The Game Is Afoot: Parodies, Pastiches and Ponderings of Sherlock Holmes »

This long awaited volume finally brings to light several cases of the world's most renowned detective originally suppressed to avoid causing scandal and embarrassment to the Crown, to public figures, or to Sherlock Holmes himself. Now, finally, the truth is revealed about Holmes' exploits involving such figures as Ida Tarbell, Consuelo Vanderbilt, P.G. Wodehouse, and James McNeil Whistler. Related by diverse hands, including Watson, Inspector Lestrade, and Holmes himself, detailing untold incidents involving the Titanic, Holmes' rematch with Irene Adler, the childhoods of both Holmes and Watson, and one unfortunate result of Holmes' facility with disguise, this cornucopia of Sherlockiana will delight fans young and not-so-young.

Publishers Weekly

This book by novelist/anthologist Kaye ( Penguin Book of Ghosts ) is a compilation of good-natured lampoons, clever spoofs and somewhat academic examinations of Sherlock Holmes's cases. No matter what form the considerations take, all are motivated by an obvious affection for the Great Detective. The ponderings include a reflection by Dr. Joseph Bell, who was Arthur Conan Doyle's teacher and the model for Sherlock Holmes. Also included is Kaye's lengthy ``Histrionic Holmes,'' a study of Holmes's skill and technique as an actor. Several entries are quite obscure, including ``Sherlock Holmes Umpires Baseball,'' an anonymous piece published in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in 1906; others, like ``Our American Cousins'' by Roberta Rogow, were penned especially for this book. The selections, loosely organized in such chapter titles as ``Pieces Problematic,'' might have been more informative if arranged chronologically to illustrate the reading public's changing image of Holmes. Nevertheless, the newcomer to Holmes, as well as the established Sherlockian, will relish having the best efforts of the best writers who have taken a turn at immortalizing the detective collected in one book. (Apr.)