Metropolis Pictures is filming The Speckled Band in Hollywood around 1940. But the director of the film, an infamous libertine named Stephen Worth, threatens “changes” which outrage The Baker Street Irregulars, a band of Sherlock Holmes aficionados. In an attempt to calm the critics of the ill-fated movie, owner of Metropolis Pictures, F. X. Weinberg, invites The Baker Street Irregulars to Hollywood to act as “advisors” on The Speckled Band. Into this dangerous mix enters a murder and a dozen various theories of “Whodunit.” The Case of the Baker Street Irregulars is another book I’ve had on my shelves for decades. Anthony Boucher blends dozens of Sherlock Holmes references into his twisty plot. If you’re a fan of Sherlock Holmes, you’ll enjoy the wit and deception in this mystery. GRADE: B+

Watson’s Choice is Gladys Mitchell’s 28th Mrs. Beatrice Bradley mystery. Mrs. Adela LeStrange Bradley is a polymathic psychoanalyst and author who solved crimes in 65 mystery novels. Her assistant, Laura Menzies, champions social and philosophical concerns. In Watson’s Choice (1955), Mrs. Bradley attends a house party hosted by an eccentric Sherlock Holmes aficionado, Sir Bohun (pronounced “Boon”) Chantrey where attendees appear as characters from Sherlock Holmes stories. The participants include the attractive but cunning governess that Sir Bohun has hired to teach one of his two nephews, a nervous tutor who teaches the other nephew, a group of actors and a pack of greedy relations, along with Mrs. Bradley’s assistant–Laura Menzies–and Laura’s fiancé who is a policeman. And a dog who looks a lot like the Hound of the Baskervilles. The unusual events at the Sherlock Holmes party end with the death of the governess, Linda Campbell.

Mrs. Bradley, as usual, makes short work of solving the murder that baffles the local constabulary and Scotland Yard. There are multiple references to stories in the Sherlock Holmes canon (which may or may not provide clues to the reader). I’ve had Gladys Mitchell’s Watson’s Choice on my shelves for a couple of decades and now I’ve finally read it. Good, but not great. Are you a Gladys Mitchell fan? GRADE: B-
THE MRS. BEATRICE BRADLEY MYSTERY SERIES:
Speedy Death, (London: Gollancz, 1929)
The Mystery of a Butcher’s Shop, (London: Gollancz, 1929)
The Longer Bodies, (London: Gollancz, 1930)
The Saltmarsh Murders, (London: Gollancz, 1932)
Death at the Opera, (London: Grayson, 1934);
vt. Death in the Wet (Philadelphia: Macrae Smith Company, 1934)
The Devil at Saxon Wall, (London: Grayson, 1935)
Dead Men’s Morris, (London: Michael Joseph, 1936)
Come Away Death, (London: Michael Joseph, 1937)
St Peter’s Finger, (London: Michael Joseph, 1938)
Printer’s Error, (London: Michael Joseph, 1939)
Brazen Tongue, (London: Michael Joseph, 1940)
Hangman’s Curfew, (London: Michael Joseph, 1941)
When Last I Died, (London: Michael Joseph, 1941)
Laurels Are Poison, (London: Michael Joseph, 1942)
The Worsted Viper, (London: Michael Joseph, 1943)
Sunset Over Soho, (London: Michael Joseph, 1943)
My Father Sleeps, (London: Michael Joseph, 1944)
The Rising of the Moon, (London: Michael Joseph, 1945)
Here Comes a Chopper, (London: Michael Joseph, 1946)
Death and the Maiden, (London: Michael Joseph, 1947)
The Dancing Druids, (London: Michael Joseph, 1948)
Tom Brown’s Body, (London: Michael Joseph, 1949)
Groaning Spinney, (London: Michael Joseph, 1950)
The Devil’s Elbow, (London: Michael Joseph, 1951)
The Echoing Strangers, (London: Michael Joseph, 1952)
Merlin’s Furlong, (London: Michael Joseph, 1953)
Faintley Speaking, (London: Michael Joseph, 1954)
Watson’s Choice, (London: Michael Joseph, 1955)
Twelve Horses and the Hangman’s Noose, (London: Michael Joseph, 1956)
The Twenty-third Man, (London: Michael Joseph, 1957)
Spotted Hemlock, (London: Michael Joseph, 1958)
The Man Who Grew Tomatoes, (London: Michael Joseph, 1959)
Say It With Flowers, (London: Michael Joseph, 1960)
The Nodding Canaries, (London: Michael Joseph, 1961)
My Bones Will Keep, (London: Michael Joseph, 1962)
Adders on the Heath, (London: Michael Joseph, 1963)
Death of a Delft Blue, (London: Michael Joseph, 1964)
Pageant of Murder, (London: Michael Joseph, 1965)
The Croaking Raven, (London: Michael Joseph, 1966)
Skeleton Island, (London: Michael Joseph, 1967)
Three Quick and Five Dead, (London: Michael Joseph, 1968)
Dance to Your Daddy, (London: Michael Joseph, 1969)
Gory Dew, (London: Michael Joseph, 1970)
Lament for Leto, (London: Michael Joseph, 1971)
A Hearse on May-Day, (London: Michael Joseph, 1972)
The Murder of Busy Lizzie, (London: Michael Joseph, 1973)
A Javelin for Jonah, (London: Michael Joseph, 1974)
Winking at the Brim, (London: Michael Joseph, 1974)
Convent on Styx, (London: Michael Joseph, 1975)
Late, Late in the Evening, (London: Michael Joseph, 1976)
Noonday and Night, (London: Michael Joseph, 1977)
Fault in the Structure, (London: Michael Joseph, 1977)
Wraiths and Changelings, (London: Michael Joseph, 1978)
Mingled with Venom, (London: Michael Joseph, 1978)
Nest of Vipers, (London: Michael Joseph, 1979)
The Mudflats of the Dead, (London: Michael Joseph, 1979)
Uncoffin’d Clay, (London: Michael Joseph, 1980)
The Whispering Knights, (London: Michael Joseph, 1980)
The Death-Cap Dancers, (London: Michael Joseph, 1981)
Lovers, Make Moan, (London: Michael Joseph, 1981)
Here Lies Gloria Mundy, (London: Michael Joseph, 1982)
The Death of a Burrowing Mole, (London: Michael Joseph, 1982)
The Greenstone Griffins, (London: Michael Joseph, 1983)
Cold, Lone and Still, (London: Michael Joseph, 1983)
No Winding-Sheet, (London: Michael Joseph, 1984)
The Crozier Pharaohs, (London: Michael Joseph, 1984)
Sleuth’s Alchemy, Cases of Mrs. Bradley and Others (Crippen & Landru, 2005)

