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Thomson, June

The Secret Documents of Sherlock Holmes

London, Allison & Busby. 233 pp. £5.99.

Avid readers of the Sherlock Holmes canon used to bemoan the fact that Dr. Watson frequently referred to cases which he said were still secret or he hadn't got round to reporting to the fans. Out of this came the numerous Sherlock Holmes pastiches, each of which is an attempt to guess what had happened in that particular case. The very best of such pastiches is the work of June Thomson, who has recreated so accurately the world of Baker Street. My favorites in this collection are the Case of the Boulevard Assassin and the Case of the Vatican Cameos. At the time the former case had improved relations with the French government. For once Sherlock Holmes accepts a decoration (he had refused a knighthood in 1902). Sherlock Holmes still plays the game for the game's own sake, his character still an enigma. June Thomson doesn't think that Dr. Watson was the dolt he is made out to be, especially in films. He comes through as an intelligent, sensitive and able partner.

I have a personal confession to make. I was never ever a Conan Doyle fan, but I love these pastiches by June Thomson.

The idea for these stories came from June Thomson's son who is a fan and suggested his mother fill in the stories missing from the canon.