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Denis O. Smith
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The Mammoth Book of the New Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes: 12 Original Stories Kindle Edition

by Denis O. Smith (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
“‘Is it really possible, do you suppose,’ said Sherlock Holmes to me one morning, as we took breakfast together, ‘that a healthy and robust man may be so stricken with terror that he drops down dead?’”

The much praised Denis O. Smith introduces twelve new Sherlockian stories in this collection, including “The Adventure of the XYZ Club,” “The Secret of Shoreswood Hall,” and “The Adventure of the Brown Box.” Set in the late nineteenth century before Holmes's disappearance at the Reichenbach Falls, these stories, written in the vein of the originals, recreate Arthur Conan Doyle’s world with deft fidelity, from manner of speech and character traits to plot unfoldings and the historical period. Whether in fogbound London or deep in the countryside, the world’s most beloved detective is brought vividly back to life in all his enigmatic, compelling glory, embarking on seemingly impenetrable mysteries with Dr. Watson by his side.

For readers who can never get enough of Holmes, this satisfyingly hefty anthology builds on the old Conan Doyle to develop familiar characters in ways the originals could not. Both avid fans and a new generation of audiences are sure to be entertained with this continuation of the Sherlock Holmes legacy.

Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction—novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Smith is adept at generating suspense, even in stories not dependent on violence. His traditional approach will appeal to readers who want period mysteries featuring characters Conan Doyle would have no trouble recognizing."
-Publishers Weekly starred review

"Smith masterfully uses some of Doyle's favorite starting plots: the theft of a famous jewel with a bloody history, a family inheritance fight, and the hunt for secret papers. He adds the atmosphere of London and environs just before the turn of the last century, and Doyle's characters behave as expected. The ten short stories and two somewhat longer ones kept my interest, and for a while I could almost imagine I'd come across a new trove of genuine Doyle material."
-Unshelved Book Club

About the Author

Denis O. Smith is the author of multiple Sherlock Holmes anthologies, such as The Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes, volumes one to four. His interests range from logic and the history of London to Victorian society and railways. He lives in Norfolk, England.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01H0825UM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Skyhorse (August 23, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 23, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 890 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 587 pages

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,052 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy these Sherlock Holmes stories for their depth and authentic writing style that closely mirrors Arthur Conan Doyle's original works. Moreover, the stories feature well-developed characters, with one review specifically praising the portrayal of John Watson, and customers find them amusing and worth the reasonable price. Additionally, customers appreciate the detective skill displayed in the stories, with one review highlighting Holmes' extraordinary problem-solving abilities.

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119 customers mention "Readability"111 positive8 negative

Customers find the book readable and enjoyable, with each story receiving positive feedback, and one customer noting that the stories have depth.

"This is a mixed bag of stories of short stories to almost short novels as a couple were 80 some pages...." Read more

"...The ambience is right, the stories are fresh and new, and could have been written by Sir Arthur...." Read more

"...A very, very unexpected pleasure to read!" Read more

"Stories and plots were satisfying and well written. All in the Watson mode. Too much Watson however...." Read more

41 customers mention "Writing style"33 positive8 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, noting that it matches Arthur Conan Doyle's authentic tone and realistic dialogue.

"...I think he's gotten Watson's "voice" down. The ambience is right, the stories are fresh and new, and could have been written by Sir..." Read more

"...collection of stories is possibly the best imitation of that great man's style that I have read. It was a delight from beginning to end!..." Read more

"I enjoyed this book very much. I am language and image oriented and this book with it's grown up language and detailed descriptions gave me a good..." Read more

"Thoroughly enjoyed these stories. The author wrote in a style similar to Arthur Conan Doyle, which I really liked and appreciated...." Read more

28 customers mention "Enjoyment"28 positive0 negative

Customers find these Sherlock Holmes stories enjoyable and amusing, with one customer noting how they kept them turning the pages.

