Roger Riccard

Sherlock Holmes: Adventures for the Twelve Days of Christmas

Six Sherlock Holmes stories based upon the Christmas carol The Twelve Days of Christmas

 

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Roger Riccard, having published two previous Sherlock Holmes novels, The Case of the Poisoned Lilly and The Case of the Twain Papers, has again taken pen in hand to bring forth a series of six short stories occurring during the Christmas seasons of Holmes’ career. Each has a connection with the well known carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas.

The Seventh Swann – The heir-apparent to Lord Swann is missing. Has he been kidnapped? Is he still alive?

The Eighth Milkmaid– A young child has joined the staff at the home of Holmes’ former professor. But who is she, really?

The Ninth Ladyship at the Dance – Queen Victoria’s daughter, Princess Beatrice, has come under threat by unknown forces. How will Holmes protect her?

The Tenth Lord Leaping – The Earl of Dunbar has been observed undergoing strange physical gyrations. What is his secret?

The Eleven Pipe Problem – Mysterious thefts are happening all over Edinburgh. What, or who, do they have in common?

The Twelfth Drumming – The clock strikes midnight. A shot The Twelfth Drumming – The clock strikes midnight. A shot rings out and Sir james is dead. There is no sign of an intruder nor murder weapon. Who pulled tthe trigger? How did they get away?

The answers to these questions and more lie within. Sit back and enjoy this first volume of Sherlock Holmes: Adventures for the Twelve Days of Christmas, and look out for the remaining six stories coming Christmas 2016.

Review

Mad (Mad About Books) Wilson Recommended and rated this book

 5 stars

Given a choice between a collection of short stories and a single longer work, I will almost always choose the novel or novella. Except in rare cases, short stories are like a piece of chocolate—enjoyed for the moment but soon forgotten. For this reason, I find it necessary to note the essence of each tale as I read it. I have taken to reading Christmas-related books and stories in December to put myself in the spirit of the season. However, the tales I choose are not the usual sappy Hallmark Movie type since what I normally read is speculative or crime-related.

This year, I have been reading some of the many books written by the Sherlock Holmes cottage industry of writers. Many of them take the Great Detective and put him in situations that either add to the canon or veer off on another path altogether. I find that most succeed in broadening the scope of this beloved character.

The Seventh Swann — The year is 1894. Holmes and Watson find themselves traveling to Ireland to find the missing heir to the Swann Estate. The missing heir has little interest in claiming his birthright and has a younger brother far more suited to the role. What has become of Seamus O’Toole, the missing heir — seventh swan gone missing?

The Eighth Milkmaid — At Christmastime, in the second year of their friendship, Holmes invites Watson to accompany him to the home of his favorite professor, who lives in Aylesbury. The professor, Christopher Nichols, is semi-retired and has inherited the family estate, which includes a dairy farm. There are seven milkmaids and Tina, who is a maid in the manor house. She milks a cow twice a day to meet the needs of the kitchen — eighth maid a milking.

The Ninth Ladyship at the Dance — Holmes and Watson are invited to a grand Christmas Eve Ball at Cunningham Place, the home of a client they helped earlier in the year. The Duke of Cunningham, Thomas Howard, will be entertaining an array of royalty, including Queen Victoria’s youngest daughter, Princess Beatrice, and her husband, Prince Henry of Battenberg. Dr. and Mrs. Watson are attending along with Holmes and a mysterious plus one. Holmes warns of possible danger with no detail as to what it might be — ninth lady dancing.

The Tenth Lord Leaping — The weather is bad; the streets are icy, and Holmes takes a fall that damages his knee. He cannot climb the seventeen steps to the apartment he shares with Watson, so he is forced to meet with a client in Mrs. Hudson’s parlor. Angeline, Countess Dunbar, Dunbar Manor, Warwickshire, relates a strange tale about her son who is missing. She implores Holmes to find him. Injury be damned, Holmes takes the case — the tenth lord is leaping.

The Eleven Pipe Problem — Being an aficionado of Sherlock Holmes, the title said to me this was going to involve eleven dips into the Persian slipper. However, the tale takes Holmes and Watson to Scotland, where there are pipers of the bagpipe variety. The crime is theft at high society events and at funerals. What could these have in common — eleven pipers piping?

The Twelfth Drumming — Holmes and Watson are summoned by a dead man to investigate his death. It is a closed-door mystery most perplexing. Was it murder? Suicide? Were previous attempts on the life of Sir James Piersall near misses before his demise? It is always best to save the most intriguing case for last — twelve notes of drumming.

December brings cold weather and snow to the British Isles. Winter weather and holiday merriment will not stay Sherlock Holmes from tackling a case that interests him. Fans of the Great Detective will want to savor these stories as they are reminded of the lively tune The Twelve Days of Christmas and each day’s gift cleverly woven into Dr. Watson’s recounting.

 

Author

Roger Riccard
Published

2015
ISBN

978-1901091-65-6
Pages

288
Available

Paperback, eBook

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