Death on a Pale Horse by Donald Thomas

Death on a Pale Horse: Sherlock Holmes on Her Majesty's Secret Service; a Novel by Donald Thomas --- 346 pages

Donald Thomas is a British author of numerous fiction and nonfiction books, with a particular interest in Victorian and Edwardian England, especially crime and government censorship. He's written a number of Sherlock Holmes novels. In this latest volume, Dr. Watson chronicles an early adventure in his acquaintance with Holmes.

He reveals a tale of vengeful intrigue, in which the notorious Colonel Rowan "Hunter" Moran schemes to humiliate the mighty Army of the British Empire and drag all Europe into the inferno of war. Following in the footsteps of the Master, Thomas is one of the best of the many who attempt Sherlockian pastiche. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Conan Doyle should be flattered indeed.

The Secret Cases of Sherlock Holmes by Donald Thomas

The Secret Cases of Sherlock Holmes by Donald Thomas --- 343 pages

Another volume of stories about the most famous consulting detective of all time, based on the Conan Doyle canon. These seven stories, presented by the great detective's friend and confidant, Dr. John Watson, chronicle Holmes' later career, from the succession of Edward VII in 1903 through the political intrigues that led to World War I.

Thomas has selected seven actual criminal cases from the time period. Using news accounts and public records of each crime, he then has the real people involved in the investigation, prosecution or defense, call upon Holmes and his special expertise to help behind the scenes to find the truth.

Among the plethora of Holmes enthusiasts who have attempted to pick up where Conan Doyle left off, Thomas is one of the more competent, both in constructing the mysteries and in invoking the style and personality of the original stories.

The Execution of Sherlock Holmes by Donald Thomas

The Execution of Sherlock Holmes; And Other New Adventures of the Great Detective by Donald Thomas --- 351 pages

A collection of five novellas by prolific British author and Holmes enthusiast Donald Thomas. These are additional adventures, narrated by Dr. Watson, and set in the reign of Edward VII, under the looming shadow of the approaching Great War.

Old characters from the Conan Doyle canon mix with historical personages and new characters. In the title story Holmes outwits the vengeance of his criminal enemies. In  "The Case of the Greek Key," Holmes deciphers a German military cipher and unmasks a traitor in the admiralty; in "The Case of the Peasenhall Murder," Holmes saves an innocent man from slander and the gallows; in "The Case of the Phantom Chambermaid," Holmes unmasks a murderous rogue and saves the good name of a honest girl; and in "The Queen of the Night," Holmes encounters the villainous Colonel Moriarty for the last time.