Sherlock Holmes – The Stuff of Nightmares by James Lovegrove: New Excerpt

Sherlock Holmes - The Stuff of Nightmares by James LovegroveAn exclusive excerpt from Sherlock Holmes – The Stuff of Nightmares by James Lovegrove, a new, steampunk-inflected adventure pitting Holmes and Watson against Moriarty, anarchists, and a weaponized stranger (available August 27, 2013).

It's the autumn of 1890, and a spate of bombings has hit London. The newspapers are full of fevered speculation about anarchists, anti-monarchists and Fenians. But one man suspects an even more sinister hand behind the violence.  Sherlock Holmes believes Professor Moriarty is orchestrating a nationwide campaign of terror, but to what end? At the same time, a bizarrely garbed figure has been spotted on the rooftops and in the grimy back alleys of the capital.  He moves with the extraordinary agility of a latter-day Spring-heeled Jack.  He possesses weaponry and armour of unprecedented sophistication.  He is known only by the name Baron Cauchemar, and he appears to be a scourge of crime and villainy. But is this masked man truly the force for good that he seems?  Is he connected somehow to the bombings?

Chapter 3
A Study In Contrasts

A hansom took us to Pall Mall, and on the way we saw around us a London in ferment. The third and deadliest yet of the bomb attacks had made the headlines of the late editions of the papers. On every other street corner people gathered to hear someone read the relevant article aloud, and cries of shock and groans of dismay greeted almost every sentence. Several times there were loud and angry denunciations of the Irish and their desire for independence and home rule, since Fenians seemed the likeliest perpetrators of these barbaric acts. They had had some form in that department since the Rising in 1867 and the Dynamite Campaign of the early ’eighties. I regretted my fellow countrymen’s readiness to condemn an entire nation for the deeds of a single political faction, and moreover without proof or verification. Nonetheless I harboured the same suspicions and felt the same burning need to find someone to blame, perhaps even more strongly than the average person did owing to my first-hand experience of the effects of the Waterloo Station bomb blast.

Once we were inside the Diogenes Club, however, it was as though such concerns simply did not exist. The denizens of that august institution sat ensconced in armchairs, smoking, drinking, perusing books and periodicals, or gazing softly into the middle distance, seemingly without a care in the world. The club’s thick walls and cherished traditions appeared to have an insulating effect, cutting its members off from all external troubles.

Of course, even if these gentlemen had wished to discuss the current situation, they would have been forbidden from doing so by the club’s principal and strictest rule. All conversation – even the smallest of small talk – was banned on the premises, on pain of permanent exclusion. The only place where one might utter a word was the Stranger’s Room, whither Holmes and I were ushered by a suitably muted attendant.

Holmes’s brother awaited us there, and the pair fell to talking immediately, without preamble or greeting, as was their wont. I never failed to be amazed by the difference between them – the corpulent and well-connected Mycroft, the wiry and antisocial Sherlock. It seemed almost inconceivable that two such dissimilar creatures could have sprung from the same set of loins. The sole feature this study in contrasts shared was a prodigious, voracious intelligence.

“First a restaurant on Cheapside, then the bandstand at Regent’s Park,” said Mycroft Holmes. “Now this. It is quite baffling. I cannot fathom any pattern to the attacks. They have taken place at differing hours of the day, in a variety of locations, with no common target other than civilians, bystanders. There is no apparent logic, no obvious motive other than to kill and maim blindly.”

“Sometimes that alone is enough,” said the junior of the two Holmeses. “Madmen need no rationale for their deeds beyond the perverted satisfaction of seeing others hurt.”

“You think this is the work of madmen, Sherlock?”

“It is one theory. The alternative is that it is the work of sane, highly calculating individuals who wish to be seen to be mad. The apparent randomness of the bombings is, in that sense, a pattern of its own. We are meant to think there is no order behind it, and the locations have been carefully selected to reinforce that impression.”

“Fiendish,” said Mycroft. “So our foes want us underestimate them.”

“Maybe. What is clear is that the attacks are escalating in audacity and severity. The number of dead at the Cheapside restaurant was three, was it not? And at Regent’s Park a dozen. And today…?”

