Book Details:
Book Title: Three May Keep a Secret: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure by Richard T. Ryan
Category: Adult Fiction 18+, 264 pages
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: MX Publishing
Release Date: November 29, 2021
Tour dates: November 29 to December 17
Content Rating: G.
Book Description:
When a meeting with a client goes disastrously wrong, Sherlock Holmes soon finds himself involved in a case of murder with two dead bodies and too few clues.
From some clear pieces of glass and a raven's feather, the Great Detective must divine exactly who the client was and what prompted him to seek assistance at 221B. Fortunately, Holmes has a number of experts upon whom he can rely as well as his own vast store of esoteric knowledge.
Treading a twisted path, Holmes soon finds himself matching wits with an unseen criminal, who appears to be the equal of the late Professor Moriarty. At the same time, he is tasked with sparing the monarchy any possible embarrassment that may stem from the investigation.
It's a deadly game of cat-and-mouse that finds Holmes and Watson attending underground auctions, using rare and priceless artifacts as bait and holding a late night vigil in anticipation of deterring a theft, all the while trying to understand how a priceless antiquity fits into their investigation.
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Guest post from author Richard T. Ryan
Some Popular Misconceptions about Sherlock Holmes
by Richard T. Ryan
Even if you have never read a Sherlock Holmes story (admittedly, I don’t know how that is possible), you know of him. You may have encountered him in one form or another on television, the silver screen or even on stage. You may have crossed paths courtesy of some advertisement for any number of products. Quite frankly, it is hard to imagine life without the Great Detective and his Boswell. You may have even quoted – or misquoted – him. Although people think they know Doyle’s creation, the fact is that character differs markedly from the popular perception. So let’s try to clear up some of the confusion surrounding the Great Detective and those close to him by exploring the origins of these notions.
- Contrary to popular belief, Sherlock Holmes never utters the phrase, “Elementary, my dear Watson.” In “The Adventure of the Crooked Man,” Watson exclaims “Excellent” to which Holmes replies simply, “Elementary.”
- Holmes distinctive attire contributed to his popularity. Although Holmes’ deerstalker cap and Calabash pipe are iconic, they were added to the persona later. The deerstalker was the brainchild of illustrator Sidney Paget while the Calabash arrived courtesy of stage actor William Gillette.
- Sherlock Holmes was a drug addict. It is true that Holmes did inject himself with a seven percent solution of cocaine to stave off boredom. However, Holmes kicks his cocaine habit fairly quickly, with the help of Dr. John Watson, who warned Holmes of the drug’s dangers on several occasions.
- Sherlock Holmes brought all his cases to a satisfactory conclusion. Given that his successes are legend, one might be surprised to hear Holmes admit in “The Five Orange Pips” that “I have been beaten four times – three times by men and once by a woman.”
- Doyle was a stickler for details. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Consider the mystery of Watson’s wound: When Holmes and Watson first meet in “A Study in Scarlet,” Holmes says of Watson, “His left arm has been injured. He holds it in a stiff and unnatural manner.” However, in the very next story, The Sign of Four, Watson claims his leg has sustained the injury: “I made no remark, however, but sat nursing my wounded leg. I had a Jezail bullet through it some time before.”
- Doyle was quite fond of his greatest creation. Just the opposite is true; in fact, Doyle grew to hate Sherlock Holmes. By 1893, Doyle’s creation was more well-known than he was. In order to devote his time to other writing, he decided to kill off Sherlock Holmes and did so in “The Final Problem,” where we are told the Great Detective fell to his death while battling Professor Moriarty. However, the pressure was so great and the financial rewards so considerable, that a decade later Doyle resurrected Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles, which he set before Holmes’ untimely demise.
- Sherlock Holmes loved Irene Adler. While this may be true of the TV show “Sherlock,” it is not true of Doyle’s creation. Holmes never “loved” her in “A Scandal in Bohemia,” nor did she love him. In fact, he served as a witness to her wedding in the story. While both respected each other, at the end she outsmarted him and escaped. Holmes kept a photograph of her and as Watson says, “To Sherlock Holmes, she is always the woman.”
There are a great many other topics, we might have explored such as the mystery of Watson’s wives; Sherlock and his brother, Mycroft; as well as the nefarious Professor James Moriarty, who had at least one brother also named James, and possibly two; but those are questions for another column.
Meet the Author:
all from MX Publishing. “Three May Keep a Secret” is his sixth Holmes pastiche, and he is currently at work on his seventh.
He has also written “B Is for Baker Street (My First Sherlock Holmes Book)," an alphabet book he penned for his grandchildren.
Among his other credits are “The Official Sherlock Holmes Trivia Book," a
book on Agatha Christie trivia and the well-received murder mystery “Deadly Relations” that has been produced twice off-Broadway.
He pursued his graduate studies at the University of Notre Dame, where he majored in medieval literature. To this day, he remains a die-hard fan of the Fighting Irish.
connect with the author: website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ facebook ~ pinterest ~ goodreads
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