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I was on holiday in Australia in early 2025, and was running out of crime fiction books to read when I chanced upon not an author I know, but a character I do like - Sherlock Holmes. This was in an Op Shop (charity shop ) in Sydney, and the unknown author was Sam Siciliano. I decided to give it a go. For Sherlock Holmes see also Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sherlock Holmes canon and Laurie R King, The Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Books.
I haven't been able to find much about Sam Siciliano. However he is an American author, born in 1947 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and now lives in Vancouver, Washington. He graduated with a PhD in English Literature from the University of Iowa, and later taught at College level. He started off writing fantastical novels, but also switched to pay homage to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and recreate that most famous of all detectives, Sherlock Holmes.
I read this book in February, 2025.
As mentioned in the author heading, whilst on holiday in Australia I chanced upon this book in an Op. Shop (charity shop) in Sydney, and since I do like Sherlock Holmes, I decided to give it a go. I didn't expect much, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's a good story although I could see where it was going from the first chapter, and it does have a happy ending. There aren't enough happy endings in crime fiction. Of late, I have been writing these reviews under three headings - Characters , Personal Lives and Main Plots .
Characters .
As per Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, the great detective, still lives at 221B Baker Street in London. Mrs Hudson is still his housekeeper.
Dr. Henry Vernier, the author, is Sherlock's cousin not mentioned in the Dr. Watson books and is married to Michelle, also a doctor - Dr Douder-Vernier. A lady doctor is unusual in those days.
Isabel Stone (21) is the daughter of Major Hubert Stone, who died in India when Isobel was 5. She and her mum Mabel then returned to England.
Grimbold Pratt, is Isobel's step-father who has a violent temper.
Mrs Brona Baxter, is Pratt's housekeeper, very tall, big and formidable.
Mr Rodney St-Clair is Isobel's boyfriend.
Jack Murthwaite, Henry's friend, is an expert on India.
Rudra is a tiger, and Khana a wolf - both kept by Gimbold to remind him of times in India.
Helen Hunter (26) is the daughter of Col. Hunter, deceased, and also has another name......
Dr Nevile Blake is a family doctor, married to Molly. They have 4 children.
Ramesh, a handsome man servant, was brought over from India to look after Pratt's menagerie of animals.
Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard, is Sherlock's friend.
Private Lives : We are not told much new about Sherlock's private life. He still resides at 221B Baker Street, with Mrs Hudson as his housekeeper. We do have a new character in Dr Henry Vernier, the narrator and Sherlock's cousin. Apparently Dr. Watson wrote fictional stories about the great detective, and Dr. Vernier is now telling the true stories ? Henry is married to Michelle, also a doctor, Dr Doudet-Vernier. She and Henry lived in Paris for a few years - it was there that she studied and graduated as a doctor.
The main character is Capt. Grimbold Pratt, ex Indian army, and we learn a lot about him and his exploits in India. He married three times, but only loved his first wife, Anabella. Apparently she and their daughter Susan died of cholera. She threatened she would leave him if he didn't stop excessive drinking. He didn't. She and Susan left, but away from the protective camp hygiene they caught cholera and died. This is not quite the complete story, but I'll let you read the book. He finally moderated his drinking. Pratt then married Mabel, the wife of his deceased friend Major Hubert Stone - she and her daughter Isobel had come to England after the death of her husband. Mabel died, and Pratt brought up Isobel. Finally, Pratt married again to Edith. She too died but Pratt allowed her companion Miss Kent to stay on. A lot of people seem to have died, youngish..
The Main Plots : Isobel Stone (31) collapses at Sherlock's front door just as Henry Vernier arrives. He carries her upstairs. Isobel wants Sherlock to find her missing jewels. Her father Major Stone and Gimbold Pratt "acquired" a fortune in jewels in India, and split the jewels between them. When the Major died, his wife Mabel inherited the jewels. She later married Gimbold, and he demanded the jewels for safe keping. Isobel now lives with her stepfather in his exotic India themed country estate - Stoke Royal - near Leatherhead, Surrey. He told Isobel that Mabel died penniless, but Isobel also has a letter from her mother disputing this. Sherlock agrees to see what he can do. No sooner has Isobel left than the door bursts open and a huge bully and bluster man enters - Gimbold Pratt. He demands to know what fiction Isobel had been telling them. Sherlock explains about client condidentiality. Pratt threatens them and siezes the fireside poker, trying to bend it to intimidate them. However he suffers a severe angina attack which Dr Vernier treats. He says he has spent a fortune educating Isobel, but gets no thanks. Thus we have two contrasting characters - beautiful beguiling Isobel, simpering and helpless, and her huge scar faced stepfather, coarse and a bully. Whose side should we take ? Vernier has become smitten by Isobel's beauty and femininity. Sherlock urges caution. Isobel had bruising on her right arm. Sherlock had noticed that Gimbold was left handed, and so could not have caused this bruising. Who did ?