“The death toll stands at thirty-one, with a further six not likely to survive the night, according to my sources.”

I felt a stab of sorrow and regret, wondering how many of those six I had ministered to at the station. Possibly all of them.

“There is a special session of parliament scheduled for later this evening,” Mycroft Holmes continued. “The bombings will be urgently debated. It’s fair to say, however, that not much will be achieved. With scant evidence available, the Prime Minister can only make vague threats against nameless culprits and promise some form of retribution – platitudes to reassure the masses. There will be plenty of indignation and hot air in the House but precious little concrete policy.”

“And Her Majesty?” said Holmes. Mycroft – it can be revealed here, although it was never a matter of official record – was a frequent habitué of Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. Those were almost the only two places he would deign to visit, beyond his rooms on Pall Mall and the Diogenes. I have it on good authority that he was even known by our monarch as her “second Albert”, but one daren’t speculate on the full implications of that.

“Affronted, alarmed, deeply concerned for the plight of her subjects,” Mycroft said. “What else would one expect? Her abiding fear is that, if the bombings continue, the result will be widespread civil unrest.”

“She has good cause to believe that. Watson and I witnessed considerable public agitation on the way here. Scared people are apt to take the law into their own hands and lash out at anyone they believe guilty.”

“Or,” I interjected, “they become a mob and turn on their leaders.”

“Quite so,” said Holmes. “I presume Special Branch are leaving no stone unturned.”

“Melville’s men are combing through the wreckage at Waterloo for clues even as we speak,” said Mycroft. “The bomb was planted in the gentlemen’s lavatories, of all places.”

“That at least tells us something about the bomber. He is male.”

“Though no gentleman,” said Mycroft with a curl of the lip. “Special Branch are also preparing to roust out potential suspects all across the capital. There hasn’t been a mobilisation of their forces like this since the Jubilee Plot back in ’eighty-seven. Known anarchists and Irish nationalists should sleep uneasy in their beds tonight, in anticipation of the three-AM knock and the holding cell below Scotland Yard.”

“Then everything would appear to be in hand,” said his brother. “I can’t understand why you wished to consult me, Mycroft. My presence here seems superfluous in the extreme.”

I was startled by the brisk dismissiveness with which Holmes spoke, as though the unfolding crisis was of no significance to him.

Mycroft was similarly taken aback. For several seconds the older Holmes blinked at his seven-years-younger sibling.

Then he said, “I had thought, Sherlock, that you would be keen to see the bombers caught and a state of calm restored, and that this was a goal to which you would be willing to apply yourself. I realise now that I may have been mistaken. Is it a question of money? I’m sure I can raid the Treasury coffers, if it is. What’s the going rate for the services of the great sage of Baker Street?”

“You misunderstand,” said Holmes, untroubled by his brother’s broadside of sarcasm and scorn. “This is not the type of case I normally investigate. Far from it. The police have ample resources and manpower to deal with it.”

“Holmes, really!” I ejaculated, unable to contain myself. “I can scarcely credit what I’m hearing. Surely you can’t stand idly by while mass murderers rampage unchecked and the cohesion of our society is imperilled. This is not like you at all.”

“Your friend is right,” Mycroft chimed in. “How dare you shirk your patriotic duty, Sherlock. Granted, there is nothing glamorous here as there usually is in your cases. Nobody has been murdered inside a locked room. There are no exotic, deadly animals involved, no strange faces at windows, no Mitteleuropean monarchs or contested legacies. All the same, I would have thought that mere love of queen and country would persuade you to devote your energies to this problem, for all that it is outside your customary remit.” He made an effort to look humble and importunate. It did not come naturally to him. “I would regard it as a personal favour if you agreed to help, dear boy.”

“I never said that I wouldn’t help,” Holmes replied. “But the bombings themselves seem to me to be of secondary importance.”

“I beg your pardon? Secondary to what?”

“There is another phenomenon that has featured in the newspapers of late. It may not have made the front pages or consumed as many column inches, but it is a great deal more peculiar and, I am almost certain, has relevance to the matter under discussion.”

Mycroft Holmes cocked a bushy eyebrow. “Why do I have the feeling I’m not going to like what I’m about to hear?”

