A Study in Madcap

Mystery aficionados agree:  The best-known fictional detective is Sherlock Holmes. He is still popular with readers more than 125 years after his debut in A Study in Scarlet.  He's also a popular figure, in one way or another, in some recent mysteries.  Many readers are familiar with Laurie R. King's series featuring the master sleuth and his student Mary Russell.  Perhaps you have heard of the new collaborative effort of Marica Muller and Bill Pronzini, The Bughouse Affair, in which Holmes makes an extended appearance.  Here are two caper mystery series you may have missed...

Steve Hockensmith's Holmes on the Range series features two red-headed brothers who believe Sherlock Holmes is real. 

After reading The Red-headed League, Otto and Gustav (Big Red, and Old Red, respectively) decide to leave the cowpoke life behind and put their "deducifyin' skills" to work.  Hilarity ensues.

Follow the exploits of the Amlingmeyers from Montana, to the Pinkerton Detective Agency, to the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.  The first in the series is Holmes on the Range.


In Michael Robertson's Baker Street Letters series, brothers Reggie and Nigel Heath have stumbled onto a wonderful location for their law office:  221b Baker Street.  The rent is affordable.  That's probably because of the lease's stipulation that occupants must reply to letters addressed to the famous detective, Sherlock Holmes.  It seems easy enough to Reggie. A form letter is all that is required in response, and that has been provided to the brothers.  Everything goes fine until Nigel digs deeper into an old letter.  This seemingly simple act sets in motion a chain of events that take the brothers far beyond the requirements of their lease, and into danger.  Ultimately, the pair must work together to solve the mystery.  The first in this series is The Baker Street Letters.

Go ahead: laugh in the face of murder and mayhem.