The Case of the Australian Atlases and other Sherlock Holmes Adventures
(MX Publishing, 2025)
The Case of the Australian Atlases
As Inspector Lestrade asks: why, gentlemen, would someone break into a house, murder the owner and then steal only one volume of an Australian atlas, when all three volumes were there for the taking? More atlases are stolen before Holmes solves the mystery.
The Derringley Towers Mystery
Inspector Gregson calls Holmes for assistance in the gruesome murder of Lord Derringley’s footman. His Lordship’s son is the prime suspect, but he is only fourteen. Holmes unravels a complicated tale to discover the shocking truth.
The Curious Death of Amos Amberdale
A man is stabbed in the back inside a room with the window locked, and the door locked and bolted from the inside. Lestrade is baffled as usual, but the unusual murder weapon leads Holmes to find out how it was done, as well by whom.
The Case of the Nervous Neighbour
Mrs Marwood’s neighbour has stopped being polite and charming and is becoming increasingly agitated. His wife and maid have disappeared – are they really in Leicester? And who is making all the noise next door?
A Cry for Justice
Tradesmen find a skeleton buried in a back yard. Holmes first has to find out who the victim is and when he was murdered, before finding the murderer. A cold case with very few clues which tests Holmes’s scientific approach.
The Questionable Existence of Mrs Carberry’s Companion
Mrs Carberry has enjoyed the company of her lady companion for two months, when one day she doesn’t come down to breakfast. Her room is empty, and the housekeeper and all the villagers swear she never existed. Does she exist, and if so where has she gone are questions Holmes must answer.
The Adventure of the Benevolent Thief
A modern-day Robin Hood is stealing from the rich and giving to charitable organisations. The public love him, but then a man is killed during one of the thefts. Lestrade arrests charity founder Julia Webster within the hour, but is he right for once?
The Case of the Stolen Alma-Tademas
Seven valuable paintings by Lawrence Alma-Tadema are stolen from six different locations in three countries on the same night. Inspector Gregson enlists Holmes to help him track down the thief, and Holmes visits the Royal Academy and travels to Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire before the case comes to a startling conclusion.
Reviews
“It’s quite astonishing to realise, from an online interview given by Paul Metcalfe that the title story of the collection was his very first piece of fiction, since it and the accompanying seven other stories are confidently written, with clever plots and varied themes. We find all the elements of good traditional yarns in the present collection: from a locked room murder mystery to strange disappearances and disguises, from fiendish plots against the British Empire to the discovery of a long-buried skeleton, everything guaranteed to keep the reader guessing while eventually providing, courtesy of Sherlock Holmes of course, most satisfying explanations. I particularly liked the Benevolent Thief who robbed the rich to give to deserving charities, and was delightfully flummoxed by The Questionable Existence of Mrs Carberry’s Companion. Thoroughly recommended.”
Susan Knight, author of Mrs Hudson Investigates.
Must Read – 5 stars
“The biggest surprise in Paul Metcalfe’s smoothly written volume, aside from the “who-dunnit” is the accurately self-dubbed “traditional” narrative voice. MX Publishing has released more than 600 Sherlock Holmes books. I have reviewed nearly two dozen. This is the first where the banter sounds closest to what I surmise Dr. John Watson might actually have written in his serial chronicles of Holmes’ adventures.
Metcalfe’s Holmes seems more like the movie portrayals – less complicated a character than in some stories and novels. The plots in each of the eight tales in The Case of the Australian Atlases are straightforward with just enough conflict, twists and odd characters that the ends are not easily predicted.”
Vincent Golphin, retired Rochester (NY) Institute of Technology Creative Writing and Literary Studies professor.
5 stars
This collection is a satisfying homage to the world of Sherlock Holmes—clever, atmospheric, and refreshingly faithful to the original canon. Each story stands confidently on its own, with tightly wound plots, sharp deductions, and just the right touch of Victorian moodiness.
Pia Gray, Goodreads