“Put it down to your general choleric disposition,” said his brother. “Or else dyspepsia from the devilled kidneys you had for lunch.”

“The devilled –? Oh, Sherlock, there is a time and place for these little parlour games you so enjoy, and this is not it.”

“Hardly a parlour game, brother. I was trying discreetly to draw your attention to the morsel of food adhering to your left lapel. Conceivably I could have been less subtle about it, but manners – and a concern for what others might think of you – would not permit me to overlook it altogether.”

Mycroft looked down at his ample front, located the offending fragment of his midday meal, and whisked it away with his handkerchief and a loud harrumph.

“But as we’re on the subject of your haberdashery,” Sherlock Holmes continued, “I see that your tailor has at last handed in his notice.”

Mycroft set his face in an expression that was both resigned and exasperated.

“Let me guess. The stitching on my trousers.”

Holmes nodded. “The waistband has been let out a couple of inches – again – but the quality of the workmanship isn’t up to the usual standard. You remain loyal to your outfitters, Messrs Reade and Whittle of Jermyn Street, because you have been their customer for over fifteen years and it would not be like you to change now, you being such a creature of habit. The elderly Mr Popplewell at that establishment was a particular genius with needle and thread, and any alterations he made to your clothing were always nigh on invisible. That it was apparent that your trousers had been altered at all indicated to me that Popplewell was not involved. At his advanced age, the likeliest explanation was that he has retired. Death was also a possibility, but I plumped for the less morbid of the two options. Besides, a master craftsman like him would have merited a mention in the Times obituary column, of which I am an avid reader, and I have seen none.”

The older Holmes heaved a testy sigh. “Yes, yes, all very ingenious, and I know how your deductive talents impress the police and the rest of the lower orders. But you forget that you are talking to a man every inch your mental equal, if not more so, and I am just not in the mood for such footling diversions today. Pray enlighten me about this ‘other phenomenon’ that you rank above the continued wellbeing of Britain and its imperial dependencies – even though I have a suspicion I already know what it is.”

“Baron Cauchemar,” said Holmes.

“Ha-ha!” His brother slapped his meaty hands together. “Yes. I thought as much. Once again your predilection for the bizarre and outré shows itself. Not for Sherlock Holmes something so mundane as a hunt for terrorists. Oh no. He would rather pursue a phantom, a will-o’-the-wisp, a fictitious figure to whose existence only the worst kind of sensationalist journalism gives credence.”

“Reports of Baron Cauchemar’s deeds are consistent and well corroborated. Sightings of him may have been few, but the eyewitnesses are nearly always reliable and every person describes him in the same way. He has even been spotted by two members of the constabulary, and their testimony cannot be called into question, can it?”

“Pah! You mean to say you actually think this figment of the imagination is real? A prancing jack-in-a-box, popping up hither and yon in the East End, scaring burglars and impeding robberies in progress? Really, Sherlock, I can accept Watson here falling for such shilling-shocker claptrap, but you?”

I made to protest at the insult that had been levelled against me, but my friend got there first.

“Mycroft, Watson is as astute a judge of the facts as any man. He may embellish and romanticise his accounts of my exploits somewhat, in order to make them more pleasing as literary entertainment, but he has an eye for detail and a nose for the truth, and I will not have you impugning his character or his acumen.”

Mycroft, abashed, turned to me and grumbled an apology, something about his having spoken out of turn, the pressure he was under, great weight on his shoulders, no offence meant.

I myself was flattered beyond measure by Holmes’s praise. He was not usually so unstinting with his compliments, least of all where my intellectual prowess or my writing skills were concerned. There were times in his company, and more so in the company of him and his brother together, that I was made to feel as though I were a member of an inferior species, a reasonably gifted ape perhaps. It was nice to be reminded that my companion thought more highly of me than that.

“But seriously, Sherlock,” Mycroft said, “this absurd Baron Cauchemar rumour, there’s no more substance to it than there was to Spring-heeled Jack. In fact, I would maintain that the former is an adjunct of the latter, a modern updating of a fifty-year-old myth, the only difference being that Cauchemar foils crimes whereas Spring-heeled Jack, with his propensity for assaulting strangers and molesting women, perpetrated them.”

