Whether you watch the Amazon Prime Video version of Ordeal of Innocence or read Agatha Christie’s 1958 novel of the same name (I did both), you’re going to meet a most dysfunctional and repellent family. Rachel Argyle (Anna Chancellor), the matriarch of a wealthy family, adopts five children. All of them are troubled. Jacko Argyle (Anthony Boyle) is accused and convicted of murdering Rachel Argyle. Jacko dies in prison. A year later, a man shows up on the doorstep of the Argyle mansion, claiming he has evidence that Jacko was innocent of the murder. The man, Dr. Calgary (Luke Treadaway), says he was part of an Arctic expedition and just recently returned to learn about this sensational case.

Once Jacko is cleared of the crime, the family members all become suspects. Hester (Ella Purnell), flighty and fragile, hated Rachel for being right about her lack of acting talent–and her taste in men. Tina (Crystal Clarke) and Mickey’s (Christian Cooke) secret relationship gives them motive for killing Rachel. Mary’s polio-stricken husband, Philip (Matthew Goode), seems to know more than he’s telling. Leo, Rachel’s husband (Bill Nighy), is cozy with his secretary, Gwenda Vaughn (Alice Eve). Kirsten (Morven Christie), the housekeeper, knows too much.

In typical Agatha Christie fashion, everyone looks guilty. Everyone has something to hide. My only quibble with Ordeal of Innocence is with the downbeat mood of both the book and the mini-series. The only comic relief is Alice Eve as Gwenda. Do you have a favorite Agatha Christie mystery? GRADE: B (for both)

Bill Crider would have loved The Shakespeare Requirement. Julie Schumacher’s snarky look at contemporary Academic Life is spot on. Jason Fitger, new Chairman of the English Department at Payne University, finds his department under siege by the Machiavellian head of the wealthy Economics Department, Roland Gladwell. Gladwell plans to gut the English Department and take over their offices and conference rooms. Schumacher’s witty approach to this turf fight centers around the strategy to remove the requirement of English Majors to take a course in Shakespeare. Fitger’s ex-wife is sleeping with the Dean. But, she harbors feelings toward Fitger and secretly leaks information that might help the English Department survive.

There is a snicker–or outright laugh–on every page of The Shakespeare Requirement. The more you know about the workings of academia the more your funny bone will be tickled! Schumacher shows how universities really work from the gritty classroom tenches to the posh offices of the Provost. You’ll find The Shakespeare Requirement the funniest book of 2018! It’s even funnier than Julie Schumacher’s hilarious Dear Committee Members (you can read my review here). GRADE: A

What would a Sherlock Holmes Week be like without a Holmes vs. Cthulhu mashup? James Lovegrove’s The Cthulhu Casebooks: Sherlock Holmes and the Miskatonic Monstrosities continues the story arc started in Lovergrove’s THE CTHULHU CASEBOOKS: SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE SHADWELL SHADOWS (you can read my review here). Holmes and Watson travel to Bedlam (aka, Bethlem Royal Hospital, a London institution and the origin of the word for chaos or madness) to investigate a badly injured man who draws strange symbols on the walls of his room. Holmes recognizes the language the man is writing as R’lyehian script. But before Holmes can solve this mystery, the patient escapes and one of the caretakers is murdered.

As Holmes and Watson chase the escaped patient, more clues emerge. Two men from Arkham’s Miskatonic University appear at the heart of this story with their quest to capture a shoggoth, a hideous creature referred to in the Necronomicon. Part of The Cthulhu Casebooks: Sherlock Holmes and the Miskatonic Monstrosities presents the journal documenting that hunt for the shoggoth. But more Lovecraftean creatures pop up to wreak havoc.

