The Execution of Sherlock Holmes:: And Other New Adventures of the Great Detective (Unabridged)

In addition to reading all the original Holmes stories, I've read and/or listened to many by more contemporary authors. Few really capture the spirit of Holmes and Watson. I've listened to this title and Donald Thomas' "Ghosts of Bly" and I think these capture the feel better than many. However, the author - because he is writing of events a hundred years in his past - has taken to tie Holmes' activities into actual historical events. Sometimes this becomes interesting, but sometimes it just seems to be done in an attempt to help set the scene of the story, and rarely does it assist in that regard. For example, mentioning the songs heard on the street below 221B Baker Street seemed to say to me, "Look, I did my research" more than it helped to settle the time and place in my mind.

On the other hand, the plots are reasonably interesting and, with the exception of one of the stories, seem to employ the famous Holmes deductive reasoning and encyclopedic knowledge to good effect. The performance is solid, and Mr Telfer's accents seem genuine to this American from the Midwest!

I thought the detailed plotting and authentic use of Conan Doyle's characters made this book good.

Dust and Shadows or the House of Silk --> two other Holmes stories written by contemporary mystery writers.

Some of the stories are better than others, but overall I found this an enjoyable read.

Sir Arthur would be proud and pleased that modern writers do a better job than he did with the Holmes canon. Clearly he has given his readers both roots and wings.