Illustrious Clients

A client is to me a mere unit,—a factor in a problem.

Sherlock Holmes in The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

However Holmes might have regarded them, some of his clients were more notable than others. Two new short story collections from Belanger Books aim to shed light on cases presented by some of the most famous people to seek his assistance.

In Sherlock Holmes: Stranger Than Fiction we learn about cases presented by some of the most famous characters in literature. These include clients as diverse as Huckleberry Finn, Professor Higgins, and Frankenstein’s monster. I have contributed a story to this volume, The Waterbury Affair, where Holmes is asked to help free the father of The Railway Children, from the book by E. Nesbit.

In contrast, the companion volume Sherlock Holmes: Stranger Than Fact recounts cases brought by historical figures. P.T. Barnum, Theodore Roosevelt, and Annie Oakley are just a few of the notable individuals who find themselves in need of Holmes’s help.

Both collections are currently available to pre-order on Kickstarter at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/belangerbooks/sherlock-holmes-stranger-than-truth-and-fiction/. The campaign, which has already reached its initial goal, runs until 30 March 2021, and the books are due to be published in May.