James Lovegrove wraps up this tangled faux-Lovecraft trilogy with The Cthulhu Casebooks: Sherlock Holmes and the Sussex Sea Devils (November 2018). Regular posting resumes tomorrow. GRADE: B

Many of you will recognize Lloyd Biggle, Jr. as a prolific Science Fiction writer who wrote novels like The Angry Espers (1961). But Biggle also wrote some mystery novels with his Sherlock Holmes pastiche, The Quallford Inheritance (1986), being the best of the bunch. Biggle avoids the Watson problem by creating the character of teenager Edward Porter Jones. Jones was a member of Sherlock’s Baker Street Irregulars and so enjoyed the assignments Holmes sent him on that he asked the world’s first consulting detective to be his assistant. Holmes agreed.

In The Quallsford Inheritance a young woman, Emmeline Quallsford, hires Holmes to investigate the recent death of her brother, Edmund Quallsford. The police consider the death a suicide, but Miss Quallsford believes her brother was murdered. I enjoyed the narration of Jones as the investigation proceeded. Plenty of red herrings and baffling incidents! There’s even an exorcism! If you’re looking for a top-notch Sherlock Holmes pastiche, The Quallsford Inheritance qualifies. GRADE: B+

Originally published in 1961, The Reminiscences of Solar Pons was reprinted in a paperback edition by Pinnacle Books in 1975 as part of a Solar Pons series. This fifth volume, with its informative introduction by Anthony Boucher, is my favorite. August Derleth, best known for creating Arkham Press and reprinting the works of H. P. Lovecraft, was a prolific writer. His faux-Sherlock Holmes figure, Solar Pons, mimics the best of Doyle’s character. The stories in The Reminiscences of Solar Pons were mostly published in The Saint Magazine in the 1950s. Anthony Boucher liked these faux-Sherlock Holmes pastiches and so did I. GRADE: B+
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction, by Anthony Boucher 1
“The Adventure of the Mazarine Blue” 6
“The Adventure of the Hats of M. Dulac” 26
“The Adventure of the Mosaic Cylinders” 50
“The Adventure of the Praed Street Irregulars” 97
“The Adventure of the Cloverdale Kennels” 116
“The Adventure of the Black Cardinal” 139
“The Adventure of the Troubled Magistrate” 165
“The Adventure of the Blind Clairaudient” 187
“A Chronology of Solar Pons”, by Robert Patrick 205

Back in 1990, Carole Nelson Douglas’s Good Night, Mr. Holmes presented American opera singer, Irene Adler, and her “Watson,” Penelope Huxleigh (a young former governess). Together, Adler and Huxleigh solve crimes and bamboozle Sherlock Holmes. Holmes tells Watson that Irene Adler was one of four people in the world who outwitted him. Sherlockians will recall Irene Adler plays a big role in “A Scandal in Bohemia.” In Good Night, Mr. Holmes we get to see the story from Adler’s point of view. Critics assert Irene Adler was more than a match for Sherlock Holmes. GRADE: B+
Irene Adler series
Good Night, Mr. Holmes (1990) ISBN 0-312-93210-3
Good Morning Irene, ISBN 0-8125-0949-8 reissued as The Adventuress(1991), ISBN 0-7653-4715-6
Irene at Large, ISBN 0-8125-1702-4 reissued as A Soul of Steel (1992), ISBN 0-7653-4790-3
Irene’s Last Waltz, ISBN 0-8125-1703-2 reissued as Another Scandal in Bohemia (1994), ISBN 0-8125-1702-4
Chapel Noir (2001), ISBN 0-7653-4347-9
Castle Rouge (2002), ISBN 0-7653-4571-4
Femme Fatale (2003), ISBN 0-7653-4594-3
Spider Dance (2004), ISBN 0-7653-4595-1

How about Holmes and Watson as two African-American women? This is what is considered “High Concept.” Claire O’Dell presents a near-future United States that’s involved in a Second Civil War (the NRA and White Supremacy Groups are launching massive attacks). Janet Watson, a surgeon, loses her left arm in the Battle of Alton, Illinois. Watson’s given a crappy prosthetic arm and mustered out of the Army. She travels to Washington, D.C. to lobby the Veteran’s Administration for a high-tech arm that would allow her to return to the profession she loves. But, of course, the Veteran’s Administration gives Watson evasions and delays.

