From Publishers Weekly
Kaye (The Game Is Afoot; Fantastique) builds this collection on the premise that prominent authors, e.g., Theodore Dreiser, P.G. Wodehouse, Dashiell Hammett and Edgar Rice Burroughs, were hired by a reclusive collector to make sense of the case notes left by Watson in his tin dispatch box. Kaye has asked contemporary authors to write in the style of genre forbears. Thus, Paula Volsky writes the dramatic "The Giant Rat of Sumatra" in the style of Lovecraft; Mike Resnick the hilarious "Mrs. Vamberry Takes a Trip" as Thorne Smith. In most cases, the adopted style is well-crafted, with the authors adroitly capturing the feel of their models. A few, such as Kaye's own Rex Stout parody, might have better remained in the tin box. As a whole, however, the book is a stout effort, and editor Kaye deserves congratulations.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Kaye has edited a clever concoction of "new" Sherlock Holmes cases. In amusing, tongue-in-cheek manner, each of the 15 stories provided is purported to be based on a caper originally outlined by Dr. Watson but penned by various well-known literary masters. Readers will be delighted by tales of Sherlock Holmes written in the diverse and unique styles of such authors as H. G. Wells, Ernest Hemingway, P. G. Wodehouse, and Mickey Spillane. This entertaining and inventive collection serves as a testament to the enduring popularity of the lives and times of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, two of Western literature's most intriguing characters. A must-read for the ever-loyal throng of Baker Street fans.
Margaret Flanagan
