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DARK DETECTIVES
by Stephen Jones, editor
Titan Books, March 2015
467 pages
$14.95
ISBN: 1783291281


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

This anthology, a reprint of the original collection published in 1999. contains a seven-part complete "Seven Stars" novella, written for this volume, by Kim Newman. This work is interspersed among stories by such luminaries as Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Brian Lumley, Peter Tremayne, Basil Cooper, William Hope Hodgson, Brian Mooney, Jay Russell, R. Chetwynd-Hayes and Manly Wade Wellman.

In his introduction, "The Serial Sleuths," editor Stephen Jones recounts the history of the occult mystery over the past 170 years. Erudite introductions to each of the eighteen stories illuminate the place of each in the canon. Each contribution features a detective or pair of detectives who may be familiar to readers of occult mysteries. Jones places each in context and reveals previous or later works in which each appears. In addition, Jones succeeds in choosing exactly the right place for each piece, creating a cumulative effect and continuity of thought. Illustrations by Randy Broecker enhance each story in a suitably creepy fashion.

The introduction to the Seven Stars Prologue "In Egypt's Land" refers to Bram Stoker's THE JEWEL OF THE SEVEN STARS, written in 1903, which inspired Kim Newman to create this tale of a red gemstone the size of a human heart, found in the chest of a mummy.

Charles Beauregard, Seven Stars Episode One, "The Mummy's Heart" introduces the Diogenes Club to the gemstone. Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's brother, becomes embroiled in the investigation.

Kim Newman's versatility is displayed to full effect as the series continues, interposed among the short stories in the collection. My favorite chapter for its humor and familiar characters is The Gumshoe, Seven Stars Episode Three, "The Trouble with Barrymore." The story begins with a practical joke played by Peter Lorre on a drunken Errol Flynn, using the corpse of John Barrymore, which disappears! The language perfectly mirrors the noir genre and engages readers in the paranormal in a most surprising way.

As the novella progresses, each of the seven portions features a renowned psychic detective from years past. These pieces are worthy of their own volume, yet are enhanced and illuminated by the stories that surround them.

The first of the short stories, Peter Tremayne's "OUR LADY OF DEATH," features his recurring heroine Sister Fidelma, a nun of the Celtic Church born in Cashel Ireland in the 7th century. She is also an advocate of the Brehon courts of ancient Ireland. In this story she confronts the ghostly spirit of a dead soldier. Though Sister Fidelma may represent one of the oldest settings in the collection, William Hope Hodgson's 1910 story, "The Horse of the Invisible," bears the earliest publication date. Thereafter, we find, among others, Basil Copper's "The Adventure of the Crawling Horror," which features Solar Pons, a knock-off of Sherlock Holmes created when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle refused to allow August Derleth to write about Holmes. Copper continued the series after Derleth died. The stories appear in more or less chronological order, and are interspersed with the Seven Stars novella. Neil Gaiman's prose poem "Bay Wolf" is a mashup of Beowulf and Baywatch and includes the Wolfman, Lawrence Talbot. It concludes the list.

In all, this volume is a rich resource as well as a highly entertaining read for fans of supernatural mysteries.

§ Deb Shoss is a retired theatre producer/director, avid reader and former bookseller living in Lexington KY.

Reviewed by Deb Shoss, April 2015

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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