Henry visits his friend Jack Murthwaite, an expert on all things to do with India. Yes, he knows Gimbold from the old days. He will write to him to get invitations for Henry, Holmes and Murthwaite to visit. And so the three visit Stoke Royal, and meet the people there, incuding the family doctor, Dr Blake, and Mr St-Clair, the family solicitor. As they arrive, so too does a Miss Helen Hunter, also with an Indian background - her father Col. Hunter and Capt. Pratt had served together. They soon meet Gimbold's pride and joy, Rudra a huge tiger, and Khana a wolf. These are kept within an inner and an outer enclosure. All stroke Rudra, but only Miss Hunter is allowed to stroke the wolf Khana. Dr Vernier's wife Michelle, also a doctor, is not impressed with poor, helpless always fainting, needy Isobel. But Henry cannot keep his eyes off her - she seems to cast a spell on men.
They all get on well and are invited back. Holmes and Vernier visit the solicitor St Clair, and Holmes asks if Gimbold has made a will ? No, says St Clair. We later find out this is a lie, or rather a sort of lie. It seems St-Clair too has fallen for Isobel's charms. Gimbold is the perfect host and gives his guests expensive claret, brandy, and the finest of Indian cigars. However there is a running joke about the food - mostly fiery hot curries which Vernier cannot suffer. Later they dine on all sorts of animal offal or horrible fish head pie. The residents scoff the lot, the visitors do their best. There are now a series of incidents. Isobel's screams bring everyone running - she has found a snake in her bed. Miss Hunter picks it up expertly and removes it without fuss. Out for a walk with his animals, Gimbold allows Rudra to attack a neighbour's sheep - behind this is a boundary dispute and alleged trespass. The neighbour, Mr Carson, appears with a shotgun. Grimbold produces his army pistol. Gimbold says if you shoot me, Rudra will kill you. If you shoot Rudra, I will kill you. Holmes says all of this is not worth a human life, and placates Carson by paying for the sheep.
Holmes gets chatting to Mrs Baxter, the housekeeper. She calls Isobel a Miss Goody-two-shoes who makes puppets of men. She meets a man in the woods at night - presumably St Clair. Dr Vernier defends Isobel's honour. Holmes tells Vernier that he believes there really are jewels, and he thinks he knows where they are hidden. St Clair arrives with papers for Gimbold to sign. Isobel says she'll walk him back down the lane. Everyone is together when Holmes jumps up - "I head gun shots." He runs off and finds Isobel in a state. Someone had shot at her - and St Clair has given chase, but the shooter has escaped. Isobel wants to send for Dr Blake - "no need," says Dr Vernier," you have two doctors here already, myself and Michelle". Later Sherlock asks Michelle to keep Gimbold occupied, and asks Henry to divert Ramesh, who tends to the animals.
Holmes searches the animals' inner keep, and finds the jewels. He shows Henry who wants to tell Isobel. "Yes", says Holmes, "you can tell her they are found, but don't tell her where they are hidden". Vernier protests - "Isobel is our client" - but agrees to do as Holmes wishes.
Unable to sleep, Vernier wanders about the house, and hears groaning coming from Gimbold's bedroom. Is he attacking Isobel ? Vernier enters and finds Gimbold in bed with Mrs Baxter. Vernier retreats, and is telling Holmes what has happened when they hear three gunshots. They rush out and find St. Clair dead in the adjacent woods. Holmes sends everyone away, and investigates the scene. It's been set up to incriminate Gimbold for there are his pistols, his boots, and his footprints. Fortunately Vernier has given Gimbold an alibi - he was in bed with Mrs Baxter. Amazingly, when Gimbold later tells the police he has no alibi, Vernier refutes this. "You are no gentleman" says Gimbold. The police say they will be discreet. Holmes will contact Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard in the morning. Next, Vernier is woken in the night by Isobel and Sally, the maid. Old Miss Kent, Gimbold's third wife's companion, is dead. "She is an old woman, it's obviously natural causes", say Dr Blake and Dr Vernier. Holmes is furious at Vernier for being so unseeing - but he later apologises. Lestrade arrives with his men and he and Holmes confer. Knowing Dr Blake is out of town, Holmes visits Blake's house, and befriends Molly, Mrs Blake. Sherlock tells her behind any good man is a good woman, and doctors' wives do not get the credit they deserve. They have sherry together, and Mrs Blake says her husband is often away at conferences and she has four young boys to look after. Sherlock later visits St Clair's solicitor business partner who also says there was no Gimbold will. "Look anyway", says Holmes, and a will is found. It's obviously confidential, but Holmes asks a favour. "If I tell you the beneficiary and the two signatories, will you nod, or shake your hear?" Yes, he can do that, he reads the will. He nods.
We are now into the climax, and I have said enough. It's a good story, and well worth a read. Sam Siciliano has done a good job in recreating the character and times of Sherlock Holmes. Instead of an epilogue, there is a final chapter labelled "Afterwards". Everyone revisits a transformed Stoke Royal, improved in every aspect, and even the food, much to Dr Vernier's relief. In short, a happy ending in lots of ways.
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