Rating: 
Summary: Even Dr. Watson would like it!
Review: A delightful read of new Sherlock Holmes stories. True to Dr. Watson's narrative style, the new adventures relate the full stories of cases given only passing reference in the original Sherlock Holmes adventures. Readers who enjoy being along with Sherlock Holmes when "the game's afoot" will once again be able to visit 221B Baker Street and feel right at home.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the greatest collection of pastiches ever.
Review: Also one of the strangest. It's widely uneven, since two people write different sections of it, but still an interesting read. Now, this book sounds nearly exactly like Doyle's original stories. Why? It's not just the dated language, it's the simple mechanism most Holmes fans don't use: Making mistakes. Giving Holmes a red dressing gown instead of purple or grey. Giving an irregular the name "Billy", the name of his page-boy. Small details like that. However, for some reason, I thought that, as the book neared it's close, it sounded more and more like a pastiche. The most superior stories are "The Gold Hunter" and "The Sealed Room". The former, based on "the Camberwell poisoning case", involves the death of an elderly man in his bed, with literally no indication of how he died. The latter is based on "Colonel Warburton's Madness", and involves whether or not a retired military man shot himself and his wife in a locked room, or if he was murdered. "Foukles Rath" is a story where the killer is introduced at the very end, leaving the reader with no way to solve it. "The Abbas Ruby" has few suspects and is very easy to guess whodunit, and "The Dark Angels" seems like you haven't been given enough evidence to confront the murderer. "The Black Baronet" was also good, good enough to be adapted as a Tv play starring Basil Rathbone. But "The Red Window" totally ripped off "The Norwood Builder", covered up with the line "I may use this modest trick again" or words to that effect. Also, it has Holmes saying "Elementary, my Dear Watson," which he never said. All in all, OK reading.
Rating:
Summary: Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?
Review: Among various sherlockian pastiches, this book is by far the best in restoring the sherlockian atmosphere. The Sealed Room is the best one and could be included in the canon without arousing suspicion. I first read the stories more than 10 years ago in Chinese translation from a library book. After I had left the small town, I was unable to find them anywhere else until today. I owe thousands of thanks to the publisher for bringing back my faded memory of this less known Holmes. As detective stories, they, except The Sealed Room, are just average with some poor ones by Carr. But sometimes, I really wonder whether I am looking for some good detective stories or just hope to catch up with an old friend. PS: There are rules for good detective story written, which are detailed by Father Ronald Knox in the foreword of The Best Detective Stories of the Year 1928.
Rating:
Summary: If only there were more!
Review: I know that's a cheesy thing to say, but it's true. I may not be the most sensitive literaty critic alive, but this collection is very similar, in content and style, to the originals. It might as well be considered part of the cannon. Are there some contradictions with the elder Doyle's stories? I'm sure there are, but probably no more than the elder Doyle's contradictions of himself. If you've read the originals, you'll want to read these.
This is also a very attractive publication. Nice type, nice packaging, illustrations at the beginning of each story, and quotes at the end--giving the supposed reference to the story you just read.
Good stuff!
Rating: 
Summary: Mixed quality-- But some excellent stories can be found.
Review: I purchased this book in part on the strength of three 5-star reviews on this site. This is a very handsome hardcover volume at a surprisingly reasonable price. There are three classifications of stories in the book. First, stories primarily written by Adrian Conan Doyle, with some input from JD Carr. Second, two stories written almost entirely by Mr. Carr, possibly with some slight input from Doyle. Third, six stories written solely by Mr. Adrian Doyle. Since I have read a number of mysteries by Carr, and expected much, I was most disappointed to find his two stories the weakest in the book. In one instance, after reading the first page I was able to anticipate the entire plot. In the other case, I simply found the story flat, uninteresting, and narrowly derivative of similar stories in the original Holmes canon. To the contrary, some of the stories by Mr. Doyle cannot be praised enough. One that's typical, "The Adventure of Foulkes Rath," seems up to the work of Arthur Conan Doyle himself. All in all, Adrian Doyle admirably captures the style and brooding Gothic tone that so typifies many of the best stories in the original Holmes canon. Moreover, Adrian Doyle's stories have a kind of life and warmth that brings the Edwardian world alive for the reader. I would give the book five stars were it not for a few tales that seem off the pace, and decidedly inferior to the others. Alas-- and surprisingly-- these are from JD Carr's pen. Perhaps Carr tried too diligently to write an impeccably logical mystery, where nothing in the denoument was not well provided for in the early story. The effect, unfortunately, was to create a mechanical kind of plot, which made it all to easy for the reader to anticipate too accurately the entire unfolding of the story. So in this interesting and generally worthwhile book of tales, we might have the amateur outwriting the old master. All in all, a worthwhile purchase -- and handsome book with great bedtime reading at a very reasonable price.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Pastiche Holmes
Review: I truly enjoyed this book. As a fan of HOlmes, I wanted to read about his "lost" cases, or the ones that Watson mentions in passing but never puts down on paper. This is a delightful collection of stories, although I wished that "The Giant Rat of Sumatra" was included. ;-}
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Pastiche Holmes
Review: I truly enjoyed this book. As a fan of HOlmes, I wanted to read about his "lost" cases, or the ones that Watson mentions in passing but never puts down on paper. This is a delightful collection of stories, although I wished that "The Giant Rat of Sumatra" was included. ;-}
Rating:
Summary: Holmes fans will enjoy these as much as Sir Arthur's.
Review: If you have read all the Holmes stories Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote and regretted that there weren't any more, you just got a reprieve. These stories will fulfill your wish for more. Adrian Doyle has remained true to his ancestor and put together a collection that should stand the test of time. Give them a try.
Rating:
Summary: Overall Very Good
Review: Like the other reviewers mentioned, this is a mix bag. It basically narrates the cases that were just briefly mentioned the original stories. Don't expect this to match the original Holmes canon. I feel that the first few stories didn't arrest my interest enough, but it got better as I read on. Some of the stories were a bit too predictable. I give this book a good rating primarily based on the last two stories--they are WONDERFUL and very creative (The Deptford Horror and The Red Widow). The other stories ranged from "alright" to "pretty good". If you are new to Sherlock Holmes, get the real canonical stories from Arthur Doyle instead. If you are a seasoned Holmes fan, get this book to make your collection complete. I don't regret having bought it.
Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest collection of pastiches ever.
Review: Patrick Callahan's excellent review is right on the money, but I'm giving this little book four stars anyway just because, when it's good, it's _very_ good. Some of the stories contained herein -- based on Watson's occasional references to unrecorded (not "unsolved", as the current edition's subtitle incorrectly has it) cases -- surpass some of the elder Doyle's later works. Highly recommended, especially as an antidote to the surfeit of "pastiches" that can't seem to get any of the details right.
Adrian Conan Doyle (with or without John Dickson Carr) tells a straight no-frills tale very much in the spirit of the Sherlockian canon; Holmes doesn't wind up getting married, Watson doesn't turn out to be the real Holmes, et cetera, et cetera. And there are no attempts to link Holmes to fabulous ripped-from-the-headlines figures like Dracula or Jack the Ripper -- these are perfectly ordinary cases of the kind in which Holmes himself was known to delight for their own sake owing to their touch of the _outre_ and the singular features they presented to the reasoner. Solid stuff despite the weaknesses of a few of the tales.
If you want a couple of novel-length pastiches to go with it, I recommend Nicholas Meyer's first two: _The Seven Per Cent Solution_ and _The West End Horror_.
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