"...But OVERALL this was fun to read and I enjoyed the vast majority of it ...." Read more

"...It was a delight from beginning to end! I congratulate Mr Smith on his exceptional understanding of Doyle's characters and methods...." Read more

"...book with it's grown up language and detailed descriptions gave me a good bit of fun...." Read more

"...The storylines seemed to be well though out and kept me wanting to turn the page...." Read more

14 customers mention "Character development"11 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one customer noting that John Watson is nicely recreated, and another mentioning that Holmes is not portrayed as an obnoxious jerk.

"...I congratulate Mr Smith on his exceptional understanding of Doyle's characters and methods. A very, very unexpected pleasure to read!" Read more

"...Perhaps the best compliment is that the familiar characters rarely seemed off-base and almost never innovative...." Read more

"...The period is well portrayed, the incidental characters are just as well rounded and oddball as in the originals, and the mysteries themselves..." Read more

"The characters are all out of character with almost no resemblance to Doyle's...." Read more

10 customers mention "Holmes style"10 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the Holmes style in this collection, describing it as the best of the modern adaptations and the finest non-Conan Doyle books.

"...this author, Dennis Smith, has best captured the flavor and style of Conan Doyle." Read more

"One of the better Holmes send-ups. The author has a good grasp of the tone and language of the original...." Read more

"This is one of the best Sherlock Holmes books I've read since, you know, the 'real' Sherlock...." Read more

"By far the best Conan Doyle knockoffs I've read (and I've read a lot)...." Read more

4 customers mention "Detective skill"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate Holmes' detective skills, with one mentioning his extraordinary abilities and another enjoying the cases he solves.

"...are a variety of stories which manage to exhibit the extraordinary skills of Holmes and, as expected, are reported by Dr. Watson...." Read more

"good detective movie" Read more

"...is a terrific book, and any fan of the world's first and greatest consulting detective should enjoy it, An enormous amount of fun...." Read more

"I enjoyed the cases that Holmes solves. It was reminiscent of the original cases and books by Sir Arthur Canon Doyle." Read more

4 customers mention "Value for money"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well worth the reasonable price paid.

"...However, they are well worth it...." Read more

"Good stories but a bit too wordy and over descriptive. Good reading for reasonable cost...." Read more

"a worthy collection. A good buy for the money" Read more

"...Well worth the reasonable price paid." Read more

3 customers mention "Authenticity"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the authenticity of the stories, with one noting how they feel close to the original works.

"...Arthur Conan Doyle, and this collection of stories is possibly the best imitation of that great man's style that I have read...." Read more

"...I really enjoyed this collection. Even the meanderings felt close to the original and the stories evoked both Victorian England and Sherlock and..." Read more

"The author captured the pace, the voice and feel of the originals as well as some interesting plotting. Highly recommended." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Holmes Fan
    5.0 out of 5 stars An Open Fan Letter: The Best of the Pastichers!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2014
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    In Issue 339 of "The District Messenger" (January 30, 2014), the newsletter of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London, editor Roger Johnson wrote: "The Watson style is deceptively difficult to imitate. Good practitioners include June Thomson, Hugh Ashton and David Marcum, but the best is probably Denis O. Smith."

    While I would add a few other names to this list, such as the late Barrie Roberts, Gerard Kelly, and Tony Reynolds, I have to agree that the best truly is Denis O. Smith. From the first time that I first read Mr. Smith's initial efforts at editing Watson's notes, in the pamphlets that he originally self-published back in the early 1980's, I knew that these were a cut above the others. Now, with this latest collection of Smith's work, mixing seven new stories with five that have been previously published elsewhere, we have even more to enjoy.

    The seven new stories, never previously published - as far as my research can determine - are (with titles appropriately prefaced by "The Adventure of"): "Kendal Terrace", "The Smiling Face", "The Fourth Glove", "The English Scholar", "The Amethyst Ring", "Queen Hyppolyta", and "Dedstone Mill".

    As I mentioned, five of the stories in this collection have been previously published. One of them, "The Richmond Recluse" (originally published under the title "The Richmond Horror") first appeared in issues 32 and 33 of the now-defunct "Sherlock" magazine, and then in the book collection "Sherlock Holmes: The Game's Afoot", edited by David Stuart Davies.

