The Bookcase of Sherman Holmes

After their decision to move into the world of sleuthing, Sherman Holmes and John Garden have a tricky time coming to grips with their new roles as private investigators. Things would work out just fine if people didn’t keep getting themselves murdered all the time. The local police aren’t very sympathetic – they even have the audacity to consider that Holmes & Garden aren’t much help at all!

This anthology of five stories covers their early cases, as shadowy undercover investigator Joanne puts in some surprising appearances, and Holmes continues on his campaign to woo the lovely Mrs Garden …

In A Matter of Business, as the investigations get underway, Holmes and Garden realise that not all cases are big juicy glamorous ones – missing pussycats and nabbed vegetables being some of the far-from-choice early examples. But that doesn’t mean every escapade won’t lead to something a bit more substantial…  In A Matter of Honour, some bizarre deaths in an accountancy firm come under the scrutiny of the police – and the intrepid investigating duo. Curses and witchcraft abound! The Haunting of Sherman Holmes sees a Hallowe’en challenge draw Holmes and Garden in, totally unprepared for the horrors – and farce – of a night in a haunted house… There’s a meeting of the Quaker Street Irregulars, a devoted Sherlock Holmes appreciation society, in The Adventure of the Dead Wild Bore. The members might be die-hard Conan Doyle fans but nobody expected an actual murder… Finally, inThe Bespangled Fur, their first Christmas in business together brings a jewel robbery into Holmes and Garden’s office, and there’s an unexpected outing for Joanne as Holmes’ plans for a romantic evening with Shirley Garden once more go sadly astray…