Books in the Deed Box series

The deed box of Dr. Watson, presented some time ago by a friend who rescued it from the archives of a London bank, continues to produce treasures. The stories in this collection, Secrets from the Deed Box of John H Watson MD, all represent some aspect of Holmes and his adventures that has previously been undiscovered. In many ways these are (with the possible exception of The Bradfield Push, which Watson left unpublished for personal reasons) somewhat darker in tone than the stories that he did release to the public and publish in the Strand magazine.For some reason, Watson failed to date most of Holmes' adventures, and we must therefore make a guess at the chronology of these stories through their allusions to other cases.The first of these tales, The Conk-Singleton Forgery Case, is mentioned by Watson. He gives no other details in The Adventure of the Six Napoleons, and the story was presumably withheld from the public on account of Holmes' brush with the police as described here. The story provides excellent examples of Holmes' skill in deduction from seemingly trivial observations, as well as details of his methods of working a case.The next story, The Strange Case of James Phillimore, is likewise mentioned in passing by Watson. James Phillimore is described as stepping into his house to retrieve his umbrella, never to be seen more in this world. This brief description implies a somewhat supernatural twist to things, but the truth of the matter is even more surprising. The open antagonism between Sherlock Holmes and some officers of the Metropolitan Police Force may come as somewhat of a surprise to those who have always regarded him as an unflagging ally of the official guardians of law and order.In The Enfield Rope, we enter unknown territory.Watson never alluded to this case. The principals here were far too well-known to Watson's public to allow of this case's publication, even with pseudonyms, and re¬spect for the British Establishment would have restrained Watson in this instance. Holmes' sense of the dramatic is shown here, and his admiration and liking for a member of a part of society that was often shunned at that time shows a human, more attractive side to Holmes than is often portrayed by Watson.The Bradfield Push is an early case of Sherlock Holmes, where Watson loses both his heart and his watch. Holmes can retrieve one, but not the other.

Each of the tales I have selected to recount here was mentioned by Watson in previous adventures, but only in passing, and the sketchy references have long been a source of curious speculation by students of the work of Sherlock Holmes. The Case of Colonel Warburton's Madness is one of the few cases recorded by Watson as being one that he introduced to Holmes (The Engineer's Thumb being the other). The Mystery of the Paradol Chamber is strangely named, and the mystery itself is a strange one where Holmes' talents are needed to unravel a classic "locked room" murder puzzle. Finally, the definitive story of The Giant Rat of Sumatra has come to light. There are obvious reasons why this story was withheld from the public for so long. Even with the pseudonyms that have been so obviously employed, this story could have shaken the respectable world of English politics to the core if released.These latest tales that I have unearthed will, I am confident, provide both enjoyment and instruction to all those who study and cherish the work of Sherlock Holmes. I hope to provide even more such tales, following further exploration of the contents of the deed box.

Three adventures of Sherlock Holmes, very much in the style of the original stories, by a writer who has been acclaimed as the reincarnation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.The Odessa Business introduces a new member of the Holmes clan, as Sherlock Holmes investigates a death at an academy for young ladies, which opens more doors than were previously suspected.The Case of the Missing Matchbox reveals the truth about the "remarkable worm, said to be unknown to science", which drove men to insanity.The Case of the Cormorant takes Holmes and Watson to Cornwall, where dark doings are afoot, which nevertheless must be kept hidden from the public.

The deed box of Dr. John Watson, entrusted by him over a century ago to Cox & Co. of Charing Cross, and which made its way to Hugh Ashton in Kamakura, Japan, continues to yield treasure.The box proved to have a false bottom, under which lay the manuscript of a full-length adventure of Sherlock Holmes, in which the great detective needs all his cunning and detective powers to unravel the mysteries at Hareby Hall.Mentioned in passing by Dr. Watson in his account of A Scandal in Bohemia, The Darlington Substitution is a tale of deceit, treachery, and murder most foul, set in the wild Border country of northern England. Holmes and Watson encounter a centuries-old legend which tells of the future extinction of an ancient noble family, and set themselves against one of the most ingenious and fiendish villains ever to cross the path of Sherlock Holmes.Holmes and his faithful biographer come to life again in this case, following in the tradition already set in the three volumes of the "Deed Box" series of shorter Holmes adventures published by Inknbeans Press. These have been extremely favorably received by readers and reviewers, with one commenting, "I would have assumed that they were indeed previously undiscovered Doyle originals," and another, "The author has followed the approaches of the original Doyle stories to the extent that these could have been easily included in the original works".