The Osiris Ritual (2010) is the second book in the Sir Maurice Newbury and Veronica Hobbs steam-punk mystery series. Newbury possesses the passion and ability for investigation that Sherlock Holmes has. Veronica Hobbs serves her role as Watson admirably. Queen Victoria sends Newbury on a mission to find a cyborg secret agent who has gone rogue. Hobbs investigates a series of missing women who disappear during a stage magician’s act. As you might suspect, the two inquires merge. I like George Mann’s decision to make Newbury susceptible to opioids. And Hobbs has some secrets of her own. I reviewed the first book in the series, The Affinity Bridge, here. If you’re looking for a diverting steam-punk mystery with zeppelins and robots, this is where you’ll find some fun reading. GRADE: B

George Mann has written a couple of Sherlock Holmes pastiches (Sherlock Holmes: The Will of the Dead Titan Books, 2013 and Sherlock Holmes: The Spirit Box Titan Books, 2014) but I chose The Affinity Bridge, Mann’s steampunk mashup. Dr. Maurice Newbury, a Sherlock Holmes clone with skills in the occult sciences, together with his feisty assistant Veronica Hobbs, investigate two apparently unrelated events: a series of horrific murders in London and the crash of an airship where 50 passengers die.

Since The Affinity Bridge is a steampunk novel, automatons factor into the plot as well as weird technology that is keeping Queen Victoria alive. Mann provides some effective battle scenes and enough mysteries unresolved to fuel a sequel. If you’re looking for a different spin on the Sherlock Holmes template, you’ll find some fun reading The Affinity Bridge. GRADE: B
NEWBURY & HOBBS INVESTIGATION SERIES:
The Affinity Bridge (ISBN 978-1905005888) (Snowbooks, 2008)
“The Hambleton Affair” (Newbury and Hobbes short story) – appeared in the hardcover edition of The Affinity Bridge, free PDF available for download.[11] Included in The Casebook of Newbury & Hobbes.
“The Shattered Teacup” (Snowbooks, 2010) (free PDF eBook/Audiobook download)[12]* Included in The Casebook of Newbury & Hobbes.
The Osiris Ritual (ISBN 978-1906727048) (Snowbooks, 2009)
“What Lies Beneath” (short story), free PDF available for download[13] Included in The Casebook of Newbury & Hobbes.
The Immorality Engine (ISBN 978-1906727185) (Snowbooks, 2011)
The Executioner’s Heart (ISBN 978-1781160053) (Titan Books, 2013)
The Revenant Express (ISBN 9780765334091) (Titan Books, 2019)
The Casebook of Newbury & Hobbes Collection (ISBN 978-1781167427) (Titan Books, 2013)

Benedict Cumberbatch reads these four new Sherlock Holmes stories by John Taylor: “An Inscrutable Masquerade,” “The Conundrum of Coach 13,” “The Trinity Vicarage Larceny,” and “The 10.59 Assassin.”

I find Benedict Cumberbatch a convincing narrator. I have some audio versions of RUMPOLE stories that Cumberbatch narrated expertly, too. Do you enjoy audio books? GRADE: A

David Stuart Davies has written a handful of Sherlock Holmes pastiches–Sherlock Holmes and the Hentzau Affair (1991), The Scroll of the Dead (1998), Shadow of the Rat (1999), The Veiled Detective (2004), The Games Afoot (2008), The Devil’s Promise (2014), and The Ripper Legacy (2016)–but I think Davies’s The Tangled Skein (1995) is his most successful book. The Tangled Skein purports to be a “lost” adventure that comes to light. An old adversary attempts to assassinate Sherlock Holmes which leads Holmes and Watson into a tangled plot with supernatural elements. Davies manages to simulate Watson’s style (not easy to accomplish) and produces a tale where Watson plays a critical role. GRADE: A-

My review of The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer can be read here. This Netflix movie version follows the book fairly closely. In a movie like Enola Holmes the actress playing the role generally spells success or failure. In this case, Millie Bobby Brown makes Enola Holmes a success (at least in my eyes). Yes, there are flaws. Henry Cavill as Sherlock Holmes is both stuffy and passive. Perhaps Director Harry Bradbeer wanted to suggest that Enola is smarter than her older brother. Sam Claflin as Mycroft Holmes presents an arrogant, priggish character.

On the plus side, Helena Bonham Carter as Eudoria Holmes is first-rate as an unconventional mother of three unique children. Louis Partridge as Viscount Tewkesbury, Marquess of Basilwether, generates some on-screen chemistry with Enola.

