Title Page
The Bird and the Buddha
Book Two in the Before Watson series
A. S. Croyle
Further Reminiscences of P.S.T.
(Based upon my own recollections, notes, newspaper clippings and correspondence received from Sherlock Holmes)
Publisher Information
Published in 2016 by
MX Publishing
335 Princess Park Manor
Royal Drive,
London, N11 3GX
www.mxpublishing.co.uk
Digital edition converted and distributed by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
© Copyright 2016 A.S. Croyle
The right of A.S. Croyle to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998.
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without express prior written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted except with express prior written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damage.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious or used fictitiously. Except for certain historical personages, any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The opinions expressed herein belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MX Publishing or Andrews UK Limited.
Cover design by www.staunch.com
Dedication
For Ruth
Reviews
Thomas A. Turley, author of “Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Tainted Canister” - A.S. Croyle returns with her second “Before Watson” story, based on the memoirs of Poppy Stamford, Sherlock Holmes’ first love. Four years after their adventures in Ms. Croyle’s wonderful first novel (When the Song of the Angels is Stilled), Poppy and Sherlock reunite to investigate a series of ritualistic murders outside the British Museum. Like its predecessor, The Bird and the Buddha is set against the background of an actual Victorian disaster: the sinking of the Princess Alice in the Thames with seven hundred souls aboard. Populating the story are well-drawn secondary characters: some real (Oscar Wilde); some Canonical (Mycroft and Lestrade); and some original, like Poppy’s uncle, Dr. Ormond Sacker, who wrestles with an ethical dilemma central to the case. Croyle demonstrates her mastery of the period’s historical detail; and various intriguing elements, such as the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, are woven skillfully into the plot. Meanwhile, Poppy and Sherlock struggle to redefine their own relationship, after his disavowal of her love for the sake of his vocation. A progressive new physician, seeking acceptance in Victorian Britain’s unwelcoming milieu, Poppy must also face the frustrations of loving a young man who wants to turn himself into a reasoning machine. Even cast adrift emotionally, she remains the most appealing heroine since Irene Adler. While their romantic future remains uncertain at the novel’s end, the good news is that Ms. Croyle has more cases for Poppy and Sherlock in the works.
Book One - When the Song of the Angels is Stilled:
Kirkus - This fast-paced tale will appeal to those who like to ponder what made Sherlock Holmes the great detective he was. An engaging addition to Sherlock Holmes legendry.
Foreword - Five-Star Review - For anyone in love with Sherlock Holmes, this story must be savored, not merely read.
Chris Redmond (Author of ‘Lives Beyond Baker Street)
One involves the “angels” referred to in the title - infants being done to death by baby-farmers, a real enough social evil in mid-Victorian times. Holmes, Poppy and other characters in the novel are drawn into a crusade against this form of murder at the behest of (naturally) Mycroft Holmes, who has no scruples about risking others’ lives to do what the government needs done. Holmes makes some deductions, Poppy takes the lead in a sting operation, and arrests are made, though the plague as a whole is not yet ended.
Second, Sherlock Holmes witnesses and investigates not one but two train crashes - again, a common enough phenomenon in that era. It is a trifle odd to see Holmes using his powers as a transportation safety investigator rather than a detective, but Croyle plausibly portrays the young man not yet sure what career will enable him to make use of his intellectual powers, so the experiment is interesting and satisfying.
And third, the novel retells the events of “The ‘Gloria Scott’,” which have always been considered a little odd anyway. Holmes on his way to chapel? Holmes with a friend, Victor Trevor? In Croyle’s version of things, Poppy is on a path toward marriage with Victor when her (not his) dog bites Holmes’s ankle and an acquaintance naturally begins. Then the arrival of Hudson and the terror and eventual death of “old” Trevor, the Justice of the Peace, unfold as Poppy watches and Holmes tries to understand. To a Sherlockian these are of course the most relevant pages of the book.
Croyle writes interestingly and articulately, and her picture of Victorian society is convincing with only a few exceptions. The title page indicates that When the Song of the Angels Is Stilled (the title, incidentally, is taken from a contemporary Epiphany hymn) is “A ‘Before Watson’ Novel, Book One.” So there will be more, and that is good news.
Acknowledgements
Once again, I must take off my hat to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for creating one of the most enduring characters in literature - Sherlock Holmes.
Deepest gratitude to Steve Emecz and everyone at MX Publishing for this opportunity. I appreciate the encouragement of fellow MX authors and would especially like to note David Marcum for giving me more insight into how many Sherlockians feel about chronologies, other pastiches, and The Great Holmes Tapestry. I think we can agree to disagree on some of the fine points but share love and admiration for the Great Detective.
Thanks also to Pam Turner for her publicity expertise, and to my first readers - Nancy Schmock, Tim James, Scott Britton, Susan Wenz, Cindie Green, Thomas Turley, and Phillip Turner, who kindly edited portions of and made invaluable suggestions for this novel (see his blog The Great Gray Bridge) . . . I am deeply grateful to Debbie Clark, a fellow Sherlockian, and Rae