“It is a crucial difference, one that outweighs any superficial similarities between the two.”

“Baron Cauchemar is a story that residents of a dismal, overcrowded corner of London have dreamed up in order to bring a touch of colour and excitement to their otherwise drab, squalid lives,” Mycroft insisted. “He is a fantasy, as insubstantial as this table is solid.” He thumped the top of the oak dining table to underscore his point. “They say he can leap twenty feet in the air. They say he can break down a brick wall with his hands. They say he can stun a man with a jolt of electricity or knock him out with a puff of gas expelled from his hand. I believe not one iota of it. The slums and rookeries of this city breed all manner of superstition and old wives’ tale: giant rats in the sewers, baby-abducting ghouls, flying boats, ghostly coachmen, sinister Chinamen with the power to bend your will to theirs via sheer animal magnetism, and whatnot. I’m almost ashamed to call you my brother if you’re going to start putting store by any of that nonsense.”

“There is a compelling case for thinking that Baron Cauchemar is more than mere fancy, Mycroft,” said Holmes. “I am also of the view that his emergence into the public eye in the past few weeks is not unconnected with the bombings.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes indeed,” said Holmes stoutly. “And, to that end, Baron Cauchemar is the avenue of investigation I intend to pursue.”

“And you’re not prepared to accept that it’s pure happenstance, this fairytale creature appearing at the same time as a fresh wave of insurrectionist bombings hits the capital? At the very least coincidence?”

“In as much as I’m innately suspicious of coincidences, no. To my mind, it seems more likely than not that the one set of extraordinary occurrences should in some way be related to the other. And if I am wrong, and if the existence of Baron Cauchemar is impossible, as you insist, then at least I will have eliminated that impossibility from my enquiries, leaving me one step closer to the truth, however improbable.”

Mycroft’s chin sank into the fold of blubber that bulged out over his shirt collar.

“If that is your choice, Sherlock, so be it,” he said in a sullen growl, fixing his watery grey eyes on his brother. “Go and chase your silly chimera. I will be in touch again in a couple of days’ time to see what progress you have made – which will be none, I’ll wager. Then, perhaps, you will change your mind and make the sensible decision to work directly for me after all.”

“We shall see,” said Holmes. “Come, Watson! We’ve stayed long enough.”

And so we left the silent Diogenes Club and an equally silent, and fuming, Mycroft.

Outside in the street, removed from the club’s stifling confines, I once again remonstrated with my friend. “Holmes, should you not at the very least visit Waterloo Station? It is most unlike you to turn down the opportunity to inspect a crime scene. The terrorists might well have left clues.”

“Did I say I was not going to look there?”

“You did not say that you were. Come on, a little of your time. Set aside this Baron Cauchemar business for just one moment.”

“I’m almost certain it would be pointless. Special Branch will have already trampled all over the place in their hobnailed boots, leaving little useful evidence for someone with a keener eye to detect.”

“I would be in your debt if you would go,” I said. “You weren’t there. It was terrible. Those people – innocents – ripped to bits. And don’t forget how close I came to being one of the victims. Anything that can be done to bring us that bit nearer to finding the persons responsible…”

I admit I was playing upon his sympathies. Some might even call it a kind of blackmail. Yet I felt I had a very personal stake in the matter.

“Very well,” said Holmes. “Since you insist. I’ll warrant something may have survived Special Branch’s clodhopping vandalism.”

He turned his feet in the direction of Waterloo with what seemed to be a show of great reluctance, yet I had the sneaking suspicion it had been his intention to survey the scene of the bombing all along, even without my cajoling. He just hadn’t wanted to Mycroft to know this, not wishing to appear meekly subservient to his brother’s wishes. Whatever sibling rivalries had characterised the youthful years of the two Holmeses remained in force even in adulthood. I don’t believe there is a younger brother alive who would willingly be at his older brother’s beck and call, and Holmes, for all his genius and his detachment from the tidal pull of base emotions, was no exception to this rule.

