A dramatic improvement over British author Thomas's first collection of Holmes pastiches, The Secret Cases of Sherlock Holmes
(1998), this second story compendium continues to feature the great detective investigating true-life crimes. Most of these will be obscure to American readers, except for a couple of abortive cases involving Oscar Wilde and the notorious Dr. Crippen, who appear briefly in the volume's weakest offering, "The Two 'Failures' of Sherlock Holmes." Since The Secret Cases, the author has gained a mastery of Watson's narrative voice, while his excellent recreation of the verbal give-and-take between Holmes and Watson helps render their long friendship plausible. Holmes makes brilliant deductions and engages in a number of cunning ruses to flush out his quarry. Thomas leavens the overall seriousness of these problems with an element of playfulness often overlooked by other Doyle imitators. "The Case of the Naked Bicyclists" and the title story are especially fine, with creepy atmospherics and unpredictable plot twists. In the latter, Watson witnesses the agonizing effect of poison on a prostitute. Deeply affected by the tragedy, the good doctor becomes an active participant in an inquiry into several more deaths and a blackmailer's bizarre efforts to pin them on prominent Londoners. The fidelity with which Thomas portrays two of literature's most beloved characters puts him among the leaders in the crowded Holmes pastiche field. (Mar. 4)
