Publishers Weekly Likes No Police

On this last day of 2011, a Publishers Weekly review calls my mystery novel No Police Like Holmes "an entertaining whodunit" and said my character Jeff Cody "is engaging enough to make further books in the series welcome." Coming right up, PW!

What a great way to end the year! On New Year's Eve 2010, I had no idea that in the year ahead I would see publication of two books and the launching of this blog. I hope that 2012 is equally interesting, for me and for all of you. Happy New Year!

The Mystery of Social Media

A former colleague of mine would be extremely amused by Roger K's video review of No Police Like Holmes, part 2 (see below), in which he comments that the extensive use of social media in the book my turn off some readers unfamiliar with the Twitterverse, etc.

The aforementioned former colleague knows that I was dragged kicking and screaming into this brave new world, and only went along out of a sense of professionalism. I felt that I needed to learn these tools to do my job. I'm still not up to speed, but I'm working at it.

So it is with my narrator, Jeff Cody, with the difference that he is far younger than I am and it probably comes more easily to him. As public relations director of a small Catholic college, of course he is going to tweet, text, and post on Facebook -- and all of that from his smart phone.

Interestingly, none of these technologies were part of the first draft of No Police Like Holmes -- for the very good reason that the mystery was written about 22 years ago! Rewriting the novel for the 21st century involved lots of interesting changes. Gone was smoking in public buildings. Gone was the need to find a phone to make a call -- now it's in Jeff's pocket. (These were not the only changes; I also re-envisioned some major characters.)

All of this brings up the interesting question of how Sherlock Holmes, that most unsociable of men, would use social media. We have seen some glimpses of that in BBC's "Sherlock," and I suspect there may be more ahead. What unique use do you think Sherlock Holmes would make of social media?

No Police Like Homes on Video!

On this Thanksgiving Day comes one more totally unexpected blessing to me. A young British gent, Roger K Foad, posted a really cool video review of No Police Like Holmes. With this review, as in so many others, I was really pleased that the reviewer not only understood that I was trying to be funny, but thought that I succeeded! Please check it out -- more than 200 viewers did so within the first 24 hours it was posted. In part two, Roger K calls No Police Like Holmes a "Christmas book of choice" and "a wonderful gift to any friend you have who is a Sherlock Holmes fan."

Meiringen Memories

My recent podcast interview with Curly of the fabulous Baker Street Babes had me remembering my Reichenbach Pilgrimage, which I wrote about in Baker Street Beat. Here I am with a friend in Meiringen, site of the Falls. It's not the easiest place to get to, but well worth the trip for any Sherlockian.

Today is the official publication day for No Police Like Holmes. I'm not sure how that works, given that it's been available from Amazon and Classic Specialties for weeks now and is selling well. I do know that Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati was unable to get it from their distributor because it hadn't been published yet. Happily, that is no longer the case.

The Gillette to Brett III Sherlockian weekend begins on Friday afternoon in Bloomington, Ind. I look forward to being there to sign copies of Baker Street Beat and No Police Like Holmes. I'll share pictures later.

The Great Adventure Begins -- Again

This weekend I have embarked once again on the great adventure of writing a mystery novel. The 1895 Murder will be the third novel in my Sebastian McCabe series. I hope to finish the first draft next spring, around the same time I expect publication of the second book, Holmes Sweet Holmes. McCabe's inaugural outing, No Police Like Holmes, seems to have found an audience and is welling well. Thanks to all of you who are among that audience!

The Baker Street Babes and Me

The charming Curly of Baker Street Babes has just posted the Babes' latest podcast, which contains interviews with Charlotte Anne Walters, author of Barefoot in Baker Street (first) and yours truly. We talked a bit about my life with Sherlock Holmes and my new mystery novel. Thanks for calling, Curly! Please check it out here.

Praise from Portugal

Nuno Robles of Lisbon, Portugal, recently finished reading No Police Like Holmes. Unable to post his review on amazon.com.uk, he sent it to me and I'd like to share it with you unedited:

This is an amazing reading experience and a great book, both for Sherlockians and for people that never read a Sherlock Holmes book (although they should have, to understand completely this mistery novel).

Following the also highly recommended "Baker Street Beat", Dan Andriacco has written a book that got my full attention from the very first page. It's a dream come true. Extremely well written, I was both intrigued by the developments of this adventure and also by the several Sherlockian references that the writter introduced in this novel.

In a time of so many Sherlock Holmes pastiches, reference books, related books, No Police Like Holmes surely stands out and it's, for me, the best book of the year. Reading this book made me want to be one of its characters and experience the weekend related in the book...it's great, it's fun, it's intense and it really makes a difference. Well done!

Yes, it's a bit over-the-top. What a thrill for me, as a newly published novelist, to have such a fan in a far-off land! Thanks, Nuno, and I'm so glad that you enjoyed my work. I hope that you like the sequel as much.

Kudos for No Police: "A fun, literary read"

My friend Felicia Carparelli, who is perhaps not completely objective, posted a nice review of No Police Like Holmes on her Felicia Carparelli's Sherlock Holmes Murder Blog:

Sam Spade meets Sherlock Holmes. Philip Marlowe meets Dr. Watson. How much murder and mayhem can one expect at a sedate (ahem) conference of Sherlock aficionados at a college symposium? A lot.

No Police Like Holmes is Dan Andriacco’s second book for MX Publishing. His first was a small but pithy compilation of writing and scripts on all things Sherlockian, Baker Street Beat. This novel takes place at a Midwestern university. A collection of Holmes manuscripts are being donated and some valuable pieces go missing. And a body is discovered. All good fun.