    Three of the previously published stories in this book each made their first appearance in the new "Strand Magazine", and have remained uncollected until now: "A Hair's Breadth" (Issue No.1), "The Crimson Arrow" (Issue No.2), and "An Incident in Society" (Issue No.3).

    The final previously published story in this current collection, "The Willow Pool", initially appeared in Smith's "The Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes, Volume IV" (2002 - Calabash Press).

    For new fans of Mr. Smith's works, all of the rest of his editorial efforts of Watson's notes are available in a few other volumes, although some effort and expense will be required to obtain them. "The Brown Box" was originally in issue 68 of "Sherlock" magazine, and was also in the collection "Sherlock Holmes: The Game's Afoot", edited by Davies. The rest of Smith's works, some reprinted from his early pamphlets and some newly written at the time, were previously collected in the four volumes of "The Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes", published by Calabash Press in the 1990's and early 2000's. For those who were not fortunate enough or observant enough to snap up "The Chronicles" when they first appeared, acquiring them now can be quite expensive. However, they are well worth it.

    My only complaint about this particular book, and it's not enough to reduce the five-star rating that this book deserves, has nothing to do with the stories at all. It's the cover art, which shows two people who, upon examination, do not look like too much like Our Heroes at all, other than the correct-period clothing. (Holmes and Watson belong in the Victorian and Edwardian eras.) Especially disturbing is that odd and somewhat cadaver-esque-looking Holmes. Or maybe Watson's illustration looks worse. I vaccilate back and forth. They're both bad. I wish that something like the original art that appeared on Smith's "The Chronicles" books, which showed Holmes and Watson as if they had been drawn by Sidney Paget, could have been used instead. However, one can't judge a book by its cover, and the contents inside this volume more than overcome the dissatisfaction that I have with the book's illustration.

    By my count, there are currently twenty-six of Watson's adventures that have been edited by Smith over the years. Twelve of them appear in this current book, leaving fourteen to be collected in a future second volume, which I want to go on record as demanding right now. And while I'm at it, I would like to encourage Mr. Smith keep editing more of Watson's notes. I wrote an enthusiastic fan letter to him at his British home years ago, and he was kind enough to write back. This is a more public fan letter, but my sentiments are still the same. He is the best of the lot at capturing Watson's voice, and he only has to "edit" another 34 more stories to equal the number of the original Canon. I can't wait.
    40 people found this helpful
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  • David W. Nesbitt
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good but needed some editing!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2014
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    This is a mixed bag of stories of short stories to almost short novels as a couple were 80 some pages.

    I personally felt the short stories were better as the longer ones seemed to have details that just increased the page count and not neccessary the enjoyment. I particulary didn't like the next to last story, 'Dedstone Mill' due to 2 reasons :

    1. Was it really neccessary to have the one bad guy blow his brains out in front of the childern? I believe other endings would have been more appropriate and better suited to a Sherlock Holmes story.

    2. Also the ending was kind of abupt - especially grating after what I felt was a too long story. There was no comments form Watson or Holmes - it just kind of ended.

    But OVERALL this was fun to read and I enjoyed the vast majority of it .

    I would rate this overall a 8.25 to 8.75 - good but could have been better with some editing down on several of the stories - Recommended for most Holmes & Watson fans!

    The bottom line is that I would buy and read more Holmes stories from this writer!
    5 people found this helpful
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  • K. J. Kalin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Mammoth Book The Lost Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes by Denis O. Smith
    Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2014
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    I have three more stories to go, and I can't wait to finish them to write this review. Over the past week or so, I have been reading Sherlock Holmes books/short stories by various authors with varying degrees of pleasure/displeasure/disappointment. I don't care for Holmes battling aliens from outer space-please! helping children improve their school work-too cutesy, or overly humorous stories, or Holmes golfing, and I have issues with Watson. Either he is too intelligent and too-involved, or just too damn dumb. So dumb that he shouldn't be let out by himself. Dimmer even than Nigel Bruce's Watson-which I didn't consider possible.

