Only Sherlock Holmes unites the unique and disparate tales within Baker Street Irregulars The Game is Afoot.
The 13 stories within this collection take wildly different approaches in their homages to Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock is a girl, a native American, a student, a teacher, a librarian, a rabbi and a comic book character. He lives on Earth or Jupiter’s moon, in Australia, in New York City, in the future, in ancient Egypt and on a spaceship.
The best first line has to be
“The first thing Watson noticed was that the victim’s eyeballs had exploded.”
from A Study in Space by Derek Beebe.
I also loved the Star Trek/Holmes mashup in My Dear Wa’ats by Hilda Silverman. The most creative story was The Adventures of the Diode Detective by Jody Lynn Nye. Sherlock is a personal assistant like Alexa or Siri. Also good was Sherlock as Santa in Ho Ho Holmes by Nat Gertler. This story has an excellent mystery and conclusion along with the unusual interpretation of the Holmes canon.
I enjoyed all the stories. Some were more kitchy than a serious mystery but I liked that too. This book is recommended for Sherlock Holmes lovers that can take a little playful ribbing. 4 stars!
Thanks to the publisher, Diversion Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.
Thank you for the kind review