The Adventure of the Murdered Gypsy (The Early Casefiles of Sherlock Holmes Book Two)

Sherwood-Fabre’s entertaining sequel to The Adventure of the Murdered Midwife records another instance of the young Sherlock Holmes honing his detective skills. On a visit home from Eton, teenager Holmes and his seven-year-old cousin, Trevor, visit the family barn, where they find a dead man wearing “gypsy pants.” The astute Holmes notices that the man’s hands suggest that he wasn’t a real gypsy since they don’t show the wear of “the nomadic tradesmen.” How he died isn’t apparent, until Holmes’s mother examines the body and concludes he was strangled. Holmes and his mother set out to ascertain the victim’s identity and the killer, a move unwelcomed by Holmes’s father, who’s content with the official verdict that the man was attacked elsewhere and dumped on their property. Complications ensue after Holmes and his parents determine that someone in their household is a thief and a spy. A second homicide raises the stakes. Fans of unconventional takes on the canon, such as Leonard Goldberg’s Daughter of Sherlock Holmes series, will look forward to more. (Self-published)