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Sherlock Holmes: The Impossible Cases Paperback – November 16, 2010

by Daniel Mcgachey (Author), Joe Morey (Editor), Wayne Miller (Illustrator)
"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."-Sherlock Holmes

In these recently discovered accounts, sealed and hidden from prying eyes for almost a century, Dr. John H. Watson puts pen to paper once more, as he accompanies his friend, that most rational of detectives, Mr. Sherlock Holmes in the utterly irrational realm of the otherworldly, the uncanny, and the supernatural.

Enter the gaslit world of Holmes and Watson-a world caught halfway between the bright glare of science and logic and the darker clutches of superstition and fear-a world of unknown creatures, secret seances, ancient curses, and forbidden knowledge-where the enquiring mind of the world's first consulting detective must search for the answers to some new and challenging questions...

What was it about the loathsome contents of a match-box that sent an apparently fearless man stark raving mad?

How can Sherlock Holmes be called upon to investigate a murder where the victim is his client, and where the murder has already taken place?

Can mere words in a stolen manuscript really open men's minds to maddeningly terrifying visions of a world beyond our own?

In order to find the solutions to these problems, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson may yet discover that sometimes it is not so easy to eliminate the impossible!

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About the Author

Daniel McGachey grew up in Kilsyth, a small town on the outskirts of Glasgow, Scotland. A steady diet of Dr. Who, 2000 A.D. comic strips, Rathbone and Bruce, and later Brett, Burke and Hardwicke as Holmes and Watson, and the films of Hammer and Amicus left him with an abiding love of the frightening, fantastical and mysterious that would lead him to the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Nigel Kneale, and the pleasing terrors of M.R. James.

He relocated to Dundee in 1989, where he works in publishing, having written scripts for some well-loved children's comic strip characters, more recently focusing on digital media and animation.

His ghost stories have appeared in The BHF Book of Horror Stories, and Black Book of Horror series of anthologies, and Filthy Creations magazine, while his radio plays have been broadcast as part of the syndicated mystery and suspense series Imagination Theatre. He is also a regular contributor of reviews of television and radio adaptions of M.R. James's ghost stories to The Ghosts and Scholars M.R. James Newsletter.

His first collection, They That Dwell in Dark Places and Other Ghost stories, was published by Dark Regions Press.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dark Regions Press; First paperback / softcover edition (November 16, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 274 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1888993790
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1888993790
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Raven
    5.0 out of 5 stars Supernatural Holmes
    Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2013
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    This volume is probably the best collections of pastiche Holmes stories that I have read in recent history, which says a lot, as I am an avid Holmes fan. From the moment of explanation of the discovery of these unchronicled cases until the last page, I couldn't put the book down and devoured it in one setting.

    We open with a case Watson referred to but never wrote up, Isadore Persano and the remarkable worm unknown to science. I won't give any spoilers, but I have read several attempts to do this story, and Daniel McGachey wins hands down. Fast flowing action and a situation where the apparently impossible cannot be eliminated, and the illogical is the only logical conclusion. A famous book of forbidden power, a fanatical devote of the dark arts, and of course the worm and a man who isn't what he seems, combine to form a story that is sheer genius! Read the book and watch the verbal tapestry as it weaves into a work of art!

    The next story takes us into the realm of spiritualism, which was highly in fashion during the time of Sherlock Holmes. A mysterious young medium, a tale of murder, a missing child of a noble family, and the secret of "The man who died and yet lives" form a spooky brew that will glue you to your seat! Read and discover the secret of the White Queen, the cruel Knight, and the dragon & unicorn!

    On to the Addleton tragedy and the ancient barrow, another case to which Watson alludes. I will only say that this could have been an Indiana Jones story, as it deals with both mysticism and archeology, and the crushing death of one man and a man driven mad by what he has witnessed. Read the book and find out what happens when an ancient Long Barrow is finally opened. Read and discover how ancient stone machinery and mysterious skeletons fit into a murder mystery and a legendary curse.

    The last story deals with a play which seems to ensnare everyone who watches a performance. Why was the manuscript stolen, and what does it have to do with the Diogenes Club, home base for Mycroft Holmes? Why did an actor whose pallid face nearly glows in the dark desert the company that was preparing to perform the play in an effort to make their fame and fortune? And what is the influencing power of this strange worded play? And can we be certain that anything is what it seems? As I said, read the book, I doubt that you will be disappointed!

    Mr. McGachey has hit this one out of the park, and I can only hope he will give us another volume, even SEVERAL more volumes of his tightly written action packed cases of Holmes and Watson in the paranormal realm. Please? We want more!

    Quoth the Raven...
    2 people found this helpful
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  • JT
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2016
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    Fantastic read for anyone who appreciates the Holmes personna.
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  • Michael
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Re-Imagining of Holmes and Watson
    Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2012
    Daniel McGachey takes an interesting tack when introducing the hyper-rational Sherlock Holmes to the supernatural. The four primary tales--"as recorded by Dr. John H. Watson and transcribed by Daniel McGachey"--allow for both rational and irrational explanations, eliminating the need for Holmes to proclaim himself overtly as a believer...to a degree, at least. The tone, the atmosphere, the descriptions, and the occasional asides by `Dr. Watson' make it clear that McGachey is trying to attain the best of two worlds; and to a large extent, he succeeds.

