Sherlock Holmes: The Gaslight Collection

By: Pennie Mae Cartawick

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Sherlock Holmes brings us a collection of five brand new detective mysteries.

Season Tickets to a Crime Carnival

A woman's scream pierced the silence, and the tent erupted into chaos. I grabbed Watson's coat to steady myself as the audience swarmed down the platform and towards the exits. I could scarcely believe the reaction.

Watson to the Rescue

The woman nodded, coughing softer this time, and looked up at him. "You don't want to be fiddling around in the pirate business, Mr. Holmes...." she said quietly, raising her eyebrows.

My companion inhaled sharply, a deep staccato, then exhaled just as rapidly. "I do not think you understand, Ms. Pensey. This involves the death of an innocent boy, one I've seen around here, and this marking, the one that surely intended his unmerited demise."

The Mystery of the Poisoned Tomb

"Ah good morning, John, if we do not hurry then we shall miss the unveiling of the sarcophagus." He leaped up, feeling much better than I did, and chased me into my own room so that I could get changed.

There was a large crowd who had come to see the tomb. Holmes and I made our way through. I noticed Ini intently watching us. Mr. and Mrs. Fairfax were standing in the tunnel with someone from the Department of Antiquities. They had been waiting for us. The five of us made our way through the tunnel and back to the tomb. I couldn't wait to see if there really was a Pharaoh in the next room.

A Strange Affair with the Woman on the Tracks

Jane screeched at this further betrayal and went for Henry. They began to struggle. Henry was the stronger out of the two yet the woman's pain was unstoppable. His hands wrapped around her throat and Jane clawed at his face until she fell. She lay there, across the tracks, and was quite still. Mrs. Cavell gasped in shock and Henry ran past us back to the train. We stared down at Jane's body.

©2015 Catherine Kimball (P)2015 Pennie Mae Cartawick

Pretty good collection

I generally enjoy well-written Holmes pastiches. This book is a mixed bag. In the first couple of stories the comraderie between Holmes and Watson is MIA. The first story turns convention upside down and has Watson and Holmes each telling their respective story from their own points-of- view. It is confusing rather than effective. The final story seems to me to be similar to another pastiche, written by a different author, but I can't recall which came first. Simon Vance, as always, turns in an excellent performance.

Redundant.

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

This collection contains several stories already contained in another collection. Therefore, you are not getting your money's worth if you choose a selection of this writer's work.

Would you ever listen to anything by Pennie Mae Cartawick again?

Absolutely not.

Which character – as performed by Simon Vance – was your favorite?

He is marvelous in anything he narrates.

Any additional comments?

This writer is a waste of time. Boring or poorly characterized stories with repeats within the collections.

simple but sherlockian

The stories are somewhat creative and hold true to the Conan Doyle style. Simon Vance is my favorite narrator of anything sherlockian. I also love his Agatha Christie narration.