Dan Andriacco

Sherlock Holmes in the Peculiar Persecution of John Vincent Harden

Kieran McMullen

London, 1924: When Alfie Barrington is stabbed to death outside his club, suspicion quickly falls on his widow, the lovely Sarah - and on her former beau, Enoch Hale. The American journalist has an alibi, but he doesn't know her name and Scotland Yard can't find her. Determined to solve this case without the help of his friend Sherlock Holmes, Hale launches and investigation that brings him into contact with Leonard and Virginia Woolf, bohemian writers and publishers; P.G. Wodehouse, creator of Jeeves and Bertie Wooster; Howard Carter, discoverer of King Tut's tomb; and one of the greatest mystery writers of all time. A second murder sparks journalistic speculation of a curse related to Alfie's time in Egypt as a competitor of Carter and his patron, Lord Carnarvon. Hale doesn't buy that, but he doesn't come up with a better solution until it is almost too late. And in the end, it is once again Sherlock Holmes who puts it all together. This exciting historical mystery concludes the Enoch Hale - Sherlock Holmes trilogy that began with The Amateur Executioner and continued with The Poisoned Penman.

The Egyptian Curse

Sherlock Holmes undertakes one of the strangest adventures of his career when he agrees to investigate the mysterious disappearance of Mr. James Phillimore, who stepped back into his house to get his umbrella and was never seen again. The great detective's inquiries take him down a sometimes-false trail from a home in Surrey to a music hall in London and back again before he finds the astonishing answer to this puzzling problem. In “The Problem of Thor Bridge,” Dr. Watson lists this case as one of Holmes's complete failures. Read “The Adventure of the Magic Umbrella” to find why Watson agreed to his readers with that false report, and what the umbrella had to do with it. This is another thoroughly authentic Holmes story from the author of the widely acclaimed “The Peculiar Persecution of John Vincent Harden,” also available as an e-story, as well as numerous mystery novels.

Sherlock Holmes in the Adventure of the Magic Umbrella

London, 1924: When Alfie Barrington is stabbed to death outside his club, suspicion quickly falls on his widow, the lovely Sarah - and on her former beau, Enoch Hale. The American journalist has an alibi, but he doesn't know her name and Scotland Yard can't find her. Determined to solve this case without the help of his friend Sherlock Holmes, Hale launches and investigation that brings him into contact with Leonard and Virginia Woolf, bohemian writers and publishers; P.G. Wodehouse, creator of Jeeves and Bertie Wooster; Howard Carter, discoverer of King Tut’s tomb; and one of the greatest mystery writers of all time. A second murder sparks journalistic speculation of a curse related to Alfie’s time in Egypt as a competitor of Carter and his patron, Lord Carnarvon. Hale doesn’t buy that, but he doesn’t come up with a better solution until it is almost too late. And in the end, it is once again Sherlock Holmes who puts it all together. This exciting historical mystery concludes the Enoch Hale - Sherlock Holmes trilogy that began with The Amateur Executioner and continued with The Poisoned Penman.

Another Adventure of Enoch Hale with Sherlock Holmes

An "Old Money" Family Meets Murder Shakespearean scholar and philanthropist Ezra Bainbridge, patriarch of one of Erin, Ohio's wealthiest old families, lives quietly and happily at his Stratford Court compound with three triplet daughters until accusations of elder abuse roil the family. Amateur sleuth Sebastian McCabe and his friend Jeff Cody are drawn into the controversy as objective observers but are soon ensnared in a puzzling series of horrendous murders, each one of which is marked by the presence of a flower. It takes McCabe and Cody to figure out the meaning of these floral tributes, but not until it is almost too late. At the center Stratford Court, and of the mystery, is an English garden around which stand the homes of Ezra Bainbridge and his daughters, all of them named for Shakespearean characters-Ophelia, the professor; Desdemona, the rebel; and Portia, the social climber. The story finds Erin much changed by the COVID-19 pandemic, with some of our old friends gone forever and others transformed. Readers of the early Ellery Queen mystery novels will find more than a passing similarity to those classics, from The English Garden Mystery title of the novel to the "Challenge to the Reader" at the point in the book where all the clues have been presented.