The hero, Jeff Cody, is part Woody Allen, part Humphrey Bogart. He drinks Diet Coke but is not adverse to lusting after his ex-flame Lynda Teal (rhymes with Emma….. another great sexy heroine). Other colorful characters are a gorgeous vamp married to an old rich man who collects Sherlockiana artifacts and books. And Cody’s brother-in-law, a Nero Wolfe style armchair sleuth, is the catalyst that keeps the sleuthing and the plot going strong.

Will Jeff discover who stole the priceless manuscripts? Will Jeff and Lynda find the murderer before the blighter gets them? Will the conference of the assembled Holmes fans continue without further disaster?

And most importantly, will Jeff get Lynda back into the sack?

No Police like Holmes is a fun, literary read. In the hands of Andriacco, the above statement in not an oxymoron. Get this book, dive into a comfy chair, pour yourself a couple of fingers of scotch and enjoy this, sweetheart.

Who am I to argue?

Quintessential Quote #16

"I would not tell them too much. Women are never to be entirely trusted—not the best of them."
-- Sherlock Holmes, The Sign of Four

This particular quote is not one I would wish to be handed the task of defending. However, Dr. Molly Carr gives that defense quite a boost with what she has revealed about Mary Morstan Watson in The Sign of Fear and A Study in Crimson!

Kate McCabe draws on this quote to build an interesting theory about Sherlock Holmes and women in my new mystery, No Police Like Holmes. Speaking to the "Investigating Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes" Colloquium, she says in part:

“. . . and Holmes himself repeatedly misstates his own posture toward the female of the species. In The Sign of Four, for example, he says that ‘love is an emotional thing, and whatever is emotional is opposed to that true cold reason which I place above all things. I should never marry myself lest I bias my judgment.’ Holmes implies here a calculated neutrality with regard to women. This is patently false. Elsewhere in same book Holmes tells the good Watson, ‘women are never to be trusted – not the best of them.’ That is hardly a neutral attitude.

“And in ‘A Scandal in Bohemia,’ Watson reports that Holmes ‘never spoke of the softer passions, save with a gibe and a sneer.’ Does that sound like a man purged of all emotions toward the opposite sex? On the contrary, Holmes displays quite a strong emotion – a negative one. Was he, then, a born misogynist as some would have us believe – or even a homosexual? I submit that the opposite is true. At some point in his unrecorded past Sherlock Holmes loved well but not wisely. He was, in short, ‘burned.’”

What do you think of her theory?

A Preview of No Police Like Holmes

In case you missed it, Steve Emecz, managing director of my wonderful publisher, London-based MX Publishing, posted this recently on his blog:

Dan Andriacco’s first book in June this year has been a big hit with Holmes fans around the world and the blog of the same name, Baker Street Beat, has thousands of visitors. Dan refers to both as ‘various Sherlockian scribblings and ramblings’ and the book’s mix of pastiches, radio plays, articles and stories written in the style of a highly articulate fan, is the only book we have that only has 5 star reviews on Amazon, eleven of them at time of writing. What will be interesting is to see the reaction of his growing Holmesian fan base when they read this, his debut novel, and realise that the target of both the murderer, and Dan’s sharp wit, is Holmes fans themselves.

Set in a small town in America that is hosting a major Sherlockian event, Dan captures the essence of Holmes mania and weaves into a murder mystery an extremely funny look at Sherlockians. You will certainly recognise several of the characters and may even see a bit (or a lot) of yourself in one of them. The ‘hero’ of the story, Jeff Cody, is faced with several Sherlockians as murder suspects and competes with his brother-in-law Sebastian to solve the mystery.

Especially as it’s his first stab at a full length novel, Dan has had some help from leading Holmesians on going through the book, and the way he paints the obsessive Holmes fans has been described as “spot on”. As Dan says on the book’s back cover,

“This satirical romp takes Sherlock Holmes seriously, but not Holmesians”.

Lets not forget that this is as much a self-reflection as anything, and in fact you could argue the book is semi-autobiographical. So is No Police Like Holmes like looking in the mirror for Dr.Dan? The grinning photo of Andriacco adorned with deer stalker and magnifying glass on the back cover certainly suggests that.

We’re sure Holmes fans will react with the same passion as they have done to Baker Street Beat -

“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.”

“Andriacco’s passion for the source material is readily apparent and is much to my great enjoyment matched by his ability to expertly convey itself in his scribblings. From radio to print Andriacco’s stories both at once pull the reader in to a familiar world and at the same time provide new adventures for us to experience. This most excellent collection has rightfully earned a center shelf location in my collection.”

“No Police Like Holmes” is in fact part of a quote from E. W. Hornung the author of the Raffles series, a fact spotted by an eagle-eyed Rachel Klingberg on the Sherlock Holmes Books Facebook group which now has members from over 30 countries around the world. The full quote being;

“Though he might be more humble, There’s no police like Holmes.”

The book comes out on November 9th and as always, Amazon UK is the first bookstore to have it – that’s what you get for being a London based publisher. The other bookstores will surely follow soon and US fans can get it direct from the publisher at MX Publishing USA. As always we’ll set aside about twenty pre-publication press copies for visitors to our site that will be sent out in October.

Dan will be appearing in person alongside many Holmes legends at "Gillette to Brett III" Nov. 11-13 in Indiana and will have some copies there to sign. Holmes fans that manage to get one of those signed first editions make sure you keep them safe, we have a feeling this one is going to be a bestseller.