This collection of short mysteries by the international-bestselling author of Dust and Shadow "belongs on the top shelf with the very best of Doyle's" (Nicholas Meyer, author of The Seven-Per-Cent Solution).
Inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, Edgar Award–finalist Lyndsay Faye has masterfully woven these quintessential characters into her own works of fiction-from her acclaimed debut novel, Dust and Shadow, to a series of short stories for the Strand Magazine, whose predecessor published the first Sherlock Holmes story in 1892.
The best of Faye's Sherlockian tales, including two new works, are brought together in a collection that spans the character's career, from self-taught upstart to lauded detective, both before and after he faked his own death over a Swiss waterfall in 1894. In "The Lowther Park Mystery," the unsociable Holmes is forced to attend a garden party at the request of his politician brother and improvises a bit of theater to foil a conspiracy against the government. "The Adventure of the Thames Tunnel" brings Holmes's attention to the murder of a jewel thief in the middle of an underground railway passage.
With Holmes and Watson encountering all manner of ungrateful relatives, phony psychologists, wronged wives, outright villains, and even a peculiar species of deadly red leech, The Whole Art of Detection is a must-read for any fan of historical crime fiction.
"[Faye's] 15 short stories expertly re-create the style and substance of the originals in every way. These 'lost' Holmes and Watson adventures are clever and exciting. And while the tales are altogether new, they also feel immediately familiar."
David Martindale, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"Faye's wonderful collection of pastiches is rooted in a little-understood fact about the Holmes canon: the stories are not about Holmes; they're about Watson observing Holmes . . . There are mysteries here and razzle-dazzle deductions . . . but the real attraction is the power of these 15 stories to make the originals glow even brighter. For Holmesians to read, then treasure."
Don Crinklaw, Booklist (starred review)
"Pitch-perfect Watsonian narration . . . [An] outstanding collection . . . All impressively add psychological depth to the friendship, plausibly exploring personal dynamics in the wake of traumas such as the loss of Watson's wife and Holmes's apparent return from the dead, in a way that will resonate especially with fans of the BBC's Sherlock."
