“There are specific authors whose work I really cannot get enough of. One of these is Gretchen Altabef.”
Human nature being what it is, we can’t help but find favorites in films, music, books, etc. You won’t be surprised to learn that some of my favourite reading material comes in the form of Sherlock Holmes books. And out of that hoard of riches, there are specific authors whose work I really cannot get enough of. One of these is Gretchen Altabef.
Gretchen’s latest novel,The Keys of Deathis Baker Street bedrock. Set in 1880, Sherlock Holmes, Doctor Watson, and Mrs. Hudson begin something great in the world.
Out of the fog three young souls unite in their common desire for justice. A genesis story about friendship with the power to change the world. Here, finally, Mrs. Hudson’s part in it can be told.
From the Foreword by Mattias Boström: “In the beginning, there was one Sherlock Holmes. That genesis was, however, just a short glimpse in time, and for ninety-seven percent of his existence in literature, there have been two of them: Original Holmes and Parallel Holmes.”
Our cast includes Paris’s gentleman thief, Arsene Lupin, West African pirate, Félix Calabar, London’s spectacular beauty, Lily Langtry, the Imperial Theatre Orchestra, the Irregular’s, and even the Prince of Wales has a part to play in Holmes’ solution to the murder mystery. Altabef’s exploration into women’s history brings to light the immensely creative approach to freedom crafted by the ladies of the Anglo-Jewish Community.
The Keys of Death rocks the heart of Holmes’ world. With a vengeful villain to match him. The world’s first consulting detective practice is born through one man’s unshakable belief in his gifts, his courage, and especially his friends. Through every challenge Sherlock Holmes upholds his vision of a merciful justice for our world.
I am an MX author of new Sherlock Holmes novels. My writing springs from the same sense of justice as Dr. Watson’s, and Dr. Doyle’s. My books brim with imagination and a news reporter’s excitement for the true history of the day. THESE SCATTERED HOUSES. A breakthrough novel for Holmes and for me, an historical murder mystery solved as only Holmes can. The sequel, Sherlock Holmes: REMARKABLE POWER OF STIMULUS is a Sherlock Holmes novel with heart. THE KEYS OF DEATH is the genesis story of No. 221B Baker Street.
Two short stories published this year: “In The Land of the Living” Mystery Magazine, October 2021. “Sir Arthur and the Time Machine” SHERLOCK HOLMES FURTHER ADVENTURES IN THE REALMS OF H. G. WELLS, a Belanger Anthology. I contributed Arthur Conan Doyle’s, and Sherlock Holmes’ history, and edited JEREMY BRETT – PLAYING A PART and JEREMY BRETT IS SHERLOCK HOLMES by Maureen Whittaker.
A member of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London, The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes, The John H. Watson Society, the Priory Scholars of New York, the ACD Society, the Sherlock Holmes Society of India, and the Philadelphia Dumpster Divers assemblage artist collective.
Human nature being what it is, we can’t help but find favourites in films, music, books, etc. You won’t be surprised to learn that some of my favourite reading material comes in the form of Sherlock Holmes books. And out of that hoard of riches, there are specific authors whose work I really cannot get enough of. One of these is Gretchen Altabef.
Gretchen’s latest novel, The Keys of Death is Baker Street bedrock. Set in 1880, Sherlock Holmes, Doctor Watson, and Mrs. Hudson begin something great in the world.
Out of the fog three young souls unite in their common desire for justice. A genesis story about friendship with the power to change the world. Here, finally, Mrs. Hudson’s part in it can be told.
From the Foreword by Mattias Boström: “In the beginning, there wasoneSherlock Holmes. That genesis was, however, just a short glimpse in time…
. . . a boldly portrayed Holmes . . . This book is exciting, ingenious, and a delight to read. I hope it will attract the modern generation to our Holmes and Watson." "The first President of this Society, S.C. Roberts, once observed “Certain imaginative playwrights, with a greater regard for popular sentiment than for… Continue reading REVIEW – Remarkable Power of Stimulus by The Sherlock Holmes Journal→
A fast paced mystery that will keep you thoroughly engaged. A great read! Remarkable Power of Stimulus is the long awaited sequel to These Scattered Houses. It is an intense and exciting adventure from the first chapter to its ending. After 3 years away from his beloved England Sherlock Holmes returns to London with his… Continue reading REVIEW: Remarkable Power of Stimulus→
Henry Gritten, Mathew Vassar's Springside, View of Gardener's Cottage, Poughkeepsie, New York, 1858. "Of the hundreds of Sherlock Holmes pastiche mysteries available to the Sherlockian, very few can match this book for a depth of historical research, finely crafted sentences and paragraphs, and a heart-stopping thrill of a story." Ms. Altabef takes the reader on… Continue reading These Scattered Houses Review by Craig Stephen Copland→
The author also captured Holmes’s voice very neatly. As I wrote my first three novels from Holmes’s point of view, I know all too well how difficult it is to make that voice sound authentic. The story takes place during The Great Hiatus, that period in Sherlock Holmes’s life when the world believed he was… Continue reading These Scattered Houses Review by Geri Schear→
Rarely does a pastiche capture so many elements of an original Sherlock Holmes story as Ms, Altabef’s These Scattered Houses. Written in the first person, we are privy to Holmes’ thought processes, which are also evident in his often poignant journal entries intended for Dr. Watson’s later use. These entries recall the use of a… Continue reading These Scattered Houses Review by Wendy Heyman-Marsaw→
Features of Interest 