The rivals of Sherlock Holmes Book

A nice little sampler of detective fiction from the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, this one lives up to the title superbly. A handful of once-famous authors featured here reveal the scope of the genre, from gender-twist Holmesian characters to those of dubious morals who don't mind using crime-solving as a way to make some quick cash.

Max Pemberton's THE RIPENING RUBIES kicks things off with a high society ball and the hunt for a notorious jewel thief, culminating in an effective set piece quite remarkably. Next up is Arthur Morrison's THE CASE OF LAKER, ABSCONDED, which introduces insurance investigator Martin Hewitt in a tight and engaging little case. Morrison returns for THE AFFAIR OF THE 'AVALANCHE BICYCLE AND TYRE CO., LTD' featuring the unscrupulous Doddington, although this is something of a minor story, although worth a look because it's so different.

THE DUCHESS OF WILTSHIRE'S DIAMONDS sees Guy Boothby showcasing another loose-moralled character, and despite the intricacy of the plot I found it a rather minor effort, although still fun. But the anthology starts to get really interesting with the presence no lo less than three excellent tales from the prolific R. Austin Freeman, the first two written under his Clifford Ashdown pseudonym. THE ASSYRIAN REJUVENATOR sees Romney Pringle as another unscrupulous fellow, with the important point that he's intensely likeable with it; the story is a joy to read as a result. Pringle returns for THE SUBMARINE BOAT, and it's an adventure even more enjoyable than the one previous. THE MOABITE CIPHER is an adventure for the scientifically-minded Dr Thorndyke, and it's another near-perfect story that makes me eager to read more from this author.

MADAME SARA, by L.T. Meade and Robert Eustace, is my favourite story featured here. It's the introduction to a six-part story series released as THE SORCERESS OF THE STRAND, and it features no less than two thoughtful, intrepid heroes and a very well-written master villainness. THE SECRET OF THE FOX HUNTER is a typical story from spy-minded William Le Queux, and very clever at tying together big, international plots with localised murder mystery action. Baroness Orczy features twice here; THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILWAY is a fun little puzzle for the Old Man in the Corner, while THE WOMAN IN THE BIG HAT sees Lady Molly handling a straightforward case. The last two stories are very novel: William Hope Hodgson's THE HORSE OF THE INVISIBLE sees psychic sleuth Carnacki tangling with a powerful apparition in an action-packed narrative, while Ernest Bramah's THE GAME PLAYED IN THE DARK sees blind detective Max Carrados tackling a gang of international criminals.

The best thing about all this? The anthology was so popular - a television series even followed - that Greene edited a number of sequels, and I'll be sure to check them out.