The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories - Part VII Read online

  The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories

  Part VII - Eliminate the Impossible: 1880–1891

  Compiled by

  David Marcum

  First edition published in 2017 by

  MX Publishing

  335 Princess Park Manor, Royal Drive,

  London, N11 3GX

  www.mxpublishing.co.uk

  Digital edition converted and distributed by

  Andrews UK Limited

  www.andrewsuk.com

  © Copyright 2017 MX Publishing

  The right of the individuals listed on the Copyright Information page to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1998.

  All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy, or transmission of this publication may be made without express prior written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied, or transmitted except with express prior written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damage.

  All characters appearing in this work are fictitious or used fictitiously. Any opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not neccessarily represent those of MX Publishing.

  Illustrations by Sidney Paget

  Cover design by Brian Belanger

  www.belangerbooks.com

  www.redbubble.com/people/zhahadun

  These additional Sherlock Holmes adventures can be found in the previous volumes of The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories

  Part I: 1881–1889

  Foreword - Leslie S. Klinger

  Foreword - Roger Johnson

  Sherlock Holmes of London - A Verse in Four Fits - Michael Kurland

  The Adventure of the Slipshod Charlady - John Hall

  The Case of the Lichfield Murder - Hugh Ashton

  The Kingdom of the Blind - Adrian Middleton

  The Adventure of the Pawnbroker’s Daughter - David Marcum

  The Adventure of the Defenestrated Princess - Jayantika Ganguly

  The Adventure of the Inn on the Marsh - Denis O. Smith

  The Adventure of the Traveling Orchestra - Amy Thomas

  The Haunting of Sherlock Holmes - Kevin David Barratt

  Sherlock Holmes and the Allegro Mystery - Luke Benjamen Kuhns

  The Deadly Soldier - Summer Perkins

  The Case of the Vanishing Stars - Deanna Baran

  The Song of the Mudlark - Shane Simmons

  The Tale of the Forty Thieves - C.H. Dye

  The Strange Missive of Germaine Wilkes - Mark Mower

  The Case of the Vanished Killer - Derrick Belanger

  The Adventure of the Aspen Papers - Daniel D. Victor

  The Ululation of Wolves - Steve Mountain

  The Case of the Vanishing Inn - Stephen Wade

  The King of Diamonds - John Heywood

  The Adventure of Urquhart Manse - Will Thomas

  The Adventure of the Seventh Stain - Daniel McGachey

  The Two Umbrellas - Martin Rosenstock

  The Adventure of the Fateful Malady - Craig Janacek

  Part II: 1890–1895

  Foreword - Catherine Cooke

  The Bachelor of Baker Street Muses on Irene Adler - Carole Nelson Douglas

  The Affair of Miss Finney - Ann Margaret Lewis

  The Adventure of the Bookshop Owner - Vincent W. Wright

  The Case of the Unrepentant Husband - William Patrick Maynard

  The Verse of Death - Matthew Booth

  Lord Garnett’s Skulls - J.R. Campbell

  Larceny in the Sky with Diamonds - Robert V. Stapleton

  The Glennon Falls - Sam Wiebe

  The Adventure of The Sleeping Cardinal - Jeremy Branton Holstein

  The Case of the Anarchist’s Bomb - Bill Crider

  The Riddle of the Rideau Rifles - Peter Calamai

  The Adventure of the Willow Basket - Lyndsay Faye

  The Onion Vendor’s Secret - Marcia Wilson

  The Adventure of the Murderous Numismatist - Jack Grochot