    The foreword presents what has by now become de rigueur for Holmes pastiches, indeed, for pastiches of many sorts: an explanation of where the hitherto unknown stories came from. In this case, an American couple settling in Sussex Downs, in the process of renovating a cottage, happens upon a large metal box containing, of all things, stories that Watson had initially stored in a bank vault, not to be published until his and Holmes's death. That necessity out of the way, the book then provides a preface by `Watson' that gives readers both a glimpse at Holmes's techniques as a detective and Watson's introduction of the theme that recurs throughout the four tales: "...sometimes in our pursuit of the truth, it was not always so easy to eliminate the impossible."

    With that, McGachey launches immediately into the four tales: "The Adventure of the Unknown Worm," the longest, most complex, and most obviously allusive story; "The Adventure of the Voice in the Smoke," which rests more nearly on perceived coincidence than the others, although the reader leaves the story convinced of the supernatural nature of several events; "The Adventure of the Red Barrow Horror," which depends heavily upon folkloric traditions while at the same time undercutting them; and "The Adventure of the Pallid Mask," whose centerpiece is a play rumored to damage anyone who reads or watches it.

    Along the way, McGachey treats us to allusions to H. P. Lovecraft's Cosmic Mythos and other excursions into horror--we hear about the mad Arab Abdul Alhazred and a number of the texts whose names have become attached to terror and dread, and we actually see the WORM referred to in Ludwig Prinn's infamous treatise, De Vermis Mystreiis. We hear an echo of Robert Browning's flawless portrait of madness and sociopathy in one character's challenge: "I had given them both my name, the name of my ancestors, and I wasn't going to let them sully that with their pathetic intrigues. He had to be stopped!"

    And throughout, McGachey maintains the illusion that these are Watson's words, recounting Holmes's exploits. The language is impeccable; the sentence structures harken back to an earlier century, dense and resonant but ideal for the context.

    Sherlock Holmes: The Impossible Cases makes the most of the Holmsian milieu--Baker Street and the Irregulars, Mrs. Hudson and Inspector Lestrade, London and the English countryside, the insistent threat to life and to Empire--while at the same time opening up new possibilities...and new horrors.
    Highly recommended.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Randal
    3.0 out of 5 stars daniel mcgachey book review
    Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2014
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    I HAVEN'T HAD TIME TO READ THE BOOK YET SO i WILL Have to reserve judgement on this authors skill in telling his sherlock holmes novel.
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  • fastreader
    5.0 out of 5 stars A strong collection of Sherlockian Tales sure to impress
    Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2013
    This is a very strong collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. The style, phraseology and pacing are spot on, and has obviously been done with care and respect for the character and the original stories.

    There are six cases in total ranging from 8 pages to 74 pages long ably told by Dr Watson; as always.

    I see some steampunk imagery sneaking in here, but overall the stories are totally within the genre.

    As is usual it seems with Sherlock, he is in front of you and all around you at times, and it's sometimes hard to tell whether he is trying to deal and solve a problem , or whether he is the creator of the problem. That's what gives us readers pause to ponder.

    Highly recommended anthology
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Drstatz
    1.0 out of 5 stars I Got Snookered
    Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2014
    Amazon executives no doubt are gleeful knowing that a Holmes/Watson book that appears stands a good chance of landing in my shopping cart. If tipped off that a book contains supernatural elements like seances, spooks or the wicked witch of the east end, I will avoid it like the plague. Regarding this book, if I had known it would spend time prowling into the realms of the occult chasing worms (I'm not kidding), it would never have gotten into my shopping cart. Now I know but all is not lost. A friend enjoys books on the occult so I will make the book a gift to her.

    So regarding the quality of the book, others will have to weigh in although the next time I see a book by this particular author, I will check very closely to assure things like seances in dark, smelly rooms are not included in the reasoning processes I read the Holmes/Watson books to enjoy.
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Michael Galley
    5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute delight
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 28, 2023
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    The Sherlock Holmes stories have been an inexhaustible source of pleasure and comfort to me ever since I first discovered them as a child. I return to Doyle's stories of the Great Detective at least a couple of times a year, just to be able to enter that world and be with those characters again. The level of familiarity I have with the original stories, however, makes a really good pastiche an equal pleasure for me because of the novelty that an unfamiliar narrative can bring. For me this goes right back to my treasured and much loved 1970s copies of 'The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes' by Julian Dickson Carr and Adrian Conan Doyle and 'Exit Sherlock Holmes' by Robert Lee Hall which first introduced me to the whole genre of non-canonical Holmes stories. I've read many over the years, and 'The Impossible Cases' by Daniel McGachey is among the very best. Perhaps the most remarkable achievement of this wonderful book is that, while pushing daringly further into the territory of the fantastical and the gothic than Doyle ever cares to (even in something like Baskervilles) the central relationship of Holmes and Watson, and the characterisation of each of them, never feels less than authentic. With a few honourable exceptions, the Holmes and Watson that appear in many other writer's approaches to the characters rarely feel quite real or recognisable. In 'The Impossible Cases' they are every inch Doyle's characters. Each of the four stories which make up the book - short novellas really - are equally effective, though I particularly enjoyed the atmospheric use of Victorian spiritualism in 'The Voice in the Smoke' and the pleasingly M.R. Jamesian quality of 'The Red Barrow Horror.' It's a very impressive piece of writing throughout. Atmospheric, intriguing, suspenseful, and always wonderfully authentic. Every page is a pleasure.
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  • Heather
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 14, 2016
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    Good read
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  • Bryan Hay
    4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasantly plausible
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 2, 2014
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    When you have eliminated the impossible. Intriguing yarns
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