5-STAR REVIEW: THE EARLY CASE FILES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES by Liese Sherwood-Fabre

The Early Case Files of Sherlock Holmes: Book 1 & 2
Publication Date: October 19, 2022

A murdered midwife. A body in the stable. At the age of thirteen, Sherlock Holmes is thrust into his first two cases. At stake: the lives of his own family.

Before Sherlock Holmes met Dr. Watson in 1895, he had already developed his skills as the world’s most famous consulting detective. Arthur Conan Doyle provided little information about his detective’s formative years or how he created his singular profession. These first two books in The Early Case Files of Sherlock Holmes series reveal how Sherlock’s past shaped the sleuth he became.

Faced with the possibility of losing his mother to the gallows for a murder she did not commit, Sherlock must uncover the true killer before she hangs in The Adventure of the Murdered Midwife.

In Case Two, unexpected guests and a murder arrive in time for the family’s Christmas celebrations. For the safety of his family, Sherlock is compelled once again to bring the perpetrator to justice in The Adventure of the Murdered Gypsy.

Fans of Sherlock Holmes and traditional historical British detective mysteries will love The Early Case Files of Sherlock Holmes as a welcomed addition to the originals.

Who doesn’t like a good whodunnit? And better yet, who doesn’t like two? 

In The Early Case Files of Sherlock Holmes, Liese Sherwood-Fabre delivers two outstanding murder mysteries told from the vantage point of a 13-year-old Sherlock Holmes. In The Adventures of the Murdered Midwife and The Adventure of the Murdered Gypsy, Sherwood-Fabre delivers two intricately woven murder mysteries that Sherlock and his family undertake to solve at their home estate, Underbyrne. Both mysteries are told in the vein of Arthur Conan Doyle’s classics, leaving you guessing whodunnit until the very end. 

In The Adventures of the Murdered Midwife, young Sherlock is called home from his studies at Eton while his older brother, Mycroft, is called home from Oxford for a family emergency. They discover their Mother is in gaol for murder. At his Mother’s request, young Sherlock, along with his Uncle Ernest, devise a plan to free their Mother. Even if successful, the family name will remain under a cloud of suspicion for the murder of a young midwife found dead in Underbyrne’s garden. 

Soon thereafter, another and then another young lady is found murdered. Who could be behind these seemingly random murders, and what links them together? Each member of the Holmes family, along with Sherlock’s new pickpocket friend, Constance, brings their unique gifts and powers of deductive reasoning to bear to unravel the plot. 

The Holmes’ distinctive style of collaboration finally brings these murders into alignment, and the mystery is solved, but not without some danger and suspenseful moments along the way. Young Sherlock’s brilliance, encouraged and recognized by his Mother and Uncle Ernest, is just beginning to emerge.

Only a few short months later, Underbyrne is once again disturbed—this time by the discovery of a murdered gypsy in the Holmes’ barn in The Adventure of the Murdered Gypsy. 

With the house filling with holiday guests, some known and some unexpected guests from Uncle Ernest’s past in India, the suspect list for the murder also grows. As physical attacks and more murders—some inside Underbyrne and some on the grounds—also increase, Sherlock’s keen observations and skill at gathering clues create a colorful array of possibilities. 

The plot’s twists and turns, along with the plethora of suspects and the various characters’ suspicions, lead the reader on a merry chase. Truly intriguing and beguiling, this mystery will have you scratching your head until the final sentence of the last paragraph.

It’s quite elementary—The Adventures of the Murdered Midwife and The Adventure of the Murdered Gypsy are captivating, intriguing, and a pure delight for all mystery fans. If you’ve ever wondered what a young Sherlock Holmes might have been like, these two case files give a brilliant behind the curtains peek into not only Sherlock but the entire Holmes family, each deftly crafted with nuances and details that make each a totally fascinating character. 

I highly recommend The Early Case Files of Sherlock Holmes and eagerly look forward to more intriguing mysteries to come. 

Liese Sherwood-Fabre knew she was destined to write when she got an A+ in the second grade for her story about Dick, Jane, and Sally’s ruined picnic. After obtaining her PhD, she joined the federal government and worked and lived abroad for more than fifteen years. Returning to the states, she seriously pursued her writing career, garnering such awards as a finalist in RWA’s Golden Heart contest and a Pushcart Prize nomination. A recognized Sherlockian scholar, her essays have appeared in scion newsletters, the Baker Street Journal, and Canadian Holmes. These have been gathered into The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes essay collection series. She has recently turned this passion into an origin story series on Sherlock Holmes. The Adventures of the Murdered Midwife, the first book in The Early Case Files of Sherlock Holmes series, was the CIBA Mystery and Mayhem 2020 winner.

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