by David Marcum
The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories
Part VII - Eliminate the Impossible: 1880–1891
Compiled by
David Marcum
First edition published in 2017 by
MX Publishing
335 Princess Park Manor, Royal Drive,
London, N11 3GX
www.mxpublishing.co.uk
Digital edition converted and distributed by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
© Copyright 2017 MX Publishing
The right of the individuals listed on the Copyright Information page to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1998.
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy, or transmission of this publication may be made without express prior written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied, or transmitted except with express prior written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damage.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious or used fictitiously. Any opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not neccessarily represent those of MX Publishing.
Illustrations by Sidney Paget
Cover design by Brian Belanger
www.belangerbooks.com
www.redbubble.com/people/zhahadun
These additional Sherlock Holmes adventures can be found in the previous volumes of The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories
Part I: 1881–1889
Foreword - Leslie S. Klinger
Foreword - Roger Johnson
Sherlock Holmes of London - A Verse in Four Fits - Michael Kurland
The Adventure of the Slipshod Charlady - John Hall
The Case of the Lichfield Murder - Hugh Ashton
The Kingdom of the Blind - Adrian Middleton
The Adventure of the Pawnbroker’s Daughter - David Marcum
The Adventure of the Defenestrated Princess - Jayantika Ganguly
The Adventure of the Inn on the Marsh - Denis O. Smith
The Adventure of the Traveling Orchestra - Amy Thomas
The Haunting of Sherlock Holmes - Kevin David Barratt
Sherlock Holmes and the Allegro Mystery - Luke Benjamen Kuhns
The Deadly Soldier - Summer Perkins
The Case of the Vanishing Stars - Deanna Baran
The Song of the Mudlark - Shane Simmons
The Tale of the Forty Thieves - C.H. Dye
The Strange Missive of Germaine Wilkes - Mark Mower
The Case of the Vanished Killer - Derrick Belanger
The Adventure of the Aspen Papers - Daniel D. Victor
The Ululation of Wolves - Steve Mountain
The Case of the Vanishing Inn - Stephen Wade
The King of Diamonds - John Heywood
The Adventure of Urquhart Manse - Will Thomas
The Adventure of the Seventh Stain - Daniel McGachey
The Two Umbrellas - Martin Rosenstock
The Adventure of the Fateful Malady - Craig Janacek
Part II: 1890–1895
Foreword - Catherine Cooke
The Bachelor of Baker Street Muses on Irene Adler - Carole Nelson Douglas
The Affair of Miss Finney - Ann Margaret Lewis
The Adventure of the Bookshop Owner - Vincent W. Wright
The Case of the Unrepentant Husband - William Patrick Maynard
The Verse of Death - Matthew Booth
Lord Garnett’s Skulls - J.R. Campbell
Larceny in the Sky with Diamonds - Robert V. Stapleton
The Glennon Falls - Sam Wiebe
The Adventure of The Sleeping Cardinal - Jeremy Branton Holstein
The Case of the Anarchist’s Bomb - Bill Crider
The Riddle of the Rideau Rifles - Peter Calamai
The Adventure of the Willow Basket - Lyndsay Faye
The Onion Vendor’s Secret - Marcia Wilson
The Adventure of the Murderous Numismatist - Jack Grochot
The Saviour of Cripplegate Square - Bert Coules
A Study in Abstruse Detail - Wendy C. Fries
The Adventure of the St. Nicholas the Elephant - Christopher Redmond
The Lady on the Bridge - Mike Hogan
The Adventure of the Poison Tea Epidemic - Carl L. Heifetz
The Man on Westminster Bridge - Dick Gilman
Part III: 1896–1929
Foreword - David Stuart Davies
Two Sonnets - Bonnie MacBird
Harbinger of Death - Geri Schear
The Adventure of the Regular Passenger - Paul D. Gilbert
The Perfect Spy - Stuart Douglas
A Mistress - Missing - Lyn McConchie
Two Plus Two - Phil Growick
The Adventure of the Coptic Patriarch - Séamus Duffy
The Royal Arsenal Affair - Leslie F.E. Coombs
The Adventure of the Sunken Parsley - Mark Alberstat
The Strange Case of the Violin Savant - GC Rosenquist
The Hopkins Brothers Affair - Iain McLaughlin and Claire Bartlett
The Disembodied Assassin - Andrew Lane
The Adventure of the Dark Tower - Peter K. Andersson
The Adventure of the Reluctant Corpse - Matthew J. Elliott
The Inspector of Graves - Jim French
The Adventure of the Parson’s Son - Bob Byrne
The Adventure of the Botanist’s Glove - James Lovegrove
A Most Diabolical Plot - Tim Symonds
