The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Original Stories

An absolute must for fans celebrating Holmes's centennial, this is also a first-rate collection of new stories that could serve nicely as an introduction to the famous sleuth. There isn't a bad tale in these 15although purists may balk at Loren D. Estleman's ""Dr. and Mrs. Watson At Home,'' a snippy playlet, and at the rather nerdy Watson who narrates Joyce Harrington's ``The Adventure of the Gowanus Abduction.'' Most of the stories are affectionate, accurate pastiches of the originals. Among the best are Dorothy B. Hughes's ``Sherlock Holmes and the Muffin,'' and Stephen King's ``The Doctor's Case,'' which keeps the old form while allowing the mystery to be solved by Watson, with a lovely twist at the end. ``The House That Jack Built'' by Edward Wellen is an hallucinogenic tour de force of a puzzle that revives Moriarty, with a startling idea about the real nature of that ``Napoleon of crime.'' Michael Harrison's ``Sherlock Holmes and `The Woman' '' identifies Irene Adler as Lillie Langtry in a brilliant now-it-can-be-told style from a nonegenarian Watson. A splendid addition to Holmesiana, worthy of its honoree. Period illustrations not seen by PW. 25,000 first printing; Mystery Guild main selection. (November 15)