Watson is running out of money so she explores the possibility of a roommate. Watson meets Sara Holmes who is “difficult.” Despite the friction, Holmes and Watson move into a swanky apartment and Watson tries to adapt to civilian life. But, when a patient Watson is treating dies unexpectedly, both Watson and Holmes start investigating and discover a disturbing pattern of deaths.

Claire O’Dell’s gender-bender, race-changing, and quirky Sherlock Holmes pastiche “modifies” A. Conan Doyle’s characters in other ways. Janet Watson, with possible PTSD and drug issues, is emotional. Sara Holmes doesn’t play the violin, she prefers the piano. And this Holmes is more James Bond than the traditional Sherlock Holmes. But, if you’re looking for something different and innovative, I recommend A Study in Honor. GRADE: B+

When a crime spree in the 22nd Century baffles New Scotland Yard, Inspector Beth Lestrade decides on a radical approach: bring back Sherlock Holmes. Holmes’s body has been preserved in honey so a little genetic engineering and anti-aging technology brings the first consulting detective back to life. Beth’s robot, after reading the entire Canon, wants to be called “Watson.” Together, the three crime fighters take on a variety of criminals in the 22nd Century (I like the flying cars!). Each of the 26 episodes is “inspired” by one of A. Conan Doyle’s stories. I enjoyed these adaptations with their quirky characters and futuristic settings. GRADE: B+
First season (1999–2000)
Episode number Production number US airdate Episode title Sherlock Holmes story episode is based on
1 101 18 September 1999 “The Fall and Rise of Sherlock Holmes” “The Adventure of the Final Problem”
2 102 25 September 1999 “The Crime Machine” The Valley of Fear
3 103 2 October 1999 “The Hounds of the Baskervilles” The Hound of the Baskervilles
4 108 9 October 1999 “The Adventure of the Empty House” “The Adventure of the Empty House”
5 122 16 October 1999 “The Crooked Man” “The Adventure of the Crooked Man”
6 120 23 October 1999 “The Adventure of the Deranged Detective” “The Adventure of the Dying Detective”
7 111 30 October 1999 “The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire Lot” “The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire”
8 105 6 November 1999 “The Scales of Justice” “The Adventure of the Speckled Band”
9 104 13 November 1999 “The Resident Patient” “The Adventure of the Resident Patient”
10 121 20 November 1999 “The Sign of Four” The Sign of the Four
11 114 27 November 1999 “The Adventure of the Dancing Men” “The Adventure of the Dancing Men”
12 125 4 December 1999 “The Musgrave Ritual” “The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual”
13 112 11 December 1999 “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle” “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle”
14 119 31 January 2000 “Silver Blaze” “The Adventure of Silver Blaze”
15 106 7 February 2000 “The Five Orange Pips” “The Five Orange Pips”
16 113 14 February 2000 “The Red-Headed League” “The Red-Headed League”
17 118 21 February 2000 “The Man with the Twisted Lip” “The Man with the Twisted Lip”
Second season (2001)
Episode number Production number US airdate Episode title Sherlock Holmes story episode is based on
18 109 31 March 2001 “The Secret Safe” “His Last Bow”
19 115 21 April 2001 “The Adventure of the Second Stain” “The Adventure of the Second Stain”
20 117 28 April 2001 “The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb” “The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb”
21 123 12 May 2001 “The Gloria Scott” “The Adventure of the Gloria Scott”
22 124 19 May 2001 “The Adventure of the Six Napoleons” “The Adventure of the Six Napoleons”
23 126 26 May 2001 “The Adventure of the Creeping Man” “The Adventure of the Creeping Man”
24 107 23 June 2001 “The Adventure of the Beryl Board” “The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet”
25 110 30 June 2001 “The Adventure of the Mazarin Chip” “The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone”
26 116 21 July 2001 “A Case of Identity” “A Case of Identity”

