A bloodstained room, a missing woman, a passionate affair gone wrong. September in London, and the city basks in a glorious Indian summer. Sherlock Holmes has more work than he can handle, and when the Home Office asks him to sniff out a plot by Russian assassins on radical politician George Dashing, Holmes and Watson find themselves distracted by more pressing cases. Meanwhile, there is scandal at the home of Dashing’s great political rival, Sir Henry Catanache. When Sir Henry’s housemaid goes missing, leaving only a pool of blood behind, his son is the prime suspect. Can Sherlock discover the truth? Or will the Catanache family be rescued by Laurence Martin, a detective newly arrived in London who is dazzling society with some remarkable triumphs? Martin proves a surprising and enigmatic figure, and Mrs Hudson and Flotsam, her intrepid helper, soon find themselves as intrigued by the detective as they are by the crime... A compelling cosy crime novel based in the legend of Sherlock Holmes, perfect for fans of M. R. C. Kasasian, Oscar de Muriel and Elly Griffiths.

Mrs. Hudson is possibly the most famous landlady in literature. Presiding over the comings and goings at 221B Baker Street, she saw many clients, villains and Baker Street Irregulars during the tenancy of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. This series of columns, thoughts, recipes and memoirs are from a long-running column in the Sherlockian journal Canadian Holmes. In it the author, Wendy Heyman-Marsaw, puts herself in Mrs. Hudson's shoes, up and down the 17 steps, and recounts not only the time and era but the food, dining and eating habits of Victorian England. This book explores the meals Mrs. Hudson would have prepared and served her two famous lodgers, what food they would have had while on rail journeys or eaten at hotels around London or inns around England. You will also learn about Mrs. Hudson herself, her husband and even her views towards women's roles and rights in Victorian times. With many illustrations from the Strand Magazine, readers will get a rare peek inside Victorian life.

What if Baker Street’s most gifted resident wasn’t called Sherlock Holmes? An evil stalks London, blown in from the tropics. Stories of cursed giant rats and malign spirits haunt the garrets of Limehouse. A group of merchants are, one by one, dying. The elementary choice to investigate these mysterious deaths is, of course, Holmes and Dr Watson. Yet the unique gifts of their housekeeper, Mrs Hudson, and her orphaned assistant Flotsam, will be needed to solve the case. Can she do it all under the nose of Sherlock himself? From the coal fire at Baker Street to the smog of Whitechapel and the jungles of Sumatra, from snake bites in grand hotels to midnight carriage chases at the docks, it’s time for Mrs Hudson to step out of the shadows. Playfully breaking with convention, Martin Davies brings a fresh twist to classic Victorian mystery. Martin Davies grew up in north-west England. All his writing is done in cafes, on buses or on trains, and all his first drafts are written in longhand. He has travelled widely, including in the Middle East, India and Sicily. In addition to the Holmes & Hudson Mysteries, he is the author of four other novels, including The Conjurer’s Bird, which sold over 150,000 copies and was selected for the Richard & Judy Book Club and Havana Sleeping, which was shortlisted for the 2015 CWA Historical Dagger award. He works as a consultant in the broadcasting industry.

Behind every detective stands a great woman . . . When Sherlock Holmes turns down the case of persecuted Laura Shirley, Mrs Hudson - the landlady of Baker Street - and Mary Watson - the wife of Dr Watson - resolve to take on the investigation themselves. From the kitchen of 221b, the two women begin their inquiries and enlist the assistance of the Baker Street Irregulars and the infamous Irene Adler. A trail of clues leads them to the darkest corners of Whitechapel, where the fearsome Ripper supposedly still stalks. They soon discover Laura Shirley is not the only woman at risk - the lives of many others are in danger too. As Mrs Hudson and Mary Watson put together the pieces of an increasingly complex puzzle, the investigation becomes bigger than either of them could ever have imagined. Can they solve the case or are they just pawns in a much larger game? It is time for Mrs Hudson and Mary Watson to emerge from the shadows and stand in the spotlight . . .

Was Sherlock Holmes really a woman?

A distraught young woman arrives at Baker Street urgently requesting the assistance of Mr Sherlock Holmes. But the great man and his assistant Dr Watson are away. What to do? She confides in Holmes's landlady, Mrs Hudson, who over the years has developed certain powers of deduction from observing her tenant at work. The young woman, responding to this, begs her for help. Reluctantly, Mrs Hudson agrees… Thus begins a series of adventures, recounted engagingly by Mrs Hudson herself. Adventures and investigations which take her across the country, from the Midlands to Sydenham, from Eastbourne to Edinburgh. Her warmth and down-to-earth practicality are brought to bear on a range of strange and startling crimes that occasionally lead even Mrs Hudson herself into mortal danger.

In 1887, Arthur Conan Doyle first published A Study in Scarlet in the 27th issue of Beeton's Christmas Annual, a popular London magazine which had entertained 19th century readers for well over two decades. Yet this particular issue would introduce the world to something entirely new, a literary icon who would move on to become the greatest fictional character in modern history. Holmes certainly casts a great shadow, and what would we ever do without him? That is precisely the question this collection dares to ask. We have challenged nine exciting Australian authors to take up the daunting task of writing a Sherlock story, where the great man himself is conspicuously absent. The resulting work has been utterly fascinating, and we have found that even in his absence Sherlock Holmes is still a force to be reckoned with. As the man himself would often say, "The game is afoot!"