Copyright © 2013 James Lovegrove

 

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Sherlock Holmes – The Stuff of Nightmares Comment Sweepstakes: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.  A purchase does not improve your chances of winning.  Sweepstakes open to legal residents of 50 United States, D.C., and Canada (excluding Quebec), who are 18 years or older as of the date of entry.  To enter, complete entry at https://www.criminalelement.com/stories/2013/08/sherlock-holmes-the-stuff-of-nightmares-by-james-lovegrove-steampunk-anarchy-exclusive-excerpt beginning at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) August 25, 2013. Sweepstakes ends at 11:59 a.m. ET September 1, 2013. Void outside the United States and Canada and where prohibited by law.  Please see full details and official rules here. Sponsor: Macmillan, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010.


James Lovegrove is the New York Times best-selling author of The Age of Odin, the third novel in his critically-acclaimed Pantheon military SF series. He was short-listed for the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1998 for his novel Days and for the John W. Campbell Memorial Award in 2004 for his novel Untied Kingdom. He also reviews fiction for the Financial Times.

Comments

  1. mosaix

    Sherlock Holmes is the only one! Yes!

  2. Joanne Mielczarski

    This book sounds very interesting – can’t wait to read it.

  3. Melissa Kyle

    I would LOVE to win this book for my winter reading collection!

  4. Clare 2e

    If the [color=#b22222][b]name above your comment’s IN RED[/b][/color][b][/b], you’re NOT entered, unfortunately. Log into the site and then comment. You’ll be entered–Good Luck!

  5. L L

    Nice excerpt

  6. I. J. Hamilton

    This is TERRIFIC! I hope I win it!

  7. Patrice Gottfried

    Look very good!

  8. Gordon Bingham

    Huge fan of Lovegrove! Really looking forward to this one…

  9. Alberto Garcia

    Very interesting!

  10. Jeff Tufano

    Great story so far. Count me in.

  11. Allison Moyer

    Steampunk Sherlock Holmes!! How cool is that?! Thanks for the giveaway.

  12. Jeffrey Tretin

    Sounds so interesting. Thank you.

  13. elizabeth findlay

    I love Sherlock Holmes and have not be disappointed yet by the other authors who take on the daunting task of continueing his stories. This one sounds like a winner and would love to win it.

  14. Angela Barnes

    This book sounds very interesting, I would love to win it.

  15. Steven Wilber

    Looks quite interesting. Please enter me in the drawing. Thanks!

  16. William Gardner

    This looks to be very much my speed. A fellow can hope, can’t he?

  17. charles mitelhaus

    Another great potential book/movie for Robert!

  18. M W

    Looks good.

  19. Stephenie Sheung

    This looks great! Crossing my fingers!

  20. Michelle Archer

    Love Sherlock Holmes! Would love to win.

  21. Margot Core

    Oh how thrilling; I am an absolute fool for anything Holmes related, and this looks marvelous.

  22. Laura McDonald

    This is a book to be savored by a toasty fire, eating snacks, on a chilly evening with the wind blowing loudly outside. Unfortunately, I live in Texas where it is currently 99 degrees. But I would love to read it drinking iced tea and snacking on watermelon!

  23. Tiffany Duncan

    This looks really good!

  24. Susan Meikle

    love Sherlock Holmes books – need to win to get a collection of books to get me through the winter

  25. Deborah Dumm

    I can’t wait to read this book.!!!

  26. Jeff Schroeder

    Splendid!

  27. Joanne Mielczarski

    This is definitely a book for me!

  28. Mary Ann Woods

    Love Sherlock Holmes!

  29. Karl Stenger

    I would love to read the book

  30. susan beamon

    A Holmes story with the flavor of the original, so nice. I’d like to win this book.

  31. John Dozier

    steampunk and Sherlock Holmes – an unbeatable combination!

  32. Irene Menge

    Sherlock Holmes is always great no matter what incarnation.

  33. Christine LaRue

    A Sherlock/steampunk mash-up? Yes, please!

  34. Kimberly Mayberry

    This book sounds awesome! Definitely different from what I usually read, but a welcome diversion!

  35. Johannah Brookwell

    Sherlock Holmes – aways figures it out! Fun Read!

  36. dcichans

    This excerpt was very intriguing and I want to read the whole book! Please enter me in the drawing.

  37. Diane Castiglione

    the book really sounds interesting. I would love to read it
    Thank you.

  38. Michael Crick

    This sounds like an awesome read!