Surprise! It’s another Sherlock Holmes Week! This Summer Edition kicks off with Aliette de Bodard’s unconventional Sherlock Holmes pastiche, The Tea Master and The Detective (2018). Imagine Sherlock Holmes is a woman and Watson is a spaceship. Mysteries abound in the Scattered Pearls Belt, a collection of ring habitats and orbitals. A transport spaceship, The Shadow’s Child, ekes out an existence by formulating exotic teas for passengers. The Shadow’s Child has been discharged from military duty after sustaining a traumatic injury. Along comes a strange client, Long Chau, who wants to find a corpse in space. Reluctantly, The Shadow’s Child accepts Long Chau as a client (rent is due!) and together the spaceship and the detective discover a corpse and a twisted mystery. You won’t find another Sherlock Holmes pastiche as strange and delightful as The Tea Master and The Detective. GRADE: A-

Back in 1992, Disney’s animated feature became the year’s biggest Box Office winner by earning $502 million. The VHS version, released a few months later, earned over $500 million–a record at that time. In 2011, Aladdin, The Musical opened on Broadway. Now the touring company arrived in Buffalo. Aladdin, The Musical strips down the story of Aladdin, the roguish street hustler who falls in love with Princess Jasmine. Aladdin is manipulated by the Sultan’s evil Grand Visier, Jafar, into entering the Cave of Wonders to retrieve a magic lamp. Things go wrong and Aladdin is trapped in the cave–Jafar thinks he’s dead–and Aladdin rubs the lamp and meets The Genie. The Genie offers Aladdin three wishes, but of course things go wrong there, too.

Diane and I enjoyed the singing and dancing in Aladdin, The Musical. The spectacle in the Cave of Wonders is dazzling! We loved the Magic Carpet! Plenty of kids were in the audience during the performance we attended. As we were exiting the building, we overheard a young kid say to his parents, “The Genie was the best thing!” He’s right. GRADE: B
SONG LIST:
Act I
“Overture”
“Arabian Nights” (Ashman/Rice***) – Genie & Company
“One Jump Ahead” (Rice) – Aladdin & Ensemble
“One Jump Ahead (Reprise)” (Rice) – Aladdin
“Proud of Your Boy” (Ashman*) – Aladdin
“These Palace Walls” (Beguelin**) – Jasmine & Female Attendants
“Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim” (Ashman*) – Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim, Jasmine & Ensemble
“A Million Miles Away” (Beguelin**) – Aladdin & Jasmine
“Diamond in the Rough” (Beguelin**) – Jafar, Iago, & Aladdin
“Friend Like Me” (Ashman) – Genie, Aladdin and Ensemble
Act One Finale (Friend Like Me (Reprise) (Ashman)/Proud of Your Boy (Reprise I)) (Beguelin)** – Genie & Aladdin
Act II
“Prince Ali” (Ashman) – Genie, Babkak, Omar, Kassim, & Ensemble
“A Whole New World” (Rice) – Aladdin & Jasmine
“High Adventure” (Ashman*) – Babkak, Omar, Kassim, & Ensemble
“Somebody’s Got Your Back” (Beguelin**) – Aladdin, Genie, Babkak, Omar, & Kassim
“Proud of Your Boy (Reprise II)” (Ashman) – Aladdin
“Prince Ali (Sultan Reprise)” (Beguelin**) – Sultan & Company
“Prince Ali (Jafar Reprise)” (Rice) – Jafar
Finale Ultimo (“Arabian Nights (Reprise)” (Ashman/Beguelin*) / “A Whole New World (Reprise)” (Rice)) – Company
Bows (“Friend Like Me (Reprise II)”) (Ashman) – Company