  The Saviour of Cripplegate Square - Bert Coules

  A Study in Abstruse Detail - Wendy C. Fries

  The Adventure of the St. Nicholas the Elephant - Christopher Redmond

  The Lady on the Bridge - Mike Hogan

  The Adventure of the Poison Tea Epidemic - Carl L. Heifetz

  The Man on Westminster Bridge - Dick Gilman

  Part III: 1896–1929

  Foreword - David Stuart Davies

  Two Sonnets - Bonnie MacBird

  Harbinger of Death - Geri Schear

  The Adventure of the Regular Passenger - Paul D. Gilbert

  The Perfect Spy - Stuart Douglas

  A Mistress - Missing - Lyn McConchie

  Two Plus Two - Phil Growick

  The Adventure of the Coptic Patriarch - Séamus Duffy

  The Royal Arsenal Affair - Leslie F.E. Coombs

  The Adventure of the Sunken Parsley - Mark Alberstat

  The Strange Case of the Violin Savant - GC Rosenquist

  The Hopkins Brothers Affair - Iain McLaughlin and Claire Bartlett

  The Disembodied Assassin - Andrew Lane

  The Adventure of the Dark Tower - Peter K. Andersson

  The Adventure of the Reluctant Corpse - Matthew J. Elliott

  The Inspector of Graves - Jim French

  The Adventure of the Parson’s Son - Bob Byrne

  The Adventure of the Botanist’s Glove - James Lovegrove

  A Most Diabolical Plot - Tim Symonds

  The Opera Thief - Larry Millett

  Blood Brothers - Kim Krisco

  The Adventure of The White Bird - C. Edward Davis

  The Adventure of the Avaricious Bookkeeper - Joel and Carolyn Senter

  Part IV: 2016 Annual

  Foreword - Steven Rothman

  Foreword - Richard Doyle

  Foreword - Roger Johnson

  Undershaw: An Ongoing Legacy - Foreword by Steve Emecz

  A Word From the Head Teacher at Undershaw - Melissa Farnham

  Toast to Mrs. Hudson - Arlene Mantin Levy

  The Tale of the First Adventure - Derrick Belanger

  The Adventure of the Turkish Cipher - Deanna Baran

  The Adventure of the Missing Necklace - Daniel D. Victor

  The Case of the Rondel Dagger - Mark Mower

  The Adventure of the Double-Edged Hoard - Craig Janacek

  The Adventure of the Impossible Murders - Jayantika Ganguly

  The Watcher in the Woods - Denis O. Smith

  The Wargrave Resurrection - Matthew Booth

  Relating To One of My Old Cases - J.R. Campbell

  The Adventure at the Beau Soleil - Bonnie MacBird

  The Adventure of the Phantom Coachman - Arthur Hall

  The Adventure of the Arsenic Dumplings - Bob Byrne

  The Disappearing Anarchist Trick - Andrew Lane

  The Adventure of the Grace Chalice - Roger Johnson

  The Adventure of John Vincent Harden - Hugh Ashton

  Murder at Tragere House - David Stuart Davies


  The Adventure of The Green Lady - Vincent W. Wright

  The Adventure of the Fellow Traveller - Daniel McGachey

  The Adventure of the Highgate Financier - Nicholas Utechin

  A Game of Illusion - Jeremy Holstein

  The London Wheel - David Marcum

  The Adventure of the Half-Melted Wolf - Marcia Wilson

  Part V: Christmas Adventures

  Foreword - Jonathan Kellerman

  “This bids to be the merriest of Christmases.” - Foreword by Roger Johnson

  The Ballad of the Carbuncle - Poem by Ashley D. Polasek

  The Case of the Ruby Necklace - Bob Byrne

  The Jet Brooch - Denis O. Smith

  The Adventure of the Missing Irregular - Amy Thomas

  The Adventure of the Knighted Watchmaker - Derrick Belanger

  The Stolen Relic - David Marcum

  A Christmas Goose - C.H. Dye

  The Adventure of the Long-Lost Enemy - Marcia Wilson

  The Queen’s Writing Table - Julie McKuras

  The Blue Carbuncle - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Dramatised by Bert Coules)

