Here’s an intriguing oddity, a collection of stories written by four Italian Sherlockians, Enrico Solito, Stephano Guerra, Gian Luca Guerra and Mauro Castellini. The first two are child neuropsychologists, the others filmmakers, a potent and suggestive combination, and, since none of the stories is attributed to any individual, it would seem all of them are involved in all of them, writing by committee perhaps.
That certainly doesn’t affect the flow in this most readable and enjoyable book. The authors have taken a minor character from the canon, Mary Watson nee Morstan, who featured in the tale The Sign of Four and subsequently married Dr Watson. Many readers will know that Conan Doyle soon killed her off, presumably so that Watson could rejoin Holmes in Baker Street, but here Mary takes centre stage. The stories are supposedly part her narration and part her diary, though I sometimes wondered why the whole thing had not been written as a diary, since there seems little to differentiate the passages. (Maybe this was where the committee writing came in).
Following her marriage and, for the most part, keeping it secret from her husband to spare his worries, Mary launches herself into a series of investigations of her own, engaging with Catholics, socialists, the Salvation Army and trade unions, among others. She has a deep-seated sense of justice and energetically sets about wronging rights and supporting the oppressed, particularly women.
The stories are linked and several characters from one story appear in another, for instance, the colourful and cross-dressing ‘Clara’ who helps Mary with the many disguises she needs in order to venture into the dark heart of London.
Woven through the narrative are references to some of the cases from the canon, notably The Sign of Four, where Mary makes her first appearance. Readers will no doubt be surprised to learn that the ending of The Case of the Five Orange Pips as written up by Dr Watson, was not in fact what really happened, the truth cleverly hidden (Mary’s idea) to protect a man from his would-be assassins. The Final Solution features as well, although, sadly for our heroine, it is her own ending too, as she succumbs to tuberculosis.
Mary Watson is a most engaging heroine and her adventures will be sure to divert Sherlockians and non-Sherlockians alike.
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Susan Knight 