The Swordmaster’s Secret and Other Stories by Narrelle M Harris

Title: The Swordmaster’s Secret and Other Stories

Author: Narrelle M Harris

Genre: Crime/Historical Fiction

Publisher: Dangerous Charm/Draft2Digital

Published: 30^th July 2024

Format: Paperback

Pages: 116

Price:  $40.74

Synopsis: These stories are all set after the events of Narrelle M Harris’ The Adventure of the Colonial Boy. The collection begins with “The Swordmaster’s Secret”, a few months after Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson return to London in 1894. The two men, newly lovers, have to solve a murder with two victims and no murder weapons. The stories follow Sherlock and John’s lives together down the years, solving mysteries, and including a meeting with Oscar Wilde, a special Christmas, a case involving vinegar Valentines and a tale set in their retirement years in Sussex.

The book contains:

• The Swordmaster’s Secret
• A Less than Ideal Gentleman
• God Rest ye Merry, Gentlemen
• The Case of the Vinegar Valentine
• Winter Ice
• Bored
• The Beekeepers’ Children.

~*~

There are many people who retell Sherlock Holmes in fiction, film and television, and in novels and short stories. Each retelling is different, and whilst using the same characters, puts them in different times or genres combined with mystery. One author who has done this often, and whose Sherlock Holmes stories I always enjoy is Narrelle M Harris. Narrelle has recently self-published a collection of short stories featuring a queer Sherlock and Watson set in 1894 and beyond as they meet Oscar Wilde, celebrate Christmas, and venture into World War One and beekeeping in Sussex.

It’s a short book, but highlights what can be done with a limited number of words. These short stories capture so much within them, giving readers a glimpse into the world of Sherlock Holmes beyond what we already know. Narrelle allows them to explore new facets of each other and their relationship throughout the stories in a world that may not have wholly accepted them, but their friends do. These stories follow on from a previous novel Narrelle wrote about Sherlock and Watson in Australia following Sherlock infamously faking his death – and this shows that there are many ways to explore these characters and the people around them.

Narelle’s talent at taking beloved characters and giving them fresh stories in any setting is fantastic. She maintains the essence of who they are and what they do with a fresh take on their relationship or the characters around them. It means that we get to see Sherlock and Watson in an array of stories, and as someone who enjoys these retellings, it’s always interesting to see what different authors do with them. There’s something nice though about a Sherlock Holmes story in a familiar setting with a little bit of a twist on what we know, however. It shows that there were LGBTQIA people in the 1890s, and that Holmes and Watson are still the characters we love. I enjoyed these stories very much – there’s something lovely about Narrelle’s work that celebrates new and old coming together to create stories that have meaning and joy. I have enjoyed every book and story of hers that I have read, and look forward to more.