  39. Dianne Cichanski

    This excerpt was very intriuing and I want to read the whole book. Please enter me in the drawing.

  40. reader123

    Sounds like fun…

  41. Pam Howell

    A Stempunk Sherlock Holmes! Fabulous!

  42. L MW

    Sounds intriguing! 🙂

  43. Tricia Blount

    Steampunk is a great new category…enjoy the books that I have seen so far. 🙂

  44. Laurence Coven

    Thanks to a great elementary school teacher, Mr. Norman Carter I was inntrocuced to Sherlock Holmes in the seventh and eight grades. Thank you Mr. Carter

  45. William Fee

    Very cool.

  46. Galdrin

    Count me in !!!

  47. Book Dilettante

    Haven’t read much steam punk, so am interested in this one.

  48. Russell Moore

    Any new take on Holmes is welcome. Looking forward to reading it.

  49. Deb Mosora

    Would love to read a steampunk Sherlock Holmes!

  50. Barbara

    Love Sherlock!!

  51. Richard Edmundson

    I love Sherlock!

  52. Tina Rath

    I love mysteries and this would make for an interesting read.

  53. rennie

    This one’s for me~

  54. Jenne Turner

    It sounds great!

  55. Kenny Diveley

    sounds like a great book

  56. Linda Knowles

    Steampunk AND Sherlock?! Rock On!

  57. David

    As a certified Sherlockian and a Steampunkian (er…is that a word?), this one is right up my ally!

  58. Jeanne Agee

    Very good excerpt. Love Sherlock and would love to win! Thanks.

  59. Sonia Grgas

    Love anything Sherlock-would love to win this book!

  60. Lisa Richardson

    I’m a Sherlockian for sure, would love this!! Thank you!

  61. Loren Palmer

    stunning watson!

  62. Cheryl Greenleaf

    Awesome!

  63. Heather Morris

    I love Sherlock Holmes’ stories, and can’t wait to get a chance to read this one!!

  64. Jeanine Elizalde

    Sherlock Holmes is one of my all time favorite characters.

  65. Ethan Boatner

    “Nightmares” sounds like the stuff of dreams!

  66. judy oliver

    I like anything Holmes – but why assume a lady would not enter a men’s loo?

  67. Fred Gillis

    Count me in.

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    Would love to have a copy.

  69. Mary Ann Brady

    My favorite. Would love to have this. Thx.

  70. Timothy Anderson

    I’m always up for a twist on Sherlock Holmes. Sounds good. “The Game’s afoot”

  71. jane

    Have always liked Sherlock Holmes, sounds like a good one.

  72. Laura Wernet

    put me in to win

  73. Melissa Dials

    Love things Sherlock!

  74. Susan Meek

    Oh, yummy! I’d love this one 🙂

  75. Henry Ricardo

    The book sounds great. I hope I’ll win a copy.

  76. Mike Rogers

    This looks really interesting.

  77. Michael Carter

    Love to win!
    Please enter me.
    Thanks

  78. Katharine Ott

    What did we ever do without Mycroft in the mix?!

  79. Jennifer Weaver

    would love to win!

  80. Heather Martin

    Steampunk is hard to do well. So is Sherlock Holmes. Would be interesting to see how well he does.

  81. Sally

    This looks like a great read. Always like Sherlock Holmes novels.

  82. Charles Fraker

    Looks good! Please sign me up.

  83. Rosemary Krejsa

    Sherlock Holmes and Steampunk a very interesting combination. I’m anxious to read this book.

  84. Don Gentry

    I want MORE !

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    Sounds interesting.

  86. MaryC

    Love Sherlock Holmes – this sounds like an interesting read.

  87. Tricha Leary

    would love to read

  88. Jackie Wisherd

    Would enjoy reading this book.

  89. Donna Bruno

    Steampunk Sherlock, of course I’d love to win!

  90. Marie-Louise Molloy

    [b]Hate to left hanging….[/b]

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    thanks I’d love to win and read this book

  92. Joseph Stowell

    Watson, the game is afoot!

  93. JAMES LYNAM

    AWESOME. Hope I Win.
    GREAT READ. Holmes is the best.

