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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nEach Sherlock Holmes: A Year of Mystery <\/em>volume, published by Belanger Books, includes at least a dozen stories, filling in the years 1881-1886. Holmes and Watson were already together then, but Watson was uncharacteristically quiet about their adventures. In Sherlock Holmes: A Year of Mystery 1885<\/em><\/a>, edited by Richard T. Ryan, contemporary writers make up for Watson\u2019s reticence, creating excellent adventures to help fill in the gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Naturally, the challenges in writing a story set almost 140 years ago are significant. No cell phones, no video surveillance, no DNA evidence, no criminal databases, and no other scientific or organizational trappings modern crime stories employ. I asked my fellow authors whether these differences are a help with their stories or a hindrance. Here\u2019s what they said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Victorian setting allows for a more \u201cclassical\u201d mystery, says George Gardner. For his story, he researched how much the Victorians knew about dynamite. He admits that he \u201cmay have bent some rules in terms of chronology there,\u201d but since dynamite was invented by Alfred Nobel in 1866, George is on pretty solid ground, it seems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Victorian setting \u201cis an advantage more than a hindrance as the instantaneousness of modern communications can get in the way of a good story,\u201d says Kevin Thornton. The telegraph is the fastest communications technology available to Holmes, and in Thornton\u2019s two stories, he makes good use of it. Another advantage, says George Jacobs, is that he can \u201ckeep Holmes\u2019s mind at the forefront of the adventure.\u201d What\u2019s more, \u201chaving to rush around London (or farther afield) on foot or in a cab, and sometimes engage in fisticuffs with the villains\u201d adds to the adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The authors strive to be sure that not just the technology, but \u201cthe feel<\/em> of every story is right,\u201d too, says Katy Darby. This includes language and dialog, style and social etiquette, and even making sure the types of characters are true to their times. How to accomplish this? Darby says, \u201cThe 1860s-1880s is my second home, period-wise, and my Victorian library is ever-growing.\u201d Shelby Phoenix noted what is an extra attraction of the Victorian era for her: It \u201callows for so many more paranormal approaches, and who can say no to making things seem spooky?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s really a balance. By setting a story in the Victorian era, authors avoid having modern technology \u201cshort-circuit the elaborate investigation\u201d they\u2019d planned. Nevertheless, Holmes\u2019s era was one of rapid scientific and technological progress, and authors must pinpoint when these advances took hold, says D.J. Tyrer. Over the period in which the Holmes stories are set\u2014roughly 1885 to 1914\u2014much about society, science, and politics changed. But, \u201cwhatever level of technology Holmes has access to,\u201d says author Paul Hiscock, \u201cI always see him as being at the cutting edge of forensic science.\u201d Whatever the technological details, \u201ca good mystery is about how the detective puts all the pieces of evidence together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n Many authors say that one of the aspects of writing in that era that they like best is delving into those details. As an example, Kevin Thornton\u2019s two linked stories involving shenanigans related to new North American transcontinental railways offered numerous enticing rabbit holes for this author to pursue. As Watson extols the excitement of shortening travel times, Holmes points out that \u201cas the citizenry disperses, so does crime.\u201d This observation foreshadows a visit from a representative of the much-indebted Canadian Pacific Railroad, fearful of a hostile takeover. Watson needs an explanation of this financial predicament, which leads to a lucid explanation of the constraints faced by a publicly traded company. Other examples of Thornton\u2019s research include descriptions of the myriad ways Holmes could visually identify an American, military training, Eastern martial arts, American railroad moguls, the action of poison, and the lineage of the Earl of Derby, the Honourable Frederick Stanley. (In 1888, Stanley became Governor General of Canada, and Thornton helpfully notes that the famous hockey trophy is named for him.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n See how these authors put fact and fiction together. Their stories in Sherlock Holmes: A Year of Mystery 1885<\/em><\/a> are: Each Sherlock Holmes: A Year of Mystery volume, published by Belanger Books, includes at least a dozen stories, filling in the years 1881-1886. Holmes and Watson were already together then, but Watson was uncharacteristically quiet about their adventures. In Sherlock … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vweisfeld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Canadian-Pacific.jpg?resize=253%2C199&ssl=1\")
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George Gardner – \u201cThe Adventure of the Damaged Tomb\u201d
Kevin Thornton – \u201cTracks Across Canada\u201d and \u201cTracked Across America\u201d
George Jacobs – \u201cThe Mystery of the Cloven Cord\u201d
Katy Darby – \u201cThe Adventure of the Lock Hospital\u201d
Shelby Phoenix – \u201cSherlock Holmes and the Six-Fingered Hand Print\u201d
D.J. Tyrer – \u201cThe Japanese Village Mystery\u201d
Paul Hiscock – \u201cThe Light of Liberty\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"