Sherlock Holmes & the Singular Affair by M.K. Wiseman
GUEST POST
M. K. Wiseman and the Adventure of the Researching Author
The question is merited. I’ve dozens of digitized books contemporaneous to the eras in which I have been writing my more recent stories. I frequently park my web browser in two newspaper databases. And let’s not even get me started on my love of old maps. ;)
But I digress. Or is it that I preface? For here are a few bits and bobs of Real History that made it into Sherlock Holmes & the Singular Affair.
The story itself began with a discovery that a comedic play entitled “Crutch and Toothpick” took London by storm in 1879. As the unchronicled case which I was setting out to write took place in the pre-Watson days (that is to say, pre- January 1881), this suggested a nice direction for the story.
Crafting my mystery and centering it on these social-climbing men-about-town took me—took Sherlock—into plays, theatre, sporting events. Thus, if Mr. Ormond Secker (Holmes in disguise) attends the Handel Festival at Crystal Palace or the Henley Regatta, readers may rest assured that his calendar and route have been accounted for. (Fun thing for those who like to do a bit of Google-ing: There are audio recordings of the 1888 Handel Festival that really capture the haunting beauty of the event.)
But not all can be dandies and dining out. Charles Booth’s Maps Descriptive of London Poverty helped me center various characters lodgings in appropriate corners of London. (Resource available online here: https://booth.lse.ac.uk) A digitized copy of Bradshaw’s (a contemporaneous railway and steam guide) sat as constant companion to me during Holmes’ repeated trips into the countryside and, upon his arrival outside of Holt, I myself took a walk from there to the home of Miss Clarke’s cousin via Google’s ‘street view’ function. (I even cued up some sound-effects for my little journey, such atmospherics taking on new importance during Covid lockdowns.)
Of the five books I have had Mr. Bernard Faricy narrate, four have included historically and/or regionally accurate songs. In my pastiche from last year, I made Mr. Sherlock Holmes sing, providing a bit of welcome levity within an otherwise bleak tale. This time the temptation to have the great detective attend a performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance proved too much to resist. And it fit my dates so very handily. Though the audio book has yet to hit shelves, readers will soon be able to hear how that scene plays out.
And last, but not least, I spent an inordinate amount of time looking into the Reading Room of the British Museum so that I might know how the desks were set up, how one went about requesting and viewing materials, etc. Admittedly, I stayed longer on this topic that I might have, but, in my defense, I had to once my poking about led me to a Twitter post wherein images of Conan Doyle’s own application and subsequent ticket were shared [https://twitter.com/britishmuseum/status/998860546739965952?s=20]. I suppose that I’ve not been too far afield, then, with my obsessive and minutea-driven discoveries whilst I wrote. At the least I remain in very good company.
BLURB
Before partnership with a former army doctor recently returned from Afghanistan, Sherlock Holmes had but the quiet company of his own great intellect. Solitary he might be but, living as he did for the thrill of the chase, it was enough.
For a little while, at the least, it was enough.
That is, until a client arrives at his door with a desperate plea and an invitation into a world of societal scandal and stage door dandies. Thrust deep in an all-consuming role and charged with the safe-keeping of another, Holmes must own to his limits or risk danger to others besides himself in this the case of the aluminium crutch.
PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09DXQVT56/
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sherlock-holmes-the-singular-affair-m-k-wiseman/1140115651?ean=9781734464146
AUTHOR BIO
M. K. Wiseman has degrees in Interarts & Technology and Library & Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her office, therefore, is a curious mix of storyboards and reference materials. Both help immensely in the writing of historical novels. She currently resides in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.