  94. peter greene

    Sherlock Holmes lends itself to different genres.

  95. keith james

    Interesting twist on an old faithful.

  96. Donald Hornbaker

    I would love to win this book!

  97. David Boyington

    I love Sherlock Holmes! I would enjoy checking this book out.

  98. Janette Oldham

    Steampunk plus Sherlock Holmes sounds really interesting!

  99. Susan Mahaffey

    I want to win!!!

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    Go Go Sherlock Gadgets!

  101. Robin Pasholk

    Sounds funkitudinous! “The Solitary Cyclist of Neenah WI” would Love to win it!

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    Go Holmes!

  103. Ethan Boatner

    Looking forward to the Holmes/Steampunk merger.

  104. Desmond Warzel

    Count me in, please!

  105. Linda Rodriguez

    This looks fascinating!

  106. David Vinther

    sounds good, though I’ve not read alot of steampunk before

  107. Susan O'Keefe

    Holmes plus steam punk! What’s not to love?

  108. Karen Terry

    I would love to be entered to win.

  109. Patricia

    Oooooooooo~ I want some of that for my eyes to feast upon.

  110. Joan Boose

    Sherlock and Steampunk! What’s not to want to read! Please and Thank You!!!!!!

  111. teresa sopher

    Can never get enough Sherlock. Pick me!

  112. Kathy Chiocca

    I just discovered ‘steampunk’. THIS book sounds wonderful.

  113. Laura McLendon

    Steampunk and Sherlock, What a combo!! Would love to win this read:)

  114. Ellen

    I’m always interested in a new twist on Sherlock Holmes.

  115. Tatiana deCarillion

    I have loved most adaptations of Sherlock’s character and look forward to reading this one, as well.

  116. Judy Gregory

    I know it’s strange but I have a sound effect recording of an old steam locomotive. Make a pot of tea, turn on the tape, sit back and read classic Holmes. what could be better!!!!

  117. Carl Ginger

    Fresh Sherlock Holmes sounds great!

  118. Melissa Keith

    [b]OMG! This book sounds fabulous, Watson.’Tis me birthday month. C’mon, Crime HQ. Gift me with love. It’s ELEMENTARY!! :-)[/b]

  119. Deidre Durance

    A new Sherlock book…I love it!!!

  120. SALLY GASS

    VERY,VERY INTERESTING SHERLOCK HOLMES APPEARS TO BE A JOLLY GOOD READ FOR ALUCKY READER!!

  121. Pat Murphy

    Never having read steampunk, this sounds like it might be a good introduction to the genre. Count me in.

  122. LP Wood

    Steampunk and Sherlock — a splendid notion.

  123. Gwen Stackler

    Just finished Lyndsay Faye’s Dust and Shadow and am eager for more Sherlock!

  124. Sharon Kaminski

    This would be a great read for both i and my husband

  125. Rose Milligan

    This book sounds really intriguing. I can’t wait to read it. Thanks for having the sweepstakes.

  126. Phoenix

    Looks like fun.

  127. Cheryl English

    Oh boy. They are back!

  128. Patricia Barraclough

    There have been so many variations of Holmes on TV and in the movies of late, it will be interesting to see what this print variation is like. Thanks for the giveaway.

  129. Kim Ann Johnston

    I have always wondered if Sherlock’s character is based on Edgar Alan Poe’s personality. This new text will keep me guessing!

  130. Vernon Luckert

    Would love to win – my wife loves Sherlock Holmes.

  131. george ashmore

    Steampunk does’nt always mean good but it is always a facinating area. I will have positive thoughts.

  132. Karen Koziczkowski

    Love, love, love anything Sherlock Holmes. Started by watching old black and white series with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce on Sunday Morning reruns. Thanks for the chance to win and the memories of the old black and white reruns 🙂

  133. Barbara Lima

    Holmes, Holmes, Holmes!

  134. John Graubman

    Have always been a huge Sherlock fan. Really looking forward to reading this one.

  135. Nan

    I read anything Sherlock when I find it. This looks interesting on many levels.

  136. Andrew Kuligowski

    I cannot believe that no one brought Sherlock Holmes and Watson AND steampunk together before now! Sounds like a really interesting read.

