The Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes, Volume Four

• The richness of the friendship between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson.
• A genuine evocation of the late Victorian era.
• The vocabulary and prose cadence of the originals.

By these criteria, Denis Smith is one of the pre-eminent pastiche-writers practising today and a new volume from him is welcome. The three short pieces and one longer story in the latest collection from Calabash Press display all of Smith’s usual sure touches.

Sherlockians who know their Canon (not everyone) will nod with satisfaction to find references to misprision of felony, a mouse-coloured dressing ground, a tangled skein and a close-fitting cloth cap that Holmes dons for a trip to the country. And those with a sense of humour (again, not all) will chuckle when Smith has Holmes praise the nasturtium as displaying the very soul and essence of summer, even more than the rose.

Smith not only knows his Canon, he also knows his Holmes and Watson. Almost everything the pair say and do in these stories rings true, even when the author is fleshing out character traits only barely sketched in the original stories. Hearing Holmes explain why a thoughtful and intelligent man like him takes a foolhardy risk in the excitement of the chase (The Adventure of the Yellow Glove) is a treat.

It must be admitted, however, that sometimes Smith overeggs the pudding. In the long story (The Adventure of the Willow Pool) Holmes seems as overly prone as a country parson to dispensing homilies at every turn and appears to have overdosed on William Winwood Reade. As well, Smith’s plots can be unbelievable, but no more than Dr. Watson’s

Overall Smith’s pastiches ring true. For that reason they will be read with equal enjoyment by Sherlockians seeking another fix and by those whose attachment begins and ends with Basil Rathbone or Jeremy Brett. Even better news is that the first three volumes of Smith’s pastiches are still available from Calabash.

Reviewed by: Peter Calamai, 2003