Will Murray Strikes Again! THE WILD ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

Will Murray, as you probably know, is the world's foremost living raconteur of Doc Savage, Tarzan, The Shadow and the Spider, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised to discover he also does a superlative job with Sherlock Holmes. But I am, at least a little. Holmes is a different breed of cat, solving problems with his brain instead of relying on muscles or guns. But Mr. Murray can apparently write anything he puts his mind to. Next thing you know, he'll probably be turning out The Wild Adventures of Hamlet.

The ten tales in this book put the Great Detective's brain to the test with a dazzling variety of baffling puzzles. And as in the original canon, several problems seem to border on the supernatural, as clients claim to be plagued with fairies, a ghost, a ghoul and a blue dinosaur. But with Holmes, as I'm sure you know, things are rarely what they seem.

The Holmes/Watson relationship must be handled just right to produce a good pastiche, and the author nails it here. It's clear these two are fast friends, and it's a pleasure to tag along on their adventures. There are visits to Limehouse (Fu Manchu territory), to the English countryside, to Manchester-by-the-Sea, to the Thames, and of course to such familiar haunts as Charing Cross Station, Scotland Yard and Baker Street. And while I'm pretty sure Will Murray wasn't hanging around those places 140 years ago, he makes us believe we're right there with our heroes. Along the way, we even meet an American named Colonel Richard Henry Savage, a real-life inspiration for the guy we know as Doc.

I haven't read every Sherlock Holmes pastiche ever written, but if I made a stack of the ones I have, it would be taller than me. And I'm 6'2". I have, however, read all ten of the tales comprising The Wild Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Volume One, and enjoyed every one of them. I'm already looking forward to Volume 2.