Books: Sherlock Holmes, The American Years
Mystery writers Rhys Bowen and Michael Mallory contribute to anthology of stories of Sherlock Holmes in America **** 4 stars
By Gabrielle Pantera
Sherlock Holmes, the American Years, before he returned to England
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 3/5/2010 – “I thought this tied in well with Sherlock’s ability to pick up the smallest clue,” says Sherlock Holmes Cutting For Signs author Rhys Bowen. “I read about the Shadow Wolves, the members of the Tohono Odom tribe on the border who are used by US customs because they are so famous for their tracking skills and how they can read a blade of grass accurately. The most amazing research was finding out that the Shadow Wolves were sent to Afghanistan to hunt for Osama Bin Laden.”
Sherlock Holmes: The American Years is the third anthology of Sherlock Holmes stories edited by Michael Kurland. Set between 1870 and 1880, ten stories chronicle Sherlock Holmes’ time in America. They’re written by ten top mystery writers, with a forward by Leslie Klinger.
Bowen’s next book will be a Molly Murphy novel set in New York Chinatown. Boewn’s website www.rhysbowen.com has details of her touring schedule and a trailer of her new Houdini book, The Last Illusion. She blogs at www.jungleredwriters.com and www.theladykillers.com.
“A lot of my early research was all thrown out along with the first, failed version of the story,” says Sherlock Holmes The Sacred White Elephant of Mandalay author Michael Mallory. “After laboring over the story for a couple months and having completed about 10,000 words, I had to accept that it simply wasn’t working. It was veering off into several wrong directions all at the same time. I tore it up and started all over again, with much better results. A story occasionally crashes and burns.”
“I began thinking about it when Michael Kurland asked me to contribute a story to the anthology,” says Mallory. “This is the third in a series of anthologies he’s done, each one taking a particular angle on the character of Sherlock Holmes. For this one, the stories depict him as a very young man journeying through America. The original stories by Conan Doyle imply that he spent some time in the U.S. before launching his career as a consulting detective.”
“The challenge issued was to have Holmes meet up with a celebrated person of the time,” says Mallory. “Each of the authors were allowed to choose our own location and celebrity. I picked Bridgeport, Connecticut, the home base of P. T. Barnum. We each wrote our stories separately, though I had a preview of Richard A. Lupoff’s contribution, which he emailed me. In addition to being a very fine writer, Dick is a friend. Several of us in the book know each other.”
“In the case of the Sherlock anthologies, I was recommended to Michael Kurland by another author, who knew of my magazine stories,” says Mallory. “I don’t have an agent for writing and never have had one, primarily because the areas in which I work do not require an agent. I write mostly short stories, magazine and newspaper articles, and coffee table nonfiction books. Agents can’t make any money on individual short stories or journalism so they don’t bother with those, and for coffee table books publishers tend to seek out the writer, not the other way around.”
Mallory’s first book was part of a horror series for kids called FrightTime. Warner Bros. asked him to write a coffee table book about cartoon-maker Hanna-Barbera after they acquired the company. Mallory had written many articles on the animation industry. That led to a relationship with publisher Levin & Associates and writing more books for them. Mallory’s editor moved to Rizzoli when the company was sold, and continues to publish his coffee table books. Mallory writes his own press releases and publicity materials. “More and more, authors are expected to be one-man-bands these days,” says Mallory.
“For Sherlock Holmes: The American Years, Michael Kurland is the editor who deals directly with the authors,” says Mallory. “He was responsible for coming up with the idea of the book, selling it to the publisher, in this case St. Martin’s Minotaur, gathering the contributors, and accepting the stories.” The book’s house editor is Keith Kahla.
Michael Mallory was born in Port Huron, Michigan, and currently lives in Los Angeles. He’s writing a new Amelia Watson novel and shopping around a novel he completed last year that’s not part of a series. Mallory’s web address is www.michaelmallory.com.
Sherlock Holmes: the American Years is an enjoyable collection of stories. Fans of Sherlock Homes will enjoy following the young Holmes leaning the craft of deduction. The personalities in all the stories are strong. You see the beginning of Holmes personality emerging.
The story follows the exploits of young Holmes on adventures in America. The first story is Inga Sigerson Weds, where a teenage Homes and his sister cross the Atlantic to attend their first cousin’s wedding in New York and save a famous person in history in the process. My Silk Umbrella by Darryl Brock has Holmes encounter Mark Twain at baseball match. In Michael Mallory’s The Sacred White Elephant of Mandalay, the detective meets P.T. Barnum. In Rhys Bowens Cutting For Signs, Holmes saves a member of the Tohono Odom Indian tribe who saved him from death.
- Sherlock Holmes: The American Years
- Hardcover: 368 pages, Publisher: Minotaur Books (February 2, 2010), Language: English
- ISBN: 978-0312378462