The Opera Thief - Larry Millett
Blood Brothers - Kim Krisco
The Adventure of The White Bird - C. Edward Davis
The Adventure of the Avaricious Bookkeeper - Joel and Carolyn Senter
Part IV: 2016 Annual
Foreword - Steven Rothman
Foreword - Richard Doyle
Foreword - Roger Johnson
Undershaw: An Ongoing Legacy - Foreword by Steve Emecz
A Word From the Head Teacher at Undershaw - Melissa Farnham
Toast to Mrs. Hudson - Arlene Mantin Levy
The Tale of the First Adventure - Derrick Belanger
The Adventure of the Turkish Cipher - Deanna Baran
The Adventure of the Missing Necklace - Daniel D. Victor
The Case of the Rondel Dagger - Mark Mower
The Adventure of the Double-Edged Hoard - Craig Janacek
The Adventure of the Impossible Murders - Jayantika Ganguly
The Watcher in the Woods - Denis O. Smith
The Wargrave Resurrection - Matthew Booth
Relating To One of My Old Cases - J.R. Campbell
The Adventure at the Beau Soleil - Bonnie MacBird
The Adventure of the Phantom Coachman - Arthur Hall
The Adventure of the Arsenic Dumplings - Bob Byrne
The Disappearing Anarchist Trick - Andrew Lane
The Adventure of the Grace Chalice - Roger Johnson
The Adventure of John Vincent Harden - Hugh Ashton
Murder at Tragere House - David Stuart Davies
The Adventure of The Green Lady - Vincent W. Wright
The Adventure of the Fellow Traveller - Daniel McGachey
The Adventure of the Highgate Financier - Nicholas Utechin
A Game of Illusion - Jeremy Holstein
The London Wheel - David Marcum
The Adventure of the Half-Melted Wolf - Marcia Wilson
Part V: Christmas Adventures
Foreword - Jonathan Kellerman
“This bids to be the merriest of Christmases.” - Foreword by Roger Johnson
The Ballad of the Carbuncle - Poem by Ashley D. Polasek
The Case of the Ruby Necklace - Bob Byrne
The Jet Brooch - Denis O. Smith
The Adventure of the Missing Irregular - Amy Thomas
The Adventure of the Knighted Watchmaker - Derrick Belanger
The Stolen Relic - David Marcum
A Christmas Goose - C.H. Dye
The Adventure of the Long-Lost Enemy - Marcia Wilson
The Queen’s Writing Table - Julie McKuras
The Blue Carbuncle - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Dramatised by Bert Coules)
The Case of the Christmas Cracker - John Hall
The Man Who Believed in Nothing - Jim French
The Case of the Christmas Star - S.F. Bennett
The Christmas Card Mystery - Narrelle M. Harris
The Question of the Death Bed Conversion - William Patrick Maynard
The Adventure of the Christmas Surprise - Vincent W. Wright
A Bauble in Scandinavia - James Lovegrove
The Adventure of Marcus Davery - Arthur Hall
The Adventure of the Purple Poet - Nicholas Utechin
The Adventure of the Vanishing Man - Mike Chinn
The Adventure of the Empty Manger - Tracy J. Revels
A Perpetrator in a Pear Tree - Roger Riccard
The Case of the Christmas Trifle - Wendy C. Fries
The Adventure of the Christmas Stocking - Paul D. Gilbert
The Adventure of the Golden Hunter - Jan Edwards
The Curious Case of the Well-Connected Criminal - Molly Carr
The Case of the Reformed Sinner - S. Subramanian
The Adventure of the Improbable Intruder - Peter K. Andersson
The Adventure of the Handsome Ogre - Matthew J. Elliott
The Adventure of the Deceased Doctor - Hugh Ashton
The Mile End Mynah Bird - Mark Mower
Part VI: 2017 Annual
Foreword - Colin Jeavons
Foreword - Nicholas Utechin
“The Universality of the Man’s Interests” - Roger Johnson
Sweet Violin - Bonnie MacBird
The Adventure of the Murdered Spinster - Bob Byrne
The Irregular - Julie McKuras
The Coffee Trader’s Dilemma - Derrick Belanger
The Two Patricks - Robert Perret
The Adventure at St. Catherine’s - Deanna Baran
The Adventure of a Thousand Stings - GC Rosenquist
The Adventure of the Returned Captain - Hugh Ashton
The Adventure of the Wonderful Toy - David Timson
The Adventure of the Cat’s Claws - Shane Simmons
The Grave Message - Stephen Wade
The Radicant Munificent Society - Mark Mower
The Adventure of the Apologetic Assassin - David Friend
The Adventure of the Traveling Corpse - Nick Cardillo
The Adventure of the Apothecary’s Prescription - Roger Riccard
The Case of the Bereaved Author - S. Subramanian
The Tetanus Epidemic - Carl L. Heifetz
The Bubble Reputation - Geri Schear
The Case of the Vanishing Venus - S.F. Bennett
The Adventure of the Vanishing Apprentice - Jennifer Copping
The Adventure of the Apothecary Shop - Jim French
The Case of the Plummeting Painter - Carla Coupe
The Case of the Temperamental Terrier - Narrelle M. Harris
The Adventure of the Frightened Architect - Arthur Hall