A series of strange events lure Sherlock Holmes and Watson into investigating mysterious deaths in London. The victims’s bodies are shredded and their bones are rearranged in bizarre patterns. And then, there is the gold and the spherical bones found at the crime scenes! Lois Gresh’s Sherlock Holmes vs. Cthulhu: The Adventure of the Deadly Dimensions (2017) features alien artifacts that mystify Holmes. These devices seem to be alive! Secret societies, dark cults, horrific rites, and eldritch events propel the plot of this faux-Sherlock Holmes novel. At 437 pages, Sherlock Holmes vs. Cthulhu is a little too long for my taste. This is the first book in a trilogy. The second book, Sherlock Holmes vs. Cthulhu: The Adventure of the Neural Psychoses , will be published on August 14, 2018. GRADE: B

A. Conan Doyle’s The Sign of the Four (aka, The Sign of Four (1890) was the second novel in the Sherlock Holmes canon. This 1987 adaptation starring Jeremy Brett as Holmes and Edward Hardwicke as Watson is considered by many as the best movie version of a Sherlock Holmes story. Of course, the story has a bit of everything: a hidden treasure, murders, sinister forces, a locked room, and an exciting chase. The movie version leaves out the romance of Dr. Watson and Mary Morstan (Jenny Seagrove in this production) and Sherlock shooting up with a 7% solution of cocaine. Do you have a favorite movie version of a Sherlock Holmes story? GRADE: A

Welcome to Sherlock Holmes Week! For the next seven days I’ll be posting about books and movies related to Sherlock Holmes. Some will be classic, some will be new but all should entertain you. I’m starting off with a new book by Theodora Goss, The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter. Mary Jekyll finds herself in dire straits when her mother dies and the pension that was supporting the London household dies with her. Mary learns some facts about Mr. Hyde who murdered a rich man. Mary knew Hyde as her father’s assistant. The murdered man’s family is offering a hundred pound reward for information about Hyde and Mary desperately needs the money. But, she decides to first contact Sherlock Holmes for advice and assistance.

