My Review of The Art of Sherlock Holmes

Firstly my thanks go to both Caroline Vincent for inviting me to review The Art of Sherlock Holmes and to Philip Growick for curating this unique creation.

I thoroughly enjoyed the stupendous art that preceded each story, I scrutinised each in a very Holmsian way, looking for clues of what was to come. 

My Review: 

Initially enthusiastic, I then approached the collection with some trepidation. I read my first Sherlock Holmes story forty years ago, and whilst on a sabbatical from teaching, have just reread the entire collection.  I need not have worried as Philip Growick has chosen both wisely and expertly. I was reassured from the opening story, which turned out to be one of my favourites and was aptly named: The Tale of the First Adventure by Derrick Belanger. I was immediately impressed by the characterisation of both Holmes and Watson as they were spot on. I loved the homage to the original stories with mentions of Toby the dog from The Sign of Four and the Jezail bullet that caused Watson's leg wound. 

Belanger cleverly takes the reader back in time to a young schoolboy Sherlock and manages to enhance our understanding of Holmes providing a clever plot to show how Holmes learns that sometimes your heart should rule your head. 

I struggled to pick an absolute favourite but ultimately went for A Ghost from Christmas Past by Thomas A Turley. Turley, similar to many in the collection, takes us back in time and the reader learns all about Watson and a previous marriage. I also loved the idea, again a recurrent theme in many of the stories, that much of the action takes place in America, San Francisco to be precise where the Civil War may be over but it is certainly not forgotten. Watson's brother got to make an appearance too and it was super to witness the sibling dynamics in play. 

I enjoyed reading how different characters embraced, or struggled to, both the new and the old worlds. At its heart A Ghost From Christmas Past is a love story and for that it won both my heart and my head.