  137. Leisa Wooten

    I love Sherlock Holmes and would love to read this!!

  138. Amelia Perkins

    that is so great!

  139. bellagirl07

    I love anything Sherlock Holmes and really want to read this one as soon as I can.

  140. heather

    I love anyhing Sherlock Holmes and really want to read this one as soon as I can.

  141. Starr Greenwell

    I would love to read this one.

  142. vickie dailey

    what an interesting concept would really like to read this – been a fan of conan doyle’s sherock holmes since I read my first one

  143. Kathy Sparks

    i love sherlock holmes, the book sounds very interesting

  144. Kathy S

    Sounds like a good book. It is one I’m not familiar with.

  145. rosie

    intresting book!

  146. Jeffrey Malis

    Must read! Thanks for the excerpt and the chance…

  147. Vicky Boackle

    Looks and sounds interesting.

  148. Dawn Katzoff

    great

  149. Kris Kaminski

    How can you not want to read Sherlock!

  150. Sandy Dengler

    I am always amazed at the new and creative ways artists bring Sherlock Holmes to life. This looks to be an entertaining new entry. I hope to read it soon.

  151. Karen Cherubino

    I haven’t read steam punk before, but I love Sherlock and Watson no matter what!!

  152. rs2

    So it’s basically “Sherlock Holmes Meets a Superhero”?

    Yeah, I’d read that.

  153. Mary Lauff-Thompson

    I like the mix!

  154. Linda Peters

    would love to read this, thanks

  155. Daniel Morrell

    sounds like a fun one!

  156. Kimberly Hilbert

    My husband loves sherlock holmes. I’ll have to look for this book in the stores.

  157. kathy pease

    Thank you for the great giveaway please count me in 🙂

  158. Mike Rogers

    I love Sherlock!

  159. Ed Nemmers

    I would love to read the work of James Lovegrove.

  160. Crystal Blackburn

    I love all things Sherlock Holmes so I want this book!

  161. Michael Lee Smith

    Hmmm what a cool idea sounds great!!

  162. Susan Smith

    Sounds great!

  163. Melinda Peters

    Sounds like a great book.

  164. Candice Hull

    I am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan. I’ve read all the books and seen all the movies and TV shows (Basil Rathbone rocks) and I have never seen this take on it. Interesting.
    thanks!

  165. Janet Gould

    this looks like a great read

  166. Lisa Pecora

    Sounds like a very interesting read!

  167. Brenda Elsner

    I love Sherlock Holmes!!! Thanks for the chance to win!!

  168. Sand Lopez

    This sounds like a good one.

  169. Mihaela Day

    Sounds so interesting. Thank you.

  170. Tawney Mazek

    Oh my, this sounds so fine!

  171. Susan Smoaks

    thanks for the chance to win, i love to read!

  172. Samantha Cox

    definately looks interesting… I would love to read this!

  173. Marcy Strahan

    I would love to have a chance to read
    [b]Sherlock Holmes – The Stuff of Nightmares ![/b]
    [b]Sounds like a hot book to enjoy on a cold winter night![/b]

  174. Joanne Mielczarski

    I love all things Sherlock, so count me in!

  175. Debra Kidle

    Love anything that has to do with Sherlock Holmes! And this sounds awesome! Hope to win!

  176. Carl White

    [b]When I am in the hot tub with a lingerie model from eastern Europe I often think about Sherlock Holmes.[/b]
    [b]I think the next time I sit down and negotiate world peace with the aliens I will recommend to them that they read this book, [/b]
    [b]Sherlock Holmes – The Stuff of Nightmares by James Lovegrove due to the excerpt being just so damn fine.[/b]

  177. David Kidle

    Now this is a book I can sink my teeth into! Count me in!

  178. Heaven Kelough

    This seems so awesome! I love it already! Thank you for the awesome chance!

  179. Shirley Turner

    Looks like the kind of book I would love.

  180. Joseph Thoms

    I look forward to reading this. I enjoy all Holmes pastiches, especially ones with Mycroft in them.

    Joe Thoms

  181. Diane Hernandez

    Steam punk and Sherlock sounds like a great combo!

  182. Marissa Buffett

    Thanks for the chance to win 😀

Comments are closed.