires Holmes to recover some silverware allegedly stolen by a lady's maid who is having an affair with her husband. The Countess herself takes a liking to Watson, to Holmes' amusement. Holmes and Watson become embroiled in events stemming from the permissive nature of the Rameaus' marriage.
Eric Brown - The Curse of Carmody Grange - 4/5
When the occult writer Oswald Carmody disappears, his daughter calls on Holmes. Travelling to Carmody Grange, they hear of an earlier disappearance, a family curse, and Carmody's search for a magical portal.
Paul A. Freeman - Sherlock Holmes and a Case of Humbug - 5/5
On Christmas Day, Holmes decides to investigate the previous year's transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge and uncovers an old crime.
Nick Sweet - The New Messi - 3/5
Holmes deduces that the disappearance of Watson's fiancée's footballing-fanatic son Leroy is the work of Moriarty in a bid to divert him from filing his plan to bring about the collapse of the world economy.
What an everloving heaven... oooh, a parody. I admit, I was actually amused once I realised I could not take this seriously.
John Grant - The Adventure of the Talking Board - 4/5
During a party, a group of friends manages to contact the spirit of Sherlock Holmes through an Ouija board. They are reminded of a trick they played on a fellow student in the cellars of an Oxford college and his subsequent mysterious disappearance.
Not exactly a Holmesiana, but it's a lovely homage.
O'Neil de Noux - The Booby's Bay Adventure - 5/5
Because he wrote a monograph on that subject, Holmes is asked to verify the authenticity of a painting by the Scottish painter Gowan Gindick, located at Halmouth Abbey inside the Booby's Bay nudist resort.
Such a silly romp.
Ana Teresa Pereira - The Adventure of the Red Dress - 4/5
I am not exactly a fan of the way the story was framed (John has been commissioned by the editor of The Strand to write a Sherlock Holmes story, but his mind is on his lover, Fay - and it seeps into the story he is writing). And yet... the actual case (Lawrence Mason married Violet some two years ago. Returning home after a visit to London, he finds his wife completely changed in appearance, but the servants don't seem to notice) had an almost dream-like feeling, and I quite enjoyed it.
Matthew Booth - The Wargrave Resurrection - 3/5
(This story is also included in the 4th MX book of SH.)
Henry Collins consults Holmes after seeing the publisher Theodore Wargrave entering a Whitechapel lodging house, three years after he supposedly shot himself in the head.
Jan Edwards - The Case of the Waterguard - 3/5
On the day that Holmes is packing to leave Baker Street for Sussex, Billy the page receives a letter telling him that his estranged father - Caleb Thomkins - is in gaol, charged with the murder of a water guard. Holmes learns that the incident happened when customs officers swooped on the smuggling operation that Caleb had been a part of, but he claims that the man was already dead when he stumbled over him.
David N. Smith - The Adventure of the Bloomsbury Pickpocket - 4/5
After forestalling the American criminal Mason Lassiter's attempt to charter a merchant ship in London, Holmes is called upon by a widow whose daughter has fallen in with a disreputable crowd and did not return home the previous night. Shortly thereafter, Lestrade arrives with news of a robbery at the British Museum.
Martin Daley - The Dulwich Solicitor - 5/5
While Watson is courting Miss Morstan, Holmes suspects a foul play after noticing a new, well-dressed, addition to the ranks of the Baker Street Irregulars, and subsequently discovering that the boy has been left destitute after the death of his well-to-do parents.
Philip Vine - The Adventure of the Missing Master - 1/5
A reincarnated Holmes appears at the Islington flat of the grandson, and reincarnation of, Dr Watson and his wife, the reincarnated Mary Morstan. Holmes had been tasked by Mycroft with finding the missing reincarnation of the Tibetan king, Songtsen Gampo, but now that the news of his disappearance has been leaked to the press, he also has to uncover the traitor among Mycroft's staff.
This was... a bit of a confusing mess.
L. C. Tyler - The Pale Reflection - 4/5
Watson is outraged by rival detectives distributing advertising flyers on Baker Street. Holmes is visited by Richard Cromwell, who says that his pharmacist cousin in Cambridge believes that the Prince of Wales was responsible for the death of Prince Albert, thirty years prior.
Cristina Macía & Ian Watson - Sherlock Holmes and the Butterfly Effect - 3/5
Maggie Mo of the Chinese State Security Ministry sends Oxford scholars David Mason and Rajit Sharma back in time to find Sherlock Holmes and bring him to the year 2050.
The idea and quite a few tidbits were rather interesting, but overall I found it hard to read.
David Stuart Davies - The Case of the Secret Assassin - 5/5
Mycroft put Holmes on the case when the Nazis' top assassin, Alex Brunner is smuggled into Britain to kill Churchill.
I don't think I've so far stumbled upon a literary pastiche on the Baker Street Dozen - while it's not my most beloved adaptation, it was spot-on.
July 17, 2022
Incredibly disappointing. These stories read like bad fan-fiction attempts. Characters are far from the acclaimed Holmes and Watson in manner and speech. “Mysteries” were weak and far-fetched. The writing in most of t he stories is mediocre at best. There are much better collections that actually pay homage to Conan Doyle’s works instead of butchering them.
January 4, 2025
1. The Silver Lining - Bonnie MacBird - Countess Rameau approaches Holmes as her silver has been stolen and she knows by who, but that is just the start.