The Adventure of the Sunken Indiaman - Craig Janacek
The Exorcism of the Haunted Stick - Marcia Wilson
The Adventure of the Queen’s Teardrop - Tracy Revels
The Curious Case of the Charwoman’s Brooch - Molly Carr
The Unwelcome Client - Keith Hann
The Tempest of Lyme - David Ruffle
The Problem of the Holy Oil - David Marcum
A Scandal in Serbia - Thomas A. Turley
The Curious Case of Mr. Marconi - Jan Edwards
Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson Learn to Fly - C. Edward Davis
Die Weisse Frau - Tim Symonds
A Case of Mistaken Identity - Daniel D. Victor
Copyright Information
All of the contributions in this collection are copyrighted by the authors listed below. Grateful acknowledgement is given to the authors and/or their agents for the kind permission to use their work within these volumes.
The following contributions appear in this volume:
The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories
Part VII - Eliminate the Impossible: 1880–1891
“The Adventure of Vanaprastha” ©2017 by Hugh Ashton. All Rights Reserved. Hugh Ashton appears by kind permission of Inknbeans Press. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Last Encore of Quentin Carol” ©2017 by S.F. Bennett. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author
“Foreword” ©2017 by Lee Child. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Adventure of the Haunted Room” ©2017 by Mike Chinn. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“Where Pastiche Begins” ©2017 by Michael Cox. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Curious Case of the Sweated Horse” ©2017 by Jan Edwards. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“A Message From the Head Teacher of Stepping Stones” ©2017 by Melissa Farnham. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Mystery of the Scarab Earrings” ©2017 by Thomas Fortenberry. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Tuttman Gallery” ©2001, 2017 by Jim French. All Rights Reserved. First publication of text script in this collection. Originally presented in broadcast form as Episode No. 24 of Imagination Theatre’s The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, October 28, 2001. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Adventure of the Mortal Combat” ©2017 by Jayantika Ganguly. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Second Life of Jabez Salt” ©2017 by John Linwood Grant. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Case of the Unquiet Grave” ©2017 by John Hall. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Tranquility of the Morning” ©2017 by Mike Hogan. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Case of the Petty Curses” ©2008, 2017 by Steven Philip Jones. All Rights Reserved. First prose publication, original to this collection. Originally presented in broad
cast form as Episode No. 82 of Imagination Theatre’s The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, February 24, 2008. Printed by permission of the author.
“Rubbish, Watson, Rubbish!” ©2017 by Roger Johnson. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“Foreword” ©2017 by Rand B. Lee. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Adventure of the Marchindale Stiletto” ©2016 by James Lovegrove. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“No Ghosts Need Apply” ©2017 by Jacquellyn Morris. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“Editor’s Introduction: ‘Eliminate the Impossible’” ©2017 by David Marcum. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Adventure of A Rat.” ©2017 by Adrian Middleton. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Blank Photograph” ©2017 by James Moffett. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Melancholy Methodist” ©2016 by Mark Mower. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Case of the Cursed Clock” ©2017 by Gayle Lange Puhl. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Ghost of Lincoln” ©2017 by Geri Schear. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Adventure of the Mind’s Eye” ©2017 by Shane Simmons. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Pharaoh’s Curse” ©2016 by Robert V. Stapleton. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“The Manor House Ghost” ©2016 by S. Subramanian. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.
“A Ghost From Christmas Past” ©2016 by Thomas A. Turley. All Rights Reserved. First publication, original to this collection. Printed by permission of the author.