So, Paul Bishop is a friend of mine, and he wrote the very first post in Black Gate’s award-nominated Discovering Robert E. Howard. He talked about Howard’s boxing stories. Before those Pulps dried up, Howard wrote prolifically for them, with Sailor Steve Costigan his most popular creation.

Paul is a major Westerns guy, and with Scott Harris, he put together 52 Weeks: 52 Western Novels, in which a slew of folks wrote about their favorite Westerns. It’s a cool format, and 52 Weeks: 52 Western Movies, and 52 Weeks: 52 TV Westerns, followed. The ’52’ number flows nicely with reading one a week, right? I have read the Novels, and Movies, books, and I think they’re cool for Westerns fans.

Paul reached out to me last year, and asked if I was interested in contributing a chapter to a 52 Weeks: 52 Sherlock Holmes Novels, project. Write about a non-Doyle pastiche? Heck yeah!!! In the end, I wrote four of them, so I’ve got a good 7.6% of the reviews.

I covered Hugh Ashton’s The Death of Cardinal Tosca; John Gardner’s The Return of Moriarty; Michael Kurland’s The Infernal Device: and Frank Thomas’ Sherlock Holmes & The Sacred Sword.

Back in May I shared my chapter on The Infernal Device.

The book came out in May. Here is  Hugh Ashton’s The Death of Cardinal Tosca.

THE DEATH OF CARDINAL TOSCA

Hugh Ashton

Published 2013

Contributor – Bob Byrne

BOOK FACTS

The first collection of Ashton’s short stories came out in 2012. For my money, he and Denis O. Smith have done Sherlock Holmes better than anyone else ever has. Ashton’s stories are generally the shorter of the two, and I like that format. But some of Ashton and Smith’s stories are better than some of Doyle’s originals. Anytime someone asks me for some pastiche recommendations, Ashton’s name is the first one I mention.

The Death of Cardinal Tosca is Ashton’s second novel-length pastiche. It’s divided into two distinct parts. Mycroft summons Holmes (with Watson in tow) to the Diogenes Club. The well-known Cardinal Tosca had been at a country estate near London, on a secret mission for the Catholic Church. It was a mission involving the Royal Family, which could possibly have started a national revolt. He had been murdered two days before, and an important document was missing.

Holmes and Watson travel to the manor, but the suspected murderer escapes from under their very noses. Mycroft dresses down his brother in front of Inspector Hopkins, and we have have never seen such animosity between the brothers, in the Canon.

Halfway through the book, we move forward three or four months, and a client brings a case from Windsor, which leads Holmes to the solution of the Cardinal Tosca’s death.

Ashton emulates Doyle as well as anyone I’ve read. He could not sound more authentic. Reading Ashton is like reading Doyle. I can think of no higher praise for a pastiche writer.

He expands the relationship between Holmes and his brother, but he also ‘brings it back around,’ and it feels valid. The second-half of the case has those peculiar elements that so intrigue Holmes and which readers enjoy. Holmes also discourses on the singularity of typewriters, which is a nice updating of his comments on the analysis of handwriting, in earlier cases.

One walks away from an Ashton story satisfied that he has read a genuine Sherlock Holmes adventure.

AUTHOR FACTS

The prolific Ashton, who has also written children’s books featuring Sherlock Ferret, lived in Japan for nearly thirty years before returning to the United Kingdom.

BEYOND THE FACTS

Holmes readers and writers play ‘The Game.’ in which they pretend that Holmes and Watson were real people, with Arthur Conan Doyle as the doctor’s literary agent. In the introductions to his collections, Ashton reveals that Watson’s papers had been discovered and found their way to him. Thus, the collections have names such as Tales from the Deed Box of John H. Watson, and Notes from the Dispatch-Box of John H. Watson. Ashton presents these as never-before published stories set aside by Dr. Watson.

FUN FACT

One of the great joys of being a Sherlockian is speculating on the ‘untold tales’ which Watson mentions. “The Adventure of Black Peter” is a bonanza, providing three in the second paragraph. Along with mention of Wilson, the notorious canary-trainer, and the tragedy of Woodman’s Lee, he writes ‘…his famous investigation of the sudden death of Cardinal Tosca – an inquiry which was carried out by him at he express desire of his Holiness the Pope.’

MOVIE FACTS

I found no on-screen adaptations of Watson’s untold tale. However, a radio play was written, using the story. I found a couple versions, one of which aired on CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) Festival Theater on July 31, 1983. Of note for this version is that John Neville played Holmes. Neville played Holmes in the 1965 movie, A Study in Terror, facing off against Jack the Ripper. He also added Holmes on stage, playing in William Gillette’s famous play, on Broadway. I like Neville’s Holmes on screen, and he does a solid job for the radio play.

FAVORITE QUOTE

“I am somewhat engaged,” protested Holmes. “The doings at Atherstoke Grange-”

“It is the brother-in-law, who is in debt as a result of his improvidence at the races,” interrupted Mycroft abruptly. “Did you learn nothing from your examination of the driveway?”

Sherlock Holmes looked somewhat abashed. “I had not considered the evidence in that light,” he said.

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Bob Byrne’s ‘A (Black) Gat in the Hand’ made its Black Gate debut in 2018 and has returned every summer since.

His ‘The Public Life of Sherlock Holmes’ column ran every Monday morning at Black Gate from March, 2014 through March, 2017. And he irregularly posts on Rex Stout’s gargantuan detective in ‘Nero Wolfe’s Brownstone.’ He is a member of the Praed Street Irregulars, and founded www.SolarPons.com (the only website dedicated to the ‘Sherlock Holmes of Praed Street’).

He organized Black Gate’s award-nominated ‘Discovering Robert E. Howard’ series, as well as the award-winning ‘Hither Came Conan’ series. Which is now part of THE Definitive guide to Conan. He also organized 2023’s ‘Talking Tolkien.’

He has contributed stories to The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories — Parts III, IV, V, VI, XXI, and XXXIII.

He has written introductions for Steeger Books, and appeared in several magazines, including Black Mask, Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine, The Strand Magazine, and Sherlock Magazine.

You can definitely ‘experience the Bobness’ at Jason Waltz’s ’24? in 42′ podcast.