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weaselweader's review against another edition
4.0
“Somewhere in the vaults of the bank of Cox and Co, … there is a travel-worn and battered tin dispatch box … ”
Fans of literature’s most famous and best loved consulting detective know that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s canon of Sherlock Holmes’ exploits is filled with passing references to cases, the details of which, for one reason or another, were never published by Dr Watson. The adventure of the giant Sumatran rat and the disappearance of Mr James Phillimore come quickly to mind. Ms Thomson uses the clever device of the discovery of the tin dispatch box referred to in the opening sentence of THE PROBLEM OF THOR BRIDGE, as a basis for revealing six of those untold stories.
Each of the stories is an admirable pastiche that catches the flavour of Watson’s typical narrative style quite well and discloses the reasons that the story was never published in Holmes’ or Watson’s lifetimes. THE CASE OF THE NOTORIOUS CANARY-TRAINER, for example, is a rather grittier, more somber and much darker tale about human trafficking, prostitution and sex slavery. Watson ultimately reveals their decision to withhold the telling of tale in a Victorian England whose “present day moral climate is not yet ready for the publication of the truth”. Watson grudgingly admitted that he and Holmes were “anxious not to offend the sensibilities of [their] readers, most particularly the fair sex and those gentlemen of a refined and sheltered upbringing to whom such revelations would be an all too shocking exposure of some of the worst aspects of [] society.”
Highly recommended easy and enjoyable reading for Sherlock Holmes fans.
Paul Weiss
Fans of literature’s most famous and best loved consulting detective know that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s canon of Sherlock Holmes’ exploits is filled with passing references to cases, the details of which, for one reason or another, were never published by Dr Watson. The adventure of the giant Sumatran rat and the disappearance of Mr James Phillimore come quickly to mind. Ms Thomson uses the clever device of the discovery of the tin dispatch box referred to in the opening sentence of THE PROBLEM OF THOR BRIDGE, as a basis for revealing six of those untold stories.
Each of the stories is an admirable pastiche that catches the flavour of Watson’s typical narrative style quite well and discloses the reasons that the story was never published in Holmes’ or Watson’s lifetimes. THE CASE OF THE NOTORIOUS CANARY-TRAINER, for example, is a rather grittier, more somber and much darker tale about human trafficking, prostitution and sex slavery. Watson ultimately reveals their decision to withhold the telling of tale in a Victorian England whose “present day moral climate is not yet ready for the publication of the truth”. Watson grudgingly admitted that he and Holmes were “anxious not to offend the sensibilities of [their] readers, most particularly the fair sex and those gentlemen of a refined and sheltered upbringing to whom such revelations would be an all too shocking exposure of some of the worst aspects of [] society.”
Highly recommended easy and enjoyable reading for Sherlock Holmes fans.
Paul Weiss
northernfleabag's review against another edition
3.0
I think there was a review on this website that said "competent", and I have to agree. I'm not sure if it was Thomson's writing style, or some other factor, but I found the stories to be lacking something. Although, the cases did have some interesting and thought out details.
eak1013's review against another edition
3.0
Ehn. Competent, if uninspiring, "missing" case files based off of references to undocumented cases in canon. A pleasant diversion but nothing grabbing.
ladyvictoriadiana's review against another edition
4.0
A good collection of Sherlock Holmes written in a style that almost perfectly imitates Conan Doyle, the original creator of this well-known character. Especially little references to other stories in the ACD universe very much support this. The stories themselves are a good mix of different crimes and circumstances, never boring and rather original. A nice read!
bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition
3.0
The Secret Files of Sherlock Holmes (1990) by June Thomson is another collection of Holmes stories purporting to be from that battered tin dispatch case mentioned by Watson in "The Problem of Thor Bridge." Just imagine how big that case must have been (or how many separate pieces of that case there were)...given all the "discovered" stories that have appeared over the years. Thomson takes on the task of providing the world with the details behind Mr. James Phillimore's strange disappearance upon going back into his house for an umbrella; the secrets of the Amateur Mendicants; the case of Isadora Persano and the remarkable worm; and the real activities of the Notorious Canary Trainer...among others. Thomson gets a great many things right with these short stories--the relationship between Holmes and Watson, historical detail, and Watson's voice as narrator being the most notable. She does come up a bit short on story delivery in about half of these, however. Out of seven stories, one isn't solved at all and two are only half-solved. Not a great percentage for one of the greatest detectives of all time. And quite honestly there are only two solutions that I agree were necessary for Watson to keep quiet about--and only one due to national security. Given the great air secrecy shrouding these stories in the Canon, one can be forgiven for feeling a bit disappointed when the reasons for the delayed publication don't quite meet the level of caution implied in Watson's original accounts.
This was an amusing read, but not quite the knock-out Holmes pastiche that I expected. I had read enthusiastic reviews of her work featuring Holmes and looked forward to strong stories. It looks like this was her first collection of Holmes stories--perhaps her later collections are stronger.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Pleaser request permission before reposting. Thanks.
This was an amusing read, but not quite the knock-out Holmes pastiche that I expected. I had read enthusiastic reviews of her work featuring Holmes and looked forward to strong stories. It looks like this was her first collection of Holmes stories--perhaps her later collections are stronger.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Pleaser request permission before reposting. Thanks.
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