The case of the Constant Detective

A bit of non news this but I quote from the official press release -

"The estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has granted permission for the first new Sherlock Holmes novel in 96 years, to be written by Anthony Horowitz and published later this year"

The Tainted Archive deduces an untruth there.

TV's new Sherlock - that's me forefront

 Whilst this may indeed be the first time a Sherlock Holmes novel has been officially commissioned by the  Doyle estate it is far from the first new Sherlock Holmes novel in 96 years. Many writers, some of them big names, have produced works featuring the great detective since Doyle's work is now in the public domain. And of course the Holmes character has been used (paid homage to) in TV series as diverse as Doctor Who and Star Trek and pretty much everything in between. And that's not to mention the squillions and willions of movies that have used the character in one form or another over the years. Sherlock Holmes is something of a constant in popular culture which even the death of his creator could not hold back. There have even been books written about other characters from the Holmes universe - Moriarty, Irene Adler, John Watson,


However given the success of the Sherlock Holmes movie and the Sherlock TV series (I appeared in an episode, you know!) and the huge sales gathered by the James Bond continuation novel, Devil May Care, the Holmes people no doubt smell a lucrative game afoot.

The press release continues:

"The new Holmes book will be out in September, and details are being kept under wraps in a show of mystery designed to whet fans' appetites, although it seems that Horowitz's take on Holmes will retain Conan Doyle's Victorian setting. Horowitz himself said he had aimed to produce "a first-rate mystery for a modern audience while remaining absolutely true to the spirit of the original". Orion publisher Jon Wood promised the author's "passion for Holmes and his consummate narrative trickery will ensure that this new story will not only blow away Conan Doyle aficionados but also bring the sleuth to a whole new audience."