The English Garden Mystery

When popular mystery writer Sebastian McCabe agreed to take part in a literary debate in London, he had no clue that he would wind up as both investigator and suspect in the strangest case of his amateur sleuthing career. Arthur James Phillimore, investment guru to the stars and member of an elite Sherlock Holmes society, steps back into his home to fetch an umbrella one rainy day and is never seen alive again. The mystery is eerily evocative of one of Dr. Watsons most famous untold tales, the disappearance of Mr. James Phillimore. But this Phillimore soon reappears  dead. Jeff Cody and Lynda Teal, also in London on the second leg of their honeymoon, get swept up in the bizarre case as well. From the home gym of a gorgeous movie star (the second Mrs. Phillimore) to the flying office an airline entrepreneur, they help McCabe chase down clues all over London. For the journalist Lynda, its a big story. For Jeff, its a big distraction from the joys of married life. Dogging them along the way is the shadow of Sherlock Holmes, the one subject that several of the characters have in common. The great detective is also a figure for whom Lynda  to Jeffs dismay and consternation  evinces a growing fascination. Humor, romance, and mystery once again combine in an engaging McCabe-Cody adventure sure to delight the growing fan base of this series.

The Disappearance of Mr James Phillimore

When Erin, Ohio native Jamie Ellicott returns home as best-selling author James Ivanhoe after a 13-year absence, its like the return of the Prodigal Son. His ill and aging father welcomes him with open arms. Ivanhoes two brothers, however, are less forgiving. The whole town gets drawn into the family drama when Ivanhoe seeks to march in the annual St. Patricks Day parade under the banner of an anti-technology group called the Ned Ludd Society. Thats a thumb in the collective eye of his siblings, who own a company that makes microcircuits. As a member of the parade committee, St. Benignus University communications director Jeff Cody has a stake in what soon becomes a heated national debate. But to his genius brother-in-law Sebastian McCabe, the contretemps becomes less important than investigating murder in the Ellicott family. Erin Go Bloody once again demonstrates the skill that caused best-selling novelist Bonnie MacBird to call Dan Andriacco a master of mystery plotting.

Erin Go Bloody

Writer-actor-director Peter Gerards latest film was a smash hit, but some fans of Sherlock Holmes were outraged. Why? Because 221 B Bourbon Street portrayed the beloved detective as a goateed, saxophone-playing southern American working in 1920s New Orleans! Was it a disgruntled Sherlockian or someone else who hated Gerard enough to kill him, twice? That is what mystery writer and college professor Sebastian McCabe, assisted by brother-in-law Jeff Cody, must find out before McCabes own disgraceful involvement in the affair comes to light. And it will take a little stage magic to do it. Amidst this challenging mystery, Jeffs complicated relationship with the lovely journalist Lynda Teal seems to be reaching a definitive resolution just as Jeff approaches his birthday. Readers who so enjoyed the best-selling No Police Like Holmes will find this sequel packed with the same suspense, surprises, and sharp humor that characterized the debut adventure of Sebastian McCabe and Jeff Cody.

Holmes Sweet Holmes

The Investigating Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes Colloquium and donation of the third largest private collection of Sherlockiana in the world were supposed to produce a weekend of great publicity for tiny St. Benignus college in Erin, Ohio. But when theft and murder come to campus, college public relations director Jeff Cody finds himself knee-deep in Sherlockian suspects. Besieged by an aggressive reporter he loves but no longer dates, he is also competing with his eccentric brother-in-law, Sebastian McCabe, to solve the crimes first. The mess worsens when Jeff and his ex-girlfriend, Lynda Teal, themselves fall under suspicion of murder and with good reason, for they have something to hide. This satirical romp takes Sherlock Holmes seriously, but not Holmesians. A witty and engaging spoof sure to delight not only the deerstalker set but mystery fans in general.

