The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes, Volume 4
by Liese A Sherwood-Fabre
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GENRE: Non-Fiction
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BLURB:
Be as smart as Sherlock Holmes!
Arthur Conan Doyle's original tales include many references to everyday Victorian life that are no longer part of current readers’ world. What Holmes would have eaten from a can while searching for the hound of the Baskervilles, Watson's enjoyment of a yellow-back novel, or the proper use of a gasogene would have been common knowledge to the Victorian contemporary but compels modern readers to run to the nearest reference book. These twenty-five short essays pull such items from the past and expand on their significance in the story. As an additional bonus, this book contains an essay on the role of scandal in Holmes; cases, originally appearing in a collected volume of essays on feminism and agency. After enjoying these concise treatises on Holmes’ world, readers will have a deeper understanding and appreciation of both the times and the life of the world’s greatest consulting detective.
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Excerpt One:
The Intercontinental Reach of the Law
In two of Holmes’ cases, he meets Pinkerton agents: Edwards in The Valley of Fear and Leverton, who trailed Giuseppe Gorgiano from America in “The Adventure of the Red Circle.” By 1888, during the first encounter, the reputation of the Pinkerton Agency had been firmly established for almost 50 years and had already lost its founder, Allan Pinkerton. The Edwards character is said to have been based on James McFarland, who had garnered fame in the 1870s for infiltrating and testifying against the Molly Maguires, a secret Irish mining society. Leverton’s fame also preceded him as “the hero of the Long Island cave mystery.”
Allan Pinkerton was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1819 and worked as a barrel maker there until immigrating to the US in 1842. He settled outside of Chicago and continued his trade. In 1847, he fell into his new profession when he was out collecting materials for his barrels. A particular island not far from where he lived had a plentiful supply of poles, and while gathering them one summer day, he came across evidence of someone else using the island. He informed the sheriff, and the officer investigated, capturing a large gang of counterfeiters. Later, local shopkeepers asked Pinkerton to help capture yet another counterfeiter. Based on these efforts, he was appointed as Chicago’s first—and, in the beginning, only—police detective. Shortly, he had five detectives working under him, and his reputation continued to grow.
Beyond his detective work, he was also an abolitionist. He had been involved in radical politics in Scotland, which was why he was forced to emigrate. His shop served as a station along the under‐ ground railroad, and he raised funds to help transport eleven slaves freed by John Brown. In 1850 he left public services to form his agency. Pinkerton’s National Detective Agency advertised “We Never Sleep” with an unblinking eye as its logo. This image lies behind the term “private eye.” The company included Allan’s brother Robert, who was a railroad contractor. The organization specialized in the capture of counterfeiters and train robbers, but also provided private military contractors and security guards. By 1853, Pinkerton Agencies existed in all the major Union cities. The company hired the first female detective (Kate Warne) in 1856, and during an investigation of a railway case, uncovered a plot to assassinate President-elect Abraham Lincoln in 1861. Warned of the threat, Lincoln changed his itinerary and, under a disguise, passed through the area at night unharmed.
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What Makes a Good Mystery?
I’m a mystery junkie. I have been since I picked up my first Nancy Drew book back in elementary school.
In analyzing my attraction to this genre, I’ve identified three main elements that keep me coming back for more. The first is the puzzle aspect intrinsic in the story. A good mystery sprinkles clues throughout the book. Part of my enjoyment of reading a mystery involves discovering these hints and putting them together before the main character does. It’s an ego-boost to be able to say “Ha! I figured all this out on page 123!” when the perpetrator is revealed on page 289.
Solving a mystery is also a great way for women to show off their brains, skills, and courage. Not all have well-to-do-lawyer fathers who never seem to be too concerned about the number of murders and other criminal activities in their small town like Nancy, but they all reveal the same strong characteristics I first discovered in this amateur sleuth. They run toward danger when everyone else is going in the opposite direction—even though this will be the fifteenth time they’ll wind up in a basement with a ticking bomb. I know they’ll make it through somehow. After all, I have volumes sixteen through forty to go.
And let’s not forget the villain! Jennifer Hilt notes in her book The Trope Thesaurus that an essential element in a good mystery is a good villain. It’s the conflict with the mastermind behind the crime that makes the hero(ine) shine. Holmes is all the smarter when he chases Moriarty across England and the continent to his final demise. Katniss is all the more clever when she outwits a whole system to win the hunger games.
Excuse me, I’m halfway through my current read A Three-Book Problem by Vicky Delany and need to find out if the killer I suspect is the one who dunnit….
What about you? Do you have a favorite genre? What appeals to you about these stories? Read one lately you’d like to share?
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
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Liese Sherwood-Fabre knew she was destined to write when she got an A+ in the second grade for her story about Dick, Jane, and Sally’s ruined picnic. After obtaining her PhD, she joined the federal government and worked and lived abroad for more than fifteen years. Returning to the states, she seriously pursued her writing career, garnering such awards as a finalist in RWA’s Golden Heart contest and a Pushcart Prize nomination. A recognized Sherlockian scholar, her essays have appeared in scion newsletters, the Baker Street Journal, and Canadian Holmes. These have been gathered into The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes essay collection series. She has recently turned this passion into an origin story series on Sherlock Holmes. The Adventure of the Murdered Midwife, the first book in The Early Case Files of Sherlock Holmes series, was the CIBA Mystery and Mayhem 2020 winner.
Writer links:
Website: www.liesesherwoodfabre.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liese.sherwoodfabre
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lsfabre
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Liese-Sherwood-Fabre/e/B00810INE6
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5758587.Liese_Sherwood_Fabre
Book Buy Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Times-Sherlock-Holmes-Enlightening-ebook/dp/B0BJ7P1BH8
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-life-and-times-of-sherlock-holmes-6
iBook: http://books.apple.com/us/book/id6443588533
Other: books2read.com/u/bOnezW
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GIVEAWAY :
Liese A Sherwood-Fabre will be awarding a $20 Amazon, Apple or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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Thanks for hosting me!!
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt, thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteThanks and happy holidays, Marisela!
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