If you’re in the mood for a entertaining Holmes pastiche, you might give Enola Holmes a try. I’m hoping Netflix orders a few more of these movies. GRADE: B+

Welcome to another Sherlock Holmes Week! For the next few days I’ll be reviewing Sherlock Holmes pastiches and movies. I decided to start with the second book in Nancy Springer’s Enola Holmes series: The Case of the Left-Handed Lady (2007). You can read my review of the first book, THE CASE OF THE MISSING MARQUESS here.

Enola Holmes is Sherlock and Mycroft’s little sister. And, like her older brothers, Enola loves to solve mysteries. After the events in The Case of the Missing Marquess, Enola has eluded her brothers and set up a consulting service where she pretends she’s the assistant of the famous Dr. Ragostin. In reality, Enola is searching for her mother who has also left the oversight of Sherlock and Mycroft.

Enola involves herself in the mysterious disappearance of Lady Cecily, a young woman like herself with puzzling tendencies. Nancy Springer does a nice job capturing aspects of Victorian London as Enola unravels the clues. This series is aimed at a Young Adult audience, but adults will find Enola’s antics entertaining, too. GRADE: B

The Buffalo Bills (3-0) travel to Vegas to take on the Raiders (2-1). The Bills are favored by 3 points. The Raiders are being investigated for breaking containment and exposing the team to the coronavirus. We’ll see how that turns out. What’s happening with your favorite NFL team today?

A British female punk rock band called the Blue Tits recorded a vinyl album decades ago. But, Blue Tits’s guitarist, Helene Hilditch (aka, Howling’ Hellbitch), produced solos that the producer thought were “too good” so that pressing was deposed of and the Blue Tits recorded the album again without those amazing guitar solos.

Fast forward to today when the Vinyl Detective is hired by Helene Hilditch’s new boy friend who want to pay a fortune for a copy of that rare first pressing of the Blue Tits’s album with his girlfriend’s solos. The complication that makes this search difficult is that someone is trying to kill Helene.

When the Blue Tits decide to put on a reunion concert, the prospect that the murderer will strike increases. Like all of the Vinyl Detective series, Low Action features plenty of searching, quirky characters, and clever plotting. GRADE: A-

I’ve been a fan of the “Mammoth Book” series for years. This volume from 2007 features many enjoyable stories. My favorites are Ed Hoch’s “The Problem of the Black Cloister” and “A Shower of Daggers.” I’m an admirer of underrated writer Arthur Porges and his “No Killer Has Wings” shows why he should be better known. I also liked Peter Tremanyne’s “The Stuart Sapphire.” Bill Pronzini provides his usual high quality story-telling in “Proof of Guilt.” If you’re in the mood for an impossible crime or a perfect mystery, here are 30 stories to delight you. GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Copyright & Acknowledgements –vii

Perfectly impossible / Mike Ashley — 1
An almost perfect crime / William F. Smith — 3
The X Street murders / Joseph Commings — 25
Locked in death / Mary Reed & Eric Mayer — 43
Wingless Pegasus / Gillian Linscott — 63
Duel of shadows / Vincent Cornier — 79
The 45 steps / Peter Crowther — 96
Contrary to the evidence / Douglas Newton — 128
The impossible footprint / William Brittain — 142
Three blind rats / Laird Long — 155
Death and the rope trick / John Basye Price — 172
The problem of the black cloister / Edward D. Hoch — 188
A shower of daggers / Edward D. Hoch — 204
The hook / Robert Randisi — 223
The mystery of the Sevenoaks Tunnel / Max Rittenberg — 240
The red ring / William Le Queux — 254
Observable justice / Will Murray — 267
On the rocks / J.A. Konrath — 298
Eternally yours / H. Edward Hunsburger — 310
Murder in monkeyland / Lois Gresh & Robert Weinberg — 327
No killer has wings / Arthur Porges — 342
Benning’s School for Boys / Richard A. Lupoff — 355
The episode of the nail and the requiem / C. Daly King — 378
The impossible murder of Dr. Satanus / William Krohn — 398
The Stuart sapphire / Peter Tremayne — 413
The flung-back lid / Peter Godfrey — 434
The poisoned bowl / Forrest Rosaire — 452
Proof of guilt / Bill Pronzini — 486
Slaughterhouse / Barry Longyear — 496
The birdman of Tonypandy / Bernard Knight — 511

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars was the first David Bowie album I ever bought. It was 1972 and the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street was my favorite album that year, but David Bowie’s wonderful songs received heavy rotation on my turntable. In later years, I bought and enjoyed Let’s Dance. And, what might be the theme song for the Age of Coronavirus, I loved “Under Pressure” by David Bowie and Queen.

Best of Bowie was released in 2002 and although Bowie continued to release songs and CDs, this 2-CD collection includes most of Bowie’s best work. Are you a David Bowie fan? Do you have a favorite song? GRADE: A

TRACK LIST:

CD 1

CD 2