No Police Like Holmes

Tobacco millionaire John Vincent Harden has barely arrived in London when strange things start happening to him. The clerk at his hotel swears that Harden has checked out and taken his luggage with him. Then Harden receives a wire calling him home to his plantation in Kentucky – which it turns out was never sent. Finally, when a four-wheeled cab almost runs over the American, Harden knows it is time to turn to Sherlock Holmes for help. Who is behind this peculiar persecution of John Vincent Harden? Holmes solves the puzzle too late, learning in the process that indeed “one may smile, and smile, and be a villain.” Praise for The Peculiar Persecution of John Vincent Harden: This story originally appeared in Baker Street Beat: An Eclectic Colleciton of Sherlockian Scribblings, where it drew the attention of critics as one of the highlights of the book: “If you don’t read any other Holmes pastiche this year, please, please read the short story The Peculiar Persecution of John Vincent Harden which has to be the closest in tone and content to a Holmes work that I have read in a long time.” – Felicia Carparelli’s Sherlock Holmes Murder Blog “One of the best short pastiches that I have read.” – Ross K. Foad, “No Place Like Holmes” reviews

Sherlock Holmes: The Peculiar Persecution of John Vincent Harden

Il milionario del tabacco John Vincent Harden è appena arrivato a Londra, quando cominciano a capitargli strane cose. La sua camera d’albergo viene liberata, e i suoi bagagli spariscono. Poi riceve un telegramma che lo richiama a casa, nella sua piantagione nel Kentucky, ma scopre che era un imbroglio. Infine, quando una carrozza a quattro ruote quasi travolge l’americano, Harden sa che è il momento di chiedere aiuto a Sherlock Holmes. Chi si trova dietro la particolare persecuzione di John Vincent Harden? Holmes risolve l’enigma troppo tardi, scoprendo durante l’indagine che “uno può sorridere, e sorridere, ed essere un criminale”. Questa storia è apparsa per la prima volta in Baker Street Beat, un’eclettica raccolta di scarabocchi sherlockiani, dove attirò l’attenzione dei critici come miglior racconto del libro: “Se volete leggere un solo apocrifo di Holmes quest’anno, leggeteLa singolare persecuzione di John Vincent Harden che è il più vicino come tono e contenuto al Canone che abbia letto da molto tempo.” Sherlock Holmes Murder Blog di Felicia Carparelli “Uno dei migliori racconti apocrifi che abbia mai letto”. Ross K. Foad, recensione “No Place Like Holmes”

La Singolare Persecuzione di John Vincent Harden

Small town controversies can be murder. When a newcomer to Erin, Ohio, proposes to tear down the historic Bijou Theater and erect in its place a boutique hotel, Sebastian McCabe adds civic activist to a long resume that already includes magician, mystery writer, professor, and amateur sleuth. With the strategic help of brother-in-law Jeff Cody, Mac launches a far-reaching campaign to Save the Bijou. The issue becomes highly political when three eccentric mayoral candidates stake out their positions - which one of them switches after a hefty campaign contribution. The plot machinations of grand opera seem positively guileless by comparison! Mac cries. Can homicide be far behind? The opera comparison is a natural one, for the new Erin Opera Company is staging an original work with a Mardi Gras theme. As murder strikes again, this time back stage, Sebastian McCabe becomes aware that many of the actors in this real-life drama are wearing metaphorical masks as well. Lynda Teal, Jeffs wife, records much of Macs sleuthing for a podcast series, never imagining that the most dramatic audio of the concluding episode will come from the murderer.

Death Masque

As chief spokesperson for St. Benignus University in small-town Erin, Ohio, Jeff Cody’s job responsibilities include handling “crisis communications.” And a crisis it is when veteran journalist Maggie Barton calls Jeff on the day after Thanksgiving. She wants the whole story about a dean forced to step down because of complaints of inappropriate behavior from three women who worked for him. But that’s just the overture to double murder at SBU, taxing the abilities of larger-than-life amateur sleuth Sebastian McCabe and the police agencies of both town and gown. There are clues aplenty - too many, in fact. But how could the killer have entered the scene of the first murder without showing up on surveillance video? It seems like magic, or a locked room murder in a novel. Fortunately, Mac is a magician of no small ability as well as a mystery writer. This ninth novel (and tenth book) of the McCabe-Cody series marks the debut of Aurelia Banfield, the disarming new assistant chief of St. Benignus University Police, and a farewell to two characters who have been part of the Erin scene from the beginning.