  The Case of the Christmas Cracker - John Hall

  The Man Who Believed in Nothing - Jim French

  The Case of the Christmas Star - S.F. Bennett

  The Christmas Card Mystery - Narrelle M. Harris

  The Question of the Death Bed Conversion - William Patrick Maynard

  The Adventure of the Christmas Surprise - Vincent W. Wright

  A Bauble in Scandinavia - James Lovegrove

  The Adventure of Marcus Davery - Arthur Hall

  The Adventure of the Purple Poet - Nicholas Utechin

  The Adventure of the Vanishing Man - Mike Chinn

  The Adventure of the Empty Manger - Tracy J. Revels

  A Perpetrator in a Pear Tree - Roger Riccard

  The Case of the Christmas Trifle - Wendy C. Fries

  The Adventure of the Christmas Stocking - Paul D. Gilbert

  The Adventure of the Golden Hunter - Jan Edwards

  The Curious Case of the Well-Connected Criminal - Molly Carr

  The Case of the Reformed Sinner - S. Subramanian

  The Adventure of the Improbable Intruder - Peter K. Andersson

  The Adventure of the Handsome Ogre - Matthew J. Elliott

  The Adventure of the Deceased Doctor - Hugh Ashton

  The Mile End Mynah Bird - Mark Mower

  Part VI: 2017 Annual

  Foreword - Colin Jeavons

  Foreword - Nicholas Utechin

  “The Universality of the Man’s Interests” - Roger Johnson

  Sweet Violin - Bonnie MacBird

  The Adventure of the Murdered Spinster - Bob Byrne

  The Irregular - Julie McKuras

  The Coffee Trader’s Dilemma - Derrick Belanger

  The Two Patricks - Robert Perret

  The Adventure at St. Catherine’s - Deanna Baran

  The Adventure of a Thousand Stings - GC Rosenquist

  The Adventure of the Returned Captain - Hugh Ashton

  The Adventure of the Wonderful Toy - David Timson

  The Adventure of the Cat’s Claws - Shane Simmons

  The Grave Message - Stephen Wade

  The Radicant Munificent Society - Mark Mower

  The Adventure of the Apologetic Assassin - David Friend

  The Adventure of the Traveling Corpse - Nick Cardillo

  The Adventure of the Apothecary’s Prescription - Roger Riccard

  The Case of the Bereaved Author - S. Subramanian

  The Tetanus Epidemic - Carl L. Heifetz

  The Bubble Reputation - Geri Schear

  The Case of the Vanishing Venus - S.F. Bennett

  The Adventure of the Vanishing Apprentice - Jennifer Copping

  The Adventure of the Apothecary Shop - Jim French

  The Case of the Plummeting Painter - Carla Coupe

  The Case of the Temperamental Terrier - Narrelle M. Harris

  The Adventure of the Frightened Architect - Arthur Hall

  The Adventure of the Sunken Indiaman - Craig Janacek

  The Exorcism of the Haunted Stick - Marcia Wilson

  The Adventure of the Queen’s Teardrop - Tracy Revels

  The Curious Case of the Charwoman’s Brooch - Molly Carr

  The Unwelcome Client - Keith Hann

  The Tempest of Lyme - David Ruffle

  The Problem of the Holy Oil - David Marcum

  A Scandal in Serbia - Thomas A. Turley

  The Curious Case of Mr. Marconi - Jan Edwards

  Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson Learn to Fly - C. Edward Davis

  Die Weisse Frau - Tim Symonds

  A Case of Mistaken Identity - Daniel D. Victor

  Copyright Information

  All of the contributions in this collection are copyrighted by the authors listed below. Grateful acknowledgement is given to the authors and/or their agents for the kind permission to use their work within these volumes.

  The following contributions appear in this volume:

  The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories

  Part VII - Eliminate the Impossible: 1880–1891

  “The Adventure of Vanaprastha” ©2017 by Hugh Ashton. All Rights Reserved. Hugh Ashton appears by kind permission of Inknbeans Press. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Last Encore of Quentin Carol” ©2017 by S.F. Bennett. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author

  “Foreword” ©2017 by Lee Child. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Adventure of the Haunted Room” ©2017 by Mike Chinn. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “Where Pastiche Begins” ©2017 by Michael Cox. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Curious Case of the Sweated Horse” ©2017 by Jan Edwards. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “A Message From the Head Teacher of Stepping Stones” ©2017 by Melissa Farnham. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Mystery of the Scarab Earrings” ©2017 by Thomas Fortenberry. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Tuttman Gallery” ©2001, 2017 by Jim French. All Rights Reserved. First publication of text script in this collection. Originally presented in broadcast form as Episode No. 24 of Imagination Theatre’s The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, October 28, 2001. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Adventure of the Mortal Combat” ©2017 by Jayantika Ganguly. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Second Life of Jabez Salt” ©2017 by John Linwood Grant. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Case of the Unquiet Grave” ©2017 by John Hall. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Tranquility of the Morning” ©2017 by Mike Hogan. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Case of the Petty Curses” ©2008, 2017 by Steven Philip Jones. All Rights Reserved. First prose publication, original to this collection. Originally presented in broad
cast form as Episode No. 82 of Imagination Theatre’s The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, February 24, 2008. Printed by permission of the author.

  “Rubbish, Watson, Rubbish!” ©2017 by Roger Johnson. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “Foreword” ©2017 by Rand B. Lee. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Adventure of the Marchindale Stiletto” ©2016 by James Lovegrove. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “No Ghosts Need Apply” ©2017 by Jacquellyn Morris. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “Editor’s Introduction: ‘Eliminate the Impossible’” ©2017 by David Marcum. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Adventure of A Rat.” ©2017 by Adrian Middleton. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Blank Photograph” ©2017 by James Moffett. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Melancholy Methodist” ©2016 by Mark Mower. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Case of the Cursed Clock” ©2017 by Gayle Lange Puhl. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Ghost of Lincoln” ©2017 by Geri Schear. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Adventure of the Mind’s Eye” ©2017 by Shane Simmons. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Pharaoh’s Curse” ©2016 by Robert V. Stapleton. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “The Manor House Ghost” ©2016 by S. Subramanian. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.

  “A Ghost From Christmas Past” ©2016 by Thomas A. Turley. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.