*Book Tour & Giveaway* The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes-GUEST POST

 

A must-read for Sherlockians, history enthusiasts, and anyone eager to uncover the hidden layers of Victorian England.

The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes

Essays on Victorian England Book V

by Liese Sherwood-Fabre

Genre: Nonfiction History, Literary Criticism 

Rediscover Victorian England's forgotten history and culture.

Volume V of The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes explores the cultural, scientific, and historical allusions found throughout Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective stories. This collection of essays unpacks twenty-four topics mentioned in the original mysteries, from everyday details like hats and plumbing to complex issues such as international spying, the binomial theorem, and relations with Russia. Through such insights, readers gain a deeper understanding of the Victorian world in which Holmes operated.

Other essays explore both the familiar and the obscure, touching on subjects like the KKK’s presence in England, the significance of whaling, and legal concepts like insanity and blackmail. Unique cultural topics—such as the role of curry in the British Empire, the rise of bohemianism, and the Victorian obsession with rejuvenation through animal hormones—reveal the rich complexity of the era. The collection also features a bonus essay on Sarah Cushing from The Adventure of the Cardboard Box, offering fresh insight into one of the most sinister characters in the Canon.

Whether examining automata, wax figures, or the legal definitions of murder and suicide, The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes provides a compelling lens through which readers gain a deeper understanding of the historical and social backdrop of the Holmes mysteries.

A must-read for Sherlockians, history enthusiasts, and anyone eager to uncover the hidden layers of Victorian England.

 

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Master of the Art of Detection

A Collection of Sherlock Holmes Short Stories

By Liese Sherwood-Fabre

Genre: Mystery 

Decipher. Deduce. Deliver.

Sherlock Holmes, the most cerebral of detectives, finds his deductive powers put to the test in this intriguing collection of cases. Each adventure presents a web of secrets, clues, and deceptions. Only his highly honed observational skills lead him to the truth.

In a locked-room murder, did the victim succumb to “The Curse of Kisin?” And how had the daughter of Squire Northridge disappeared from her own locked bedroom? Can Holmes, an ocean away, determine if a missing treasure hunter ran off with Jean Lafitte’s fabled buried plunder? The disappearance of a beloved dog is an adventure filled with whimsy and humor, as are the return of Lady Frances Carfax and the howling dog of Baker Street.

Holmes’ unrivaled deductive powers rise to the test with each case. He shines as the consummate master of the art of detection and will captivate from beginning to end.

 

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Liese Sherwood-Fabre is an award-winning author known for her meticulously researched works of historical fiction and mystery. With a background in social sciences, she brings a unique depth to her characters and settings, particularly in her acclaimed series The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes, which explores Victorian England through the lens of the famous detective’s world. Her essays delve into the cultural and historical intricacies of the era, uncovering hidden details that enhance her stories’ authenticity. Her fiction weaves real historical events and social insights into suspenseful plots, creating immersive narratives that captivate fans of both history and mystery.  An avid traveler and lifelong scholar, Dr. Sherwood-Fabre combines curiosity and expertise to craft stories that transport readers to fascinating past worlds filled with intrigue and insight.

 

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GUEST POST

How Research and Fiction Intersect in My Work

Sherlock Holmes had many undocumented cases in his files. Sherlockian scholars have identified more than a hundred “untold” cases. I recently wrote one about “The Most Winning Woman.” In The Sign of the Four, Holmes tells Watson, “The most winning woman I ever knew was hanged for poisoning three little children for their insurance money.”

My first stop in the process was to learn more about the insurance industry during the Victorian period. During this period, even low-income families could take out “burial insurance” policies to cover funeral costs. If they could not pay for the burial, the bodies were often sold to medical schools for anatomy instruction, and no one wanted that end for their loved one. Victorian-era insurance practices had no checks to prevent any abuse. Because there was virtually no investigation into claims or applicants, insurance companies would sell policies on anyone, often without the insured’s knowledge.

Durning my research, I came across “The Black Widows of Liverpool,” Catherine Flanagan and Margaret Higgins. Both immigrants from Ireland, they lived in an impoverished neighborhood, where they concocted a scheme to turn these policies into a dark business. They insured family members and lodgers, then poisoned them with arsenic. Over several years, they collected money from as many as twenty deaths, including Margaret's husband and Catherine’s son. However, they remained undetected until the suspicious death of Margaret’s stepdaughter drew attention to the string of fatalities in their circle.

Upon investigation, police discovered an incriminating paper trail linking the sisters to multiple policies and untimely deaths. Furthermore, they recruited other women and pooled resources to take out insurance policies on one another’s relatives, friends, and lodgers. This informal club, sometimes referred to as a “poison ring,” allowed the women to fund policies that none could afford individually. In doing so, they created a cooperative financial network that ultimately became a deadly pact.

This bit of research created my essay “A Most Dangerous Policy,” which traced the history of insurance (read the essay to learn where the term “underwriting” comes from) in The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes. It also provided the basis for Holmes’ case of “The Most Winning Woman” in Master of the Art of Detection. It’s a great feeling when fact and fiction can blend so elegantly.

What about you? Do you enjoy learning about something through fiction?

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