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+
I suppose if I ran across it I’d buy it!
Bob, I’ve had some of these Sherlock Holmes pastiches on my shelves for years. These SHERLOCK HOLMES WEEKs help me to deal with the backlog of books. I have at least another couple dozen to read.
I know I read something by Biggle but not this one.
Jeff, I was familiar with Lloyd Biggle, Jr.’s science fiction. Biggle wrote a handful of mysteries, too.
I bought about a dozen of his SF titles – but never would have thought that he wrote a Sherlock story too, though I have this on my list …
Wolf, August Derleth’s SOLAR PONS series are excellent Sherlock Holmes pastiches! You would enjoy them.