The Great Detective: Sherlock Holmes Reborn

No matter how hard Sir Arthur Conan Doyle tried to rid the world of his most famous detective (in his short story “The Final Problem”), there's something about the erudite Holmes that continues to capture writers' imaginations. Some reincarnations are more faithful than others—few readers ever pictured Holmes as the street-smart, bemuscled (and mostly sober!) detective played by Robert Downey Jr. in Guy Ritchie's 2009 film, Sherlock Holmes. A highly adaptive figure, Holmes is great fun as seen in these new iterations.

No doubt many mystery writers point to Conan Doyle as an influence, but some have gone a step further, writing additional cases for Sherlock Holmes. In Caleb Carr's The Italian Secretary (Griffin: St. Martin's. 2009. ISBN 978-0-312-35204-2. pap. $14.99), a series of killings at Holyrood House in Edinburgh bear an uncanny resemblance to crimes committed against the advisors of Mary, Queen of Scots 300 years earlier. Holmes and Watson are called in to solve the case before anyone close to Queen Victoria—or the monarch herself—ends up dead.

Sherlock Holmes being a fictional character doesn't detract from the enjoyment of Nick Rennison's Sherlock Holmes: The Unauthorized Biography (Grove. ISBN 978-0-8021-4325-9. pap. $14). No detail is spared, from Holmes's lonely childhood to his work for the Crown to his relationships with such Victorian luminaries as Sigmund Freud and Oscar Wilde. This is a real treat for history buffs.

Many readers like Watson just as much as they enjoy his better-known partner. Give them Lindsay Faye's Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson (S. & S. 2009. ISBN 978-1-4165-8331-8. pap. $14). True to Conan Doyle's narrative tone, Watson looks back on Holmes's investigation of Jack the Ripper. What begins as idle curiosity becomes personal when Holmes is stabbed by the killer. With the help of a police inspector and a feisty friend of one of the victims—and hindered by a suspicious journalist—Holmes is most assuredly on the case.

If your patrons crave more mysteries, there's Laurie R. King's excellent Mary Russell series. In the ninth and most recent title, The Language of Bees (Bantam. 2009. ISBN 978-0-553-80454-6. $25), Mary is in Sussex deciphering the destruction of one of Holmes's beehives while Holmes looks for a missing wife and her daughter. But Holmes needs Mary—and his brother Mycroft—to help him solve the case. Each title stands on its own, but if you want to watch the development of Mary and Sherlock's relationship, start with the first, The Beekeeper's Apprentice.

If the appeal is the Victorian setting, suggest Gyles Brandreth's series opener, Oscar Wilde And A Death of No Importance (Touchstone: S. & S. 2008. ISBN 978-1-4165-3483-9. pap. $14), in which Arthur Conan Doyle helps his friend Oscar Wilde discover the truth about the murder of an artist's model. What unfolds is a plot familiar to anyone who's read The Picture of Dorian Gray, but the duo's path to the truth is the real treat for Conan Doyle fans.

Sherlock Holmes in America (2009. Skyhorse. ISBN 978-1-60239-934-1. pap. $14.95), edited by Martin Harry Greenberg and others, collects short stories written by contemporary writers inspired by Holmes. Readers will delight as Holmes battles enemies from New York to the Wild West. In Matthew Pearl's “The Adventure of the Boston Dromio,” Watson and Holmes help an old friend solve the murder of his housekeeper. The sleuths team up with Wyatt Earp in Loren D. Estleman's “The Adventure of the Coughing Dentist” to save Doc Holliday from the hangman.

If readers are attracted to the ghostly hound that haunted the Baskervilles, give them Gaslight Grimoire: Fantastic Tales of Sherlock Holmes (Edge. 2008. ISBN 978-1-894063-17-3. pap. $16.95), edited by J.R. Campbell and Charles Prepolec. Unlike Conan Doyle's stories, which always had a rational, earthly solution, these tales explore the otherworldly magic so often imagined in Victorian London. Some include references to other Victorian novels. For example, Barbara Hambly's “The Lost Boy” has Holmes helping a boy who won't grow up find the missing Darling children.

For something contemporary and different, pick up Michael Robertson's The Baker Street Letters (Minotaur: St. Martin's. 2009. ISBN 978-0-312-53812-5. $24.95). Brothers Reggie and Nigel Heath rent an office on Baker Street, with the stipulation that they must answer letters sent to Sherlock Holmes. After reading a 20-year-old missive from a little girl in California, Nigel disappears, leaving a dead body behind. More of a caper than an intellectual mystery, but Holmes fans and even mystery book groups will enjoy the ride.

This column was contributed by Susan Maguire, Collection Specialist Librarian, Kanawha County Public Library, Charleston, WV, who loves helping patrons find the right book