The Redacted Sherlock Holmes Volume 1

I like to think that there is hardly a soul on this earth who has not heard of Sherlock Holmes and his colleague Doctor Watson. Through either his creator's books or the many radio, television and film productions Holmes and Watson have a worldwide following. Demand for more cases will always be there. Many authors have written new tales and adventures for the detective duo and also for their deadly enemy Professor Moriarty.

In this slim, but interesting volume Doctor Watson's successor is Orlando Pearson. He recounts three new short storiesfrom the annals of Sherlock Holmes taken from notes made by Doctor Watson at the time, but kept secret because they were too controversial for their day. Holmes and Watson are found still working to tackle the evils of the world in the twentieth century.

In the first of these absorbing vignettes we find them in 1945 and the last days of the WWII. Holmes has been asked to interview Rudolf Hess to ascertain his reasons for flying to the United Kingdom in 1941 and assess his mental state before he is sent back to Germany to stand trial for his war crimes. The questioning reveals some astounding information about the Führer and his deputies.

The second case is set towards the end of the 19th into the 20th Century and involves the investigation into the murder of the King of Nova Alba. Holmes is consulted by the new King, he is asked to find the truth behind the murder of his predecessor uncovering shocking revelations.

While the setting of the third case is left deliberately vague it is about an investigation into the tobacco industry and its close relationship with the government of the day. Here Doctor Watson plays a larger part than just note taker, he undertakes a large part of the investigation himself under Holmes' direction of course.

There are, I think, some interesting reminders of the news topics of recent years and today within the cases. It is an enjoyable though brief read, though perhaps more detail and a greater use of Holmes' tried and tested methods would have increased the feeling that you were really in their world. But, then the idea may not be simply to replicate the Conan Doyle world. It may be to begin a new chapter setting an ageing Holmes and Watson in the Edwardian era and beyond. There are more cases from Mr Pearson online.