Ralph E Vaughan

This is the second Sherlock Holmes issue by Mystery Weekly Magazine.

The cover is fabulous. I really like some of these images and would say the artists are doing a wonderful job.

The Pastiche: A Sherlockian Necessity the foreword by Vincent W. Wright points out the necessity of Sherlockian pastiche for keeping the legend alive.

The Adventure Of the Lyceum Theatre Curse - I’ve enjoyed the previous stories by Michael Mallory I had read, this is the first one I found unconvincing. It’s very much by-the-numbers as Holmes and Watson solve a crime at a theatre which has very little originality to it.

Hercule Poirot’s Birthday by David Gibb reads almost like a parody. The famous Belgian detective is celebrating his birthday in a restaurant along with his trusted sidekick Captain Hastings when a murder happens. It’s a rather silly little tale.

The Adventure Of The Very Quiet American by Eric Cline is a solid but forgettable pastiche.

The So-Called Yoga Instructor by John Hearn is a modern day story about sinister goings-on at an apartment complex.

The Mechanical Detective by John Longenbaugh is an interesting locked room mystery featuring a rival of Sherlock Holmes an automaton who also works as a consulting detective.

Who Made Sherlock’s Clay Pipe by John Harris is a very short non-fiction piece investigating the origins of the great detective’s pipe.

London After Midnight by Ralph E. Vaughan is another addition to the growing number of H. P. Lovecraft/Conan Doyle crossovers featuring monsters from the Ctulhu mythos.

Like every issue this one also ends with two you-solve-it mysteries.

Overall good solid fun, but I remember enjoying the first Holmes issue more.