Sherlock Holmes: Adventures for the Twelve Days of Christmas
Roger Riccard, has once again delved into his imagination to create short Christmastime stories for the famous detective, Sherlock Holmes and his faithful companion, Dr. John H. Watson. This volume contains another set of six, to continue the collection for the Twelve Days of Christmas.
A Partridge in a Pearl Tree – A crown containing the famous Partridge Ruby of Burma goes missing before Christmas, and so does the nun who was wearing it.
The Two Turtledoves – Will the famous photograph and its subjects have a negative effect on Holmes’s success as a detective?
The Three French Henchmen – Watson works with Mycroft Holmes and his agents to foil Professor Moriarty’s gang, after Holmes’s ‘death’ at the Reichenbach Falls.
The Four Calling Birds – An American Men’s Quartet, on a visit to London, seek the detective’s help to prove their innocence of a murder.
The Five Gold Rings – Holmes and Watson seek the stolen gift of Olympic Rings from King Edward to the King of Belgium.
The Six Geese at a Gander – Holmes must stop an assassination attempt at a Christmas Eve dinner where British nobility are the primary guests, but the target is unknown.
Reviews
Some excellent stories from the pen of one of the better pastiche writers of Sherlock Holmes. Very good plots with admirable solutions by Holmes and good contributions by Dr. and Mrs. Watson, as well as Mycroft Holmes. The 7th Swann gives us a unique look at Watson’s emotions after the loss of his beloved Mary. The 8th Milkmaid reveals a bit of Holmes, the college student and the beginnings of the Holmes/Watson friendship. The 9th Ladyship at the Dance nicely brings Mary Watson and Mycroft Holmes into a case. The 10th Lord Leaping challenges both Holmes’ and Watson’s powers of deduction. The 11 Pipe Problem gives us a look at some of Watson’s history while Holmes is solving a case in Scotland and The 12th Drumming forces Holmes to eliminate the impossible and reveal an improbable solution. All in all a good read and, combined with the other six stories from Further Adventures for the Twelve Days of Christmas, makes an excellent Christmas collection.
