Without my Boswell - by Hugh Ashton (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Sherlock Holmes is well known to us through the adventures he shared with John Watson and related by the good doctor. But even before that fateful meeting when Holmes observed to the man who was to become his closest friend, "You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive," the world's first consulting detective had already taken on and solved many baffling cases.
This book relates five of these early adventures, all of which were tantalisingly mentioned by John Watson in his accounts of the adventures, but not expanded upon. Instead, they were hidden in the infamous dispatch-box, to be discovered and edited by Hugh Ashton over one hundred years later.

The Tarleton Murders: A horrific mass murder strikes Sherlock Holmes to the depths of his soul.
The Case of Vamberry, the Wine Merchant: takes Holmes to Paris, where he uncovers a dastardly scheme which involves the Élysée Palace itself.
The Singular Affair of the Aluminium Crutch: where Sherlock Holmes assists a "dismasted" former sailor and an entrepreneurial industrialist.
The Case of the Abominable Wife: which brings Holmes face to face with the handiwork of a criminal gang.
The Adventure of the Two Bottles: Three little children appear to have met their deaths through poison. But who would want to kill them? And why?

Review Quotes

"Hugh Ashton maintains his place as one of the best writers of new Sherlock ­Holmes stories, in both plotting and style." (The District Messenger, newsletter of the Sherlock ­Holmes Society of London)

"As a (nearly) lifelong fan of Sherlock ­Holmes, I have received the works about him by modern authors with initial enthusiasm, only to be replaced by disappointment. Such is not the case with Hugh Ashton, who has caught the tone of the original canon perfectly."

"I hardly ever give 5 stars to any Sherlock ­Holmes pastiche because I don't believe that anyone can measure up to the master, A. Conan Doyle, but Hugh Ashton never disappoints me. His stories are always high quality in the style, structure and feel of the originals. I have read too many pastiches to mention and Hugh Ashton's stories would be at the top of the heap."

"Hugh Ashton takes the characters of Sherlock ­Holmes and Dr Watson back to their origins. I have to admit I am a big Sherlock ­Holmes fan and have enjoyed the many reincarnations of the character in books, movies and TV series. Hugh Ashton, though, has a more genuine feel and understanding of the original characters, and reading this story I couldn't help feeling a touch of nostalgia for the original Conan Doyle stories."

"One of the blessings of being a senior citizen is being able to be locked into patterns of actions which are simply performed and no explanations provided. One of these is whenever I see another book by Hugh Ashton is simply clicking on it and putting it into the shopping cart."