Sherlock Holmes: The Affair of the Chronic Argonaut by Fred Adams Jr./Published by Pro Se Press * 5/5 stars
I feel like a broken record every time I review a Fred Adams Jr. book. But it’s worth saying again: Adams is quite possibly the best writer working in new pulp today. I have yet to read a bad book or story by him.
This short book (142 pages) collects two Sherlock Holmes novellas by Adams. In the first, Holmes and Watson have to solve a locked room mystery with only a piece of yellow paper as a clue. As the murders mount, the two must venture to Limehouse (Chinatown) to solve this weird series of killings.
In the second, the under-construction tunnels of the London Underground are the site of cannibalistic murders, with an odd man delivering advance notice of the killings.
Both are quick, enjoyable reads. A caveat for Holmes fans: I’ve read more non-canon Holmes stories than those by Arthur Conan Doyle. That means I’m not the best judge of how these stories fit in that canon. These stories both rely on the occult and sci-fi elements to explain their mysteries, so if that deviation from Holmes bothers you, these aren’t the stories for you.
That said, if you want a good read and an enjoyable mystery, check out this book.
Brick Pickle Media 