As you can imagine, The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter is a mashup of Robert Louis Stevenson and A. Conan Doyle. But wait, there’s more! As Holmes and Watson and Mary Jekyll investigate a series of murders, more pieces of this complex puzzle change everything. Theodora Goss has written a surprising mystery by mixing classic characters and elements. Highly recommended! GRADE: A

I’ll be watching the Final Four tonight. This year’s March Madness games featured plenty of drama and upsets. In the first game, Michigan is favored by 5 1/2 points over Loyola. In the second game, Villanova is favored by 5 points over Kansas. Right now, I’m rooting for Michigan and Villanova to meet for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship on Monday night. Who are you rooting for? Who do you think will win the Championship?
FINAL FOUR:
6:09 p.m. ET — No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 11 Loyola (Chicago) | TBS
8:49 p.m. ET — No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 1 Kansas | TBS

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Monday, April 2 (San Antonio)
9:20 p.m. ET — Semifinal winners | TBS

Leah Bobet’s first novel, Above, was shortlisted for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy. I had high expectations when I picked up Bobet’s second book, An Inheritance of Ashes, a Yong Adult fantasy novel. It’s the story of a pair of sisters trying to survive on a farm during a time of war. Most of the men of Lakelands are gone to fight a dark god. Hallie, a 16-year-old, finds dealing with her older sister, Marthe, more difficult. Marthe’s boyfriend has not returned from the war. Hallie hires a wandering war veteran named Heron to help keep the farm going. Strange birds called Twisted Things fly above the farm. They burn when touched. At 391 pages, I found An Inheritance of Ashes too long and tedious. A good editor could have cut this book in half and improved it. GRADE: C

A few weeks ago I reviewed The Best Science Fiction Stories: 1949 and enjoyed the experience. (You can read my review here.) So I decided to read the next volume in Bleier & Dikty’s classic series, The Best Science Fiction Stories: 1950. Once again, I was transported back to my childhood when I first read these great anthologies. My favorite story in this book is Henry Kuttner’s clever “Private Eye.” In a world of complete surveillance, how do you commit a murder and get away with it? Kuttner shows how.

One of my favorite SF stories of all time is Clifford Simak’s “The Big Front Yard.” “Eternity Lost” shows Simak’s concern for immortality and human foibles. Many YEAR’S BEST SF anthologies don’t include two stories by the same writer. Bleiler & Dikty break that rule for Ray Bradbury. I’m a big fan of John D. MacDonald’s work, but he didn’t write much SF. “Flow” demonstrates JDM could write SF very well.

After reading The Best Science Fiction Stories: 1950 you’ll conclude 1950 was a very good year for SF. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
A Sort of Introduction, by Vincent Starrett 9
Preface, by Everett F. Bleiler & T. E. Dikty 17
“Private Eye”, by Henry Kuttner 29
“Doomsday Deferred”, by Will F. Jenkins 66
“The Hurkle Is a Happy Beast”, by Theodore Sturgeon 85
“Eternity Lost”, by Clifford Simak 96
“Easter Eggs”, by Robert Spencer Carr 132
“Opening Doors”, by Wilmar H. Shiras 173
“Five Years in the Marmalade”, by Robert W. Krepps 218
“Dwellers in Silence”, by Ray Bradbury 237
“Mouse”, by Fredric Brown 253
“Refuge for Tonight”, by Robert Moore Williams 266
“The Life-Work of Professor Muntz”, by Murray Leinster 300
“Flaw”, by John D. MacDonald 316
“The Man”, by Ray Bradbury 326
About the Authors 343

Back in the 1980s, Boy Bands ruled the BILLBOARD music charts. Backstreet Boys, N’Sync, and a dozen more groups toured and performed relentlessly. One of these groups, BBmak, came from Britain. They achieved modest success with their hit “Back Here.” They featured a clean sound and rugged good looks (a must for successful videos). Do you have a favorite Boy Band? GRADE: B+
TRACK LIST:
TITLE WRITERS PRODUCERS
1. “Back Here” Mark Barry, Christian Burns, Stephen McNally, Phil Thornalley Oliver Leiber, John Shanks 3:35
2. “I’m Not in Love” Leiber, Jon Lind Leiber 4:14
3. “Next Time” Leiber, Paul Peterson, Shanks Leiber 3:51
4. “Unpredictable” Leiber, Peterson, Anthony Kavanaugh Leiber, Rob Cavallo 4:24
5. “Ghost of You and Me” Lind, Richard Page Cavallo, Lind 4:46
6. “I Can Tell” James Gass, Robin Thicke Thicke, Pro-Jay 3:39
7. “Love Is Leaving” Barry, Burns, McNally Cavallo, Lind 4:18
8. “Love on the Outside” Barry, Burns, McNally Cavallo, Lind, BBMak 2:47
9. “Still on Your Side” Bridget Benenate, Bob Thiele, Dillon O’Brian, Barry, Burns, McNally O’Brian, Thiele, Cavallo, Lind 3:52
10. “Always” Barry, Burns, McNally Cavallo, Lind, BBMak 1:06
11. “Can’t Say” Barry, Burns, McNally, Thornalley, David Munday Lieber 3:38
12. “Again” Burns, Barry, McNally Mark Jolley, Richard Cardwell, Milton McDonald, BBMak, Cavallo 3:35