2. The Curse of Carmody Grange - Eric Brown - 1890. The occult writer Oswald Carmody has disappeared from a locked room.
3. Sherlock Holmes and the case of Humbug - Paul A. Freeman - The thought that the skinflint Ebenezer Scrooge has turned philanthropist intrigues Holmes.
4. The New Messi - Nick Sweet - Watson's future stepson has been abducted, but why and by whom.
5. The Adventure of the Talking Board - Using an ouija board who do they contact but Holmes.
6. The Booby's Bay Adventure- O'Neil De Noux - Miss Emily stares she needs the help of Holmes to authenticate a rare painting
7. The Adventure of the Red Dress -Ana Teresa Pereira - A writer needs to write a Holmes story
8. the Wargrave Resurrection - Matthew Booth - 1888 Mr Henry Collins has just seen in Whitechapel a man who shot himself in the head three years previously. And what of the wife.
9. The Case of the Waterguard - Jan Edwards - Billy involves Holmes to prove that his father Caleb Thomkins is innocent of murder
10. the Adventure of the Bloomsbury Pickpocket - David N Smith - A master criminal, a series of thefts and a missing young woman for Holmes to investigate.
11. The Dulwich solicitor- Martin Daley - Holmes investigates the fraud and murders committed by solicitor Silas Wagstaff on numerous orphans
12. The Adventure of the Missing Master - Phillip Vine - Reincarnation and the betrayal of state secrets
13. The Pale Reflection - L C Tyler - Cheap imitators of Holmes
14. Sherlock Holmes and the Butterfly Effect - Cristina Macia with Ian Watson - Time travellers from 2050.
15. The Case of the Secret Assassin - David Stuart Davies - 1942 London and the arrival of a Nazi Assassin.
An entertaining group of short Holmes stories
2. The Curse of Carmody Grange - Eric Brown - 1890. The occult writer Oswald Carmody has disappeared from a locked room.
3. Sherlock Holmes and the case of Humbug - Paul A. Freeman - The thought that the skinflint Ebenezer Scrooge has turned philanthropist intrigues Holmes.
4. The New Messi - Nick Sweet - Watson's future stepson has been abducted, but why and by whom.
5. The Adventure of the Talking Board - Using an ouija board who do they contact but Holmes.
6. The Booby's Bay Adventure- O'Neil De Noux - Miss Emily stares she needs the help of Holmes to authenticate a rare painting
7. The Adventure of the Red Dress -Ana Teresa Pereira - A writer needs to write a Holmes story
8. the Wargrave Resurrection - Matthew Booth - 1888 Mr Henry Collins has just seen in Whitechapel a man who shot himself in the head three years previously. And what of the wife.
9. The Case of the Waterguard - Jan Edwards - Billy involves Holmes to prove that his father Caleb Thomkins is innocent of murder
10. the Adventure of the Bloomsbury Pickpocket - David N Smith - A master criminal, a series of thefts and a missing young woman for Holmes to investigate.
11. The Dulwich solicitor- Martin Daley - Holmes investigates the fraud and murders committed by solicitor Silas Wagstaff on numerous orphans
12. The Adventure of the Missing Master - Phillip Vine - Reincarnation and the betrayal of state secrets
13. The Pale Reflection - L C Tyler - Cheap imitators of Holmes
14. Sherlock Holmes and the Butterfly Effect - Cristina Macia with Ian Watson - Time travellers from 2050.
15. The Case of the Secret Assassin - David Stuart Davies - 1942 London and the arrival of a Nazi Assassin.
An entertaining group of short Holmes stories
January 18, 2022
i confess I’m not a fan of Sherlock Holmes n
These stories were adequate but nothing has really remained with me as great. And nothing was really fun. Some of the writing definitely seemed sophomoric in places to me…but I’m no critic perhaps it just wasn’t to my taste. Adequate…not great. Three stars.
These stories were adequate but nothing has really remained with me as great. And nothing was really fun. Some of the writing definitely seemed sophomoric in places to me…but I’m no critic perhaps it just wasn’t to my taste. Adequate…not great. Three stars.
February 19, 2023
So many tales of S Holmes- I enjoyed most and thought most had a feeling of the time, period and character of both Watson and Holmes. A few showed SH to be courteous and caring and that I had a hard time swallowing! In general I really enjoyed the book-- It's SH and somehow the love for the character lives on...
February 11, 2022
The first few stories were typical Holmes stories. But then the authors moved into time travel, having Holmes use a computer and helping to thwart a wannabe Churchill assassin. I did not care for that format as my Sherlock should be purely in the 19th century
July 27, 2023
Markel !!!
This collection of short stories has a flare of genius to be read again. If you like to be entertained by the written word, you will be disappointed. Sit back, fill your mersham to the bowls .com and light it up.what a nice romp.
This collection of short stories has a flare of genius to be read again. If you like to be entertained by the written word, you will be disappointed. Sit back, fill your mersham to the bowls .com and light it up.what a nice romp.
October 18, 2024
A half'n'half mixture of both good and bad tales in this compilation of 15 short stories. "The Dulwich Solicitor" by Martin Daley was the best of the bunch (having the correct time period and nod to the canon) I also enjoyed the "Christmas Carol" spoof ! Too many of these contributions were set in the wrong time period and were comedic in the extreme.
July 6, 2024
Some good.
October 10, 2024
Rather poor-quality stories.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews