My Major Gask mysteries series have been likened to Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories by some because of the atmospheric period detail and my Erroll Rait and Major Gask characters. Not surprising, given my affinity with the ace of detectives!
However, I am not the first nor will I be the last, I’m sure, to find such inspiration. Here are some ideas for those who enjoy mystery adventure and historical detective fiction bursting with atmosphere and mind-engaging puzzling…
Let’s start with the original and perhaps the best known of Conan Doyle’s stories, The Hound of the Baskervilles to set the stage. This quintessential Holmes novel blends Gothic horror and mystery as Holmes and Watson investigate a supposedly supernatural beast haunting the Baskerville family on the desolate Dartmoor moors. Great stuff!
Next, The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz captures the classic Victorian atmosphere of the original stories and involves a seemingly small art dealer case that quickly escalates into a vast, dark conspiracy.
Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson by Lyndsay Faye pits Holmes against history's most infamous unsolved case, straining his deductive abilities.
A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas features a female genius with keen observational skills and a deep need for her own loyal "Mrs. Watson". It introduces Charlotte Holmes, a brilliant but socially awkward woman who must feign her own death and take on the alias "Sherlock" to solve baffling cases.
Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar & Anna Waterhouse focuses on Sherlock’s elder brother and features a vibrant setting in the 1870s where he travels to Trinidad to solve a mystery involving missing children and a series of seemingly supernatural events.
The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss is set in Victorian London. Mary Jekyll (daughter of Dr. Jekyll) teams up with a secret society of famous literary daughters and consults with Holmes and Watson to solve her father's murder. It combines Holmes's mystery with Gothic adventure and a cast of fascinating, powerful female characters.
The Alienist by Caleb Carr is set in 1896, in New York City, where a psychologist, a journalist, and Theodore Roosevelt use early forensic and psychological methods to hunt a brutal serial killer. It’s a meticulous, atmospheric mystery focused on forensic science and psychological profiling.
The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes by Leonard Goldberg continues the legacy with a new generation of detectives. Joanna Blalock, the daughter of Sherlock Holmes, is a nurse with her father's brilliant observational skills. She teams up with an elderly Dr. Watson and his son to solve a baffling case of murder and missing treasure in 1914.
The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King. Set in 1915, it relates how a retired Sherlock Holmes is discovered by the brilliant, young Mary Russell, who becomes his apprentice. Their partnership, an intellectual match for Holmes, evolves as they pursue a mysterious enemy.
The Final Solution by Michael Chabon features a retired, unnamed man (by implication, Sherlock Holmes) living quietly as a beekeeper in the English countryside during WWII. He must use his skills to protect a young, mute Jewish refugee and his mysterious parrot.
Enjoy the trip!