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Sherlock Holmes & The Three Poisoned Pawns

By Emanuel Garcia, Roger Jaynes & Eddie Maguire

A poisoned pawn in chess is defined as any pawn that, if captured, would lead to a serious disadvantage for that player. Here, presented for your enjoyment, are three new cases for Sherlock Holmes. Someone, or something, that may at first seem trivial, is actually the key to something far more consequential.

The first such problem is by Emanuel E. Garcia, an author who has published numerous scholarly articles on psychoanalysis, including investigations into several classical composers. Here his attention is drawn to Hamlet and a new interpretation, which reveals for the first time, just who is the real power behind the throne in Denmark.

Roger Jaynes is an established author with two other published Sherlock Holmes novels. This latest adventure concerns Sir Arthur Wilcox, a high-ranking civil servant. Sir Arthur is about to embark on a diplomatic mission of the utmost importance to Athens. However, when his dead body is discovered close to his open safe, it is feared that the Government may fall, though Sherlock Holmes has other ideas.

Finally, Eddie Maguire tells the strange tale of a seemingly innocent weekend invitation to Dorset at which Holmes and Watson meet the Kaiser. Soon some of the Kaiser’s personal possessions go missing and what starts as a theft culminates in a possible assassination plot. 204 pages, paperback.

ISBN: 978-1901091-29-8

Reviews for this publication

Keith Paintin writes ...

The concept of the pastiche (the Mystery of Hamlet) is brilliant. Just the sort of mystery and case of corruption that Sherlock Holmes in his retirement with no actual criminal mysteries available would turn his problem solving skills to.

The characters are believable, with no overemphasis on the trivia of the canon, in fact it was difficult to believe the work was not penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself. I have read hundreds of pastiches, and own many of them. They range from the farcical to excellent. I place this at the very top end of that list.

Day dates are all correct, and Holmes' age as in his eighties is also correct. We are led to believe that he was born on January 6, 1855, which would make him 83 in 1938. A remarkable age for a male at that time but not impossible. Even his developing of the skills of violin fingering and bowing are credible. He was after all a perfectionist and once he set a course he would have devoted all his energies in that direction until he reached perfection

The actual Hamlet story unfolds with typical Holmes' reasoning. His arrogance at unfolding the mystery piece by piece is very well done. As I said earlier, a brilliant concept and done with great skill.

Ted Nye in the Antipodean Holmesian Society Newsletter, May 2009 writes ...

This is really three short stories in one. As expected all three are pastiches based on our famous duo, Holmes and watson, and purport to be discovered, one presumes, in the bottomless battered dispatch trunk at Cox's bank in London. The first story is a sort of literary detective story to expose not a criminal, but a genius. There follows a dissection of Shakespeare's Hamlet starting with a restatement that the Bard's work was really from the hand of Edward de Vere, the 17th century Earl of Oxford, a claim that has been made before and may wellbe true. However most of the story is a dissection of the play itself and the relationship between Holmes and his friend Horatio. The conclusion is a surprise and stimulates one to admire afresh the artistry of Shakespear/De Vere and the perils of friendship.

The second story, by Roger jaynes is called Sherlock Holmes and the Belgravian Letter and deals with a murder/suicide of Sir Arthur Wilcox, Private Secretary to Lord salisbury, the Prime Minister of England. This follows the solving of a locked-room mystery by Holmes who unravels the complexities, locates a missing crucial document and brings light to a convolutes story of intrigue, blackmail and fatal outcome. A well crafted work from the pen of Watson even if we have to accept that he makes the common error of thinking that 'disinterested' means 'uninterested'.

The last story is Sherlock Holmes and the Highcliffe Invitation which, it has to be said, is the weakest of the three. It is by Eddie Maguire and deals with a challenge set up by the German kaiser Wilhelm, then on a visit to England, to test the powers of Holmes in solving a supposed theft. Holmes, as we know, used to moving in exhalted circles but in this case credulity is stretched to breaking point as he follows up the trail of clues in this unlikely scenario. There is a vaguely adumbrated subplot of a possible assassination attempt on the kaiser. The writing is convincingly Watsonian but the artistry definitely sub Doylean. (However, do note that this story was originally intended to be the first part of a novel in which the assassination attempt is very real (a little like the pre-title sequence in the James Bond films), but due to ill health the plot was never developed except to make the short story).

Henry Vere reviewing (5 Star Rating) on Amazon writes ...

Readers of Mr. Garcia's story, Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Hamlet are in for a treat. Not only do we get to witness another side of Holmes and Watson and especially an interest Holmes has in music, but there is a delightful mixture of science, history and information on the literary detective story of the ages - the very real possibility we've been duped all these years about who the real author of the works of "William Shakespeare" may be.

Garcia writes elegantly and with grace, style and humour. This is all so believable as well because Holmes is the epitome of intelligence and logical thought - thoughts about a great deal of topics sprinkled through this novella. His information on Freud is correct too, as the famous psycoanalyst was among the first so-called "Oxfordians" on the scene.

The crowning achievement of this all-too-brief story is Holmes conclusions on Hamlet. They make for fascinating reading and intriguing thoughts for anyone reading this story. Garcia has done his homework and it behooves any Shakespeare scholar or even first time reader of Hamlet in Middle or High School to share in his amazing discovery. I am definitely going to reread the most famous of the works and see this play in a new light - as well as the person that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford may have based the seemingly innocuous character in his play, Hamlet, upon. Good night, Sweet Prince - indeed...

Roger Johnson, Editor of the Sherlock Holmes Journal writes ...

In ‘Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Hamlet’, Emanuel E Garcia has Holmes reveal, in almost Freudian fashion, who is really responsible for the destruction of Prince Hamlet and the end of his dynasty. Naturally not a tale of action, the narrative is set in 1938, when the detective and the doctor are well advanced in years, and there’s a curious and, to me, slightly distasteful coda. “Sherlock Holmes and the Belgravian Letter” by Roger Jaynes takes us back to the iconic year 1895. The Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury, has been murdered and certain important – and compromising – documents are missing, but there are deeper matters still to be uncovered. Eddie Maguire, in ‘Sherlock Holmes and the Highcliffe Invitation’, brings Holmes and Watson to a house-party in 1907, where the principal guest, Kaiser Wilhelm II, is the victim of a strange theft and an assassination attempt.

All three stories in Three Poisoned Pawns are ingenious and entertaining.

Lawrence Simpson (5 Star Rating) on Amazon writes ...

The highlight of this book is Emanuel E. Garcia's contribution, Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Hamlet. The story's syntax is authentic, the characterizations real, and the relaxed, intellectual plot is highly appropriate for the retired sleuth-turned-beekeeper. The color and cadence of Emanuel E. Garcia's language gives his story a musicality that carries the theme and provides a melodic atmosphere. The affectionate banter between Holmes and Watson is refreshing, and their interplay with the other characters gives the tale a witty, memorable charm. Along with his human understanding, Garcia's subtle humour lends a polish that gleams with Watson's happy discovery at the end. Although each of the three stories is well crafted, the quality writing of this book warrants better editing. Attention to details such as punctuation and homonymic errors would eliminate some distractions. And factual details such as the air rifle that ejects brass casings in Highcliffe Invitation should have been researched and corrected before going to print. But in all, the book is a grand effort and a good read that won't disappoint.