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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN num: 9781933648224
ISBN number: 1933648228
Label: Pegasus Books
Manufacturer: Pegasus Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 352
Printing Date: January 01, 2007
Publishing house: Pegasus Books
Sale Popularity Level: 269652
Studio: Pegasus Books
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'Creepy atmospherics and unpredictable plot twists.'-Publishing houses Weekly
'Sherlockians old and new should relish Thomas' wit and elegance.'-Booklist
'Dedicated Sherlockians will appreciate the novelty of the great detective's incursion into real-life crimes.'-Kirkus Reviews
Crossing historical fact with detective fiction, the cache of the celebrated detective's private papers is once again opened, bringing Holmes and Watson out of retirement to investigate the most notorious mysteries in the annals of true crime.
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Rated by buyers 
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Donald Thomas' latest endeavor to catch the Conan Doyle lightning in a bottle offers up five tale of the world's favorite detective in action. The settings range from bucolic English villages to Newgate prison as Holmes and Watson pit their intellect against various criminals.
As much as I love reading "new" Sherlock Holmes stories, I found EXECUTION OF SHERLOCK HOLMES a disappointing effort. You have to give Thomas credit for inventiveness. His very first story 'The Execution of Sherlock Holmes' - finds the great detective in a very atypical situation. The other stories - jewel robberies, murder most foul, etc. - are all serviceable enough but Thomas' stories share a common weaknesses.
Conan Doyle's stories were always an enjoyable blend of exposition and explanation. Thomas' stories seem to plod on and on only to fade away at the end. One story in particular - 'The Case of the Greek Key' - drove me to distraction with all the yada, yada, yada explanations. The back cover claims these stories are "finely wrought." I beg to differ.
If you're a Sherlock Holmes fan, give the book a try. You may love it and be entranced. I wasn't.
An optional purchase.
Rated by buyers -
I was excited at the prospect of this book's contents. Sadly I was disappointed when I attempted to read them - yes attempted. I found the writing hard to get through. So much minutia made the reading too much work. Stories about Holmes should make one want to get to the subsequent page as soon as possible to see what happens. I found myself trying to get to the subsequent page to get through the book as some sort of goal in and of itself. With so many good reviews of the book I'm thinking maybe it was just me. I'll re-read the book again and see if my opinion changes.
Rated by buyers 
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This is the third collection of Sherlock Holmes tales by this author and it is by far the most entertaining of the three. "The Secret Cases of Sherlock Holmes" and "Sherlock Holmes and the Voice from the Crypt (UK: Sherlock Holmes and the Running Noose)" contained tales that involved Holmes in historical mysteries of the 19th and 20th Centuries. This present collection contains tales specifically oriented towards Holmes, that involve familiar characters from The Canon. Each of the novellas included here is a Sherlockian tale from start to finish.
The Execution of Sherlock Holmes details the events surrounding the arrest, trial and imprisonment of Holmes for the murder of Charles Augustus Milverton. The arresting authorities seem to be a consortium of old enemies of Holmes, including some most unpleasant surprises. The story given here is drawn from documents involving real events and persons and it is quite an impressive narrative. Holmes displays his genius for observation and for deduction as well as his control of his mind and body.
The Case of the Greek Key provides a compelling alternative to His Last Bow. Although it lacks the drama of the Canonical version, it seems to be much more in line with the realities of espionage during the days that led up to the Great War. It is well-known that the British Espionage Service, which had achieved real renown under Dick Whittington and others in the 17th and 18th Centuries, had been allowed almost to disappear by late Victorian times. It hadn't even begun a comeback during the Reign of Edward VII. In the few short years of The Great War, it rose from practically nothing to become the Service that perpetrated the Zimmerman Telegram Hoax and successfully matched wits with all the undercover groups in the world. Perhaps Holmes provided the jump-start it needed, as shown here.
In The Case of the Peasenhall Murder, Holmes undertakes an investigation to clear the murder charges that have resulted twice in hung juries for a man convicted in the Press by public gossip of a gruesome murder. This tale seems much more realistic and vivid that the usual Canonical tale, even though it does not discover the murderer or clear up the details of the crime. The characters include the usual village cast; the unworldly vicar, the innocent maiden, the loutish lotharios and the opinionated pot swillers. Into this classic mix, Holmes brings the light of reason and logic, to clear away conjecture and to silence speculation. It is The Great Detective at the height of his powers.
The Case of the Phantom Chambermaid is classic Holmes. A girl has been dismissed from her position as chambermaid in a Hotel for entering a guest's room when she was actually at home, asleep. Her parents and her Minister bring the case to Holmes and these facts lead him to uncover a murder plan based on a peculiar habit of the guest and the diaries of a French Officer from the beginning of the Century.
In The Queen of the Night, Holmes uncovers a plot to steal jewelry during the Coronation ceremonies of His Majesty, Edward VII. Colonel James Moriarty is making an effort to settle an old, old score and to embarrass the Crown and the entire British Nation, as well as Holmes and Watson.
Donald Thomas has studied and written about the world of British Crime to the point where his understanding of the subject is encyclopedic. His characters and situations are drawn from life and he uses Holmes as no other writer could to track down and foil the very real sorts of criminals he depicts.
For historical buffs, Mr. Thomas is also the author of "Prince Charlie's Bluff, a Novel of the Kingdom of Virginia," a long-time favorite of mine.
Reviewed Author name: Philip K. Jones; May, 2007
Rated by buyers -
After reading the five mystery tales provided in The Execution of Sherlock Holmes, any fan of the Master Detective can only come to one conclusion: Mr. Donald Thomas' Holmes is Holmes!
So if you are a coinsurer of the very best in mystery fiction like The Crime Doctor, Sherlock Holmes : The Complete Novels and Stories (Bantam Classic) Volume I, or Raymond Chandler: Stories and Early Novels: Pulp Stories / The Big Sleep / Farewell, My Lovely / The High Window (Library of America), then I am certain that this thrilling novel will provided you with quite a few lively nights of suspenseful reading.
Rated by buyers -
This engaging novel by Donald Thomas, though not officially part of the Sherlock Holmes Cannon, does honor the world's greatest detective. A collection of 5 tales concerning my favorite beekeeper is one that receives my highest recommendations.
Incidentally, "The Case of the Greek Key" was my favorite of the stories (with Holmes matching wits with a German agent to protect his homeland). The story is reminiscent of another story called "The Golden Key" which was recently published in an excellent collection of EW Hornung stories contained in The Crime Doctor. For those new to EW Hornung, he was the creator of Raffles The Amateur Cracksman, and the brother-in-law to Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle held a deep friendship with Hornung, which lead to Hornung's creation of Dr. John Dollar - The Crime Doctor - who was both a doctor & detective that had his own Sherlockian-esque adventures throughout Europe.
Pick up both books, you will not be disappointed!
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