    I looked at Denis O. Smith's "Lost Chronicles" a couple of times and read the reviews, and finally decided to try it. I have been immensely pleased. I think he's gotten Watson's "voice" down. The ambience is right, the stories are fresh and new, and could have been written by Sir Arthur.

    I have been avidly reading Laurie R. King's Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell series for 20 years, and although some of them are not as favored as others, I don't intend to miss any. Denis O. Smith is also not to be missed and I hope his other Sherlock Holmes stories will be collected in another Kindle edition. Please?
    14 people found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars A truly excellent collection!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I'm an editor as well as a longtime fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and this collection of stories is possibly the best imitation of that great man's style that I have read. It was a delight from beginning to end! I congratulate Mr Smith on his exceptional understanding of Doyle's characters and methods. A very, very unexpected pleasure to read!
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  • Perceptive Reader
    1.0 out of 5 stars Traditional, but...
    Reviewed in India on January 13, 2022
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    This book contains twelve traditional Holmesian pastiches. They were overwritten, excessively detailed, completely devoid of humour or any kind of charm, and were frankly boring. Perhaps they would appeal the lover of history, as the author fills up the pages with details that can only mean something to those who are inclined towards such stuff.
    I found the collection to be disappointing and tedious, with a few outre elements thrown in and then sunk under trivia.
    Not recommended.
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  • SVENSDOTTER
    4.0 out of 5 stars For Sherlock lovers
    Reviewed in France on September 6, 2017
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    I liked the difference between the stories and I think that they capture well the feeling of the original stories.
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  • JMaxfield
    5.0 out of 5 stars Must read collection of Sherlock Short Stories in the traditional style
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 25, 2017
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    This absolutely superb volume of short stories was a pure pleasure to read. I would also like to say that Denis O. Smith is at the top of his game in writing Sherlock Holmes short story pastiches. In my opinion - I don't think that if anyone read this volume of short stories intermixed with Conan Doyle stories that they would be able to differentiate the authors (except the Sherlockians). Recommended reading for all Sherlock fans who like their stories to be in the traditional way.
    The Adventure of the Crimson Arrow
    The Adventure of Kendal Terrace
    A Hair's Breadth
    The Adventure of the Smiling Face
    The Adventure of the Fourth Glove
    The Adventure of the Richmond Recluse
    The Adventure of the English Scholar
    The Adventure of the Amethyst Ring
    The Adventure of the Willow Pool (story can also be found in The Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes Volume 4)
    The Adventure of Queen Hippolyta
    The Adventure of Dedstone Mill
    An Incident in Society
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  • carlo arrighi
    3.0 out of 5 stars Discreta imitazione
    Reviewed in Italy on November 30, 2014
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    Ma c'è sempre qualcosa che non convince. Smith è forse quello che riesce a imitare meglio la voce di Watson e l'ambientazione, ma in quanto alle trame gialle è decisamente carente. E alla fine c'è sempre qualcosa di troppo o in più. Per esempio, una delle storie propone un enigma bellissimo alla Ellery Queen: uno rientra in casa e vi trova degli sconosciuti che affermano di essere sempre stati lì. A parte la debolezza della soluzione, Smith non ci dice cos'è successo dopo, il che è imperdonabile per una storia di...Watson. Anche nelle storie meglio riuscite (e ce ne sono) c'è sempre qualcosa che stride. Personalmente preferisco di gran lunga June Thomson, che non si dilunga ed è molto aiutato dallo scrivere solo storie citate nel Canone.
    La lettura è comunque scorrevole e chi cerca a tutti costi nuove storie di Holmes che non siano romanzi assurdi o annacquati, sarà soddisfatto.
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  • Bogus Tripper
    5.0 out of 5 stars I love Sherlock Holmes-I watched the series on TV growing up
    Reviewed in Canada on April 1, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Read this book as soon as it arrived at my door.I love Sherlock Holmes-I watched the series on TV growing up. A couple of stories in this book I seen on TV as movies but the rest were all new to me and would love to see them as movies. Maybe someday they will be. If your a fan of Sherlock Holmes as I am this book is a must have.
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