Too Many Clues

Pages Gone By is more than just Erin, Ohios only used book store. Its also a favorite meeting place for writers and readers. And early one morning, it becomes the scene of a murder when a body is found in the romance section. Is the steamy novel, Loves Dark Secret, clutched in the victims handa clue to the killer? Or is it more significant that the murder weapon was a statue of the iconic Maltese Falcon of film noir fame? As polymath mystery writer Sebastian McCabe and sardonic sidekick Jeff Cody try to unmask the murderer of a friend, they get more help than they need from a talk show psychologist and a group of would-be mystery writers with more imagination than deductive skills. But only they know that one suspect has big secrets to hide  secrets that Mac and Jeff hope dont have to be revealed. An homage to the Golden Age of detective fiction, the witty and suspense Bookmarked for Murder once again shows why novelist and screenwriter Bonnie MacBird called Dan Andriacco a master of mystery plotting.

Bookmarked For Murder

“We’ve been tasered, drugged, kidnapped, and almost blown up. So I’m sorry we’re late for the party.” Jeff Cody is having a bad day. But readers will love this short story about a Halloween party gone terribly wrong. If you haven’t read any of the critically acclaimed Sebastian McCabe – Jeff Cody mystery novels, “The Revengers” is the perfect introduction. If you’re already a McCabe-Cody fan, it will give you an enticing taste of their next book.

The Revengers

Gary Lovisi

Laird Long

Janet Law

Michael Penncavage

Rochelle Campbell

Marc Bilgrey

Victoria Weisfeld

Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine returns after a brief hiatus with a selection of fiction and nonfiction for the discerning mystery reader. This issue's stories include: LH’s LEGACY, by Rochelle Campbell ROOKER, by Laird Long PENNWOOD AVENUE, by Sanford Zane Meschkow ABOVE SUSPICION, by Victoria Weisfeld IDYLLWILD, by Michael Hemmingson MOTIVE, by Marc Bilgrey THE CURIOUS CASE OF ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE, by Gary Lovisi THE DAYTIME SERIAL KILLER, by Dan Andriacco THE MYSTERY OF THE PAUL HENRY, by Michael Penncavage THE PROBLEM OF THE VANISHING BULLET, by Lee Enderlin THE ADVENTURE OF THE BERYL CORONET, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Nonfiction includes: THREE BUCKET MYSTERIES, by Eugene D. Goodwin THREE CHEERS FOR DR WATSON, by Janice Law

Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine #28

A diverse collection of Sherlock Holmes related writings including several essays, short stories and two radio plays. Andriacco's obsession with matters Sherlockian is obvious, and there is much here for Sherlock Holmes fans to enjoy.

An Eclectic Collection of Sherlockian Scribblings

Baker Street Beat

"Where do we hide the body?" This is the startling question that Jeff Cody and his wife, Lynda, hear during a wedding reception on the first night of the QueenCon mystery conference in Cincinnati. Not only are the whispered words unnerving, there is no one nearby to have spoken them. Jeff's brother-in-law, mystery writer and amateur sleuth Sebastian McCabe, discounts the puzzle with what seems to be a logical and reassuring explanation. But murder does come to QueenCon - and to a victim who seems to make no sense. Mac's usual freewheeling style of mystery-solving runs into a roadblock in the form of a homicide captain who has been his enemy since the seventh grade. So Jeff and Lynda wind up doing his legwork, and what they had expected to be a fun weekend is harder than any day at the office. Queen City Corpse shines with humor, bright writing, and memorable characterization, as well as the solid storytelling that caused best-selling novelist Bonnie MacBird to call Dan Andriacco "a master of mystery plotting."

Dan Andriacco

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