Low is not the first “occult detective” in the detective genre – that accolade belongs to LT Meade and John Eustace’s John Bell, who appeared in 1896 – he is the first investigator whose work accepts or proves, rather than disavows, the existence of the ghostly and occult forces behind the crimes he investigates.ĥ. By the series’ close, Low has seen off an array of ghosts, mummies, occult societies, killer plants and diabolical master criminals. While Sherlock Holmes emphatically disavowed the supernatural – “the world is big enough for us, no ghosts need apply” – Low is open to its place in the world of modern crime fighting. They were first published as “Real Ghost Stories” in Pearson’s Magazine from 1898 to 1899. Ghosts: Being the Experiences of Flaxman Low (1899)Īs E and H Heron, mother and son team Kate O’Brien Prichard and Hesketh Prichard co-authored 12 stories featuring Flaxman Low, “the Sherlock Holmes of the ghost world”. Pirkis’s gendered twist on the Victorian detective genre sees Brooke’s “female methods” – such as gossip and gaining the trust of servants – trouncing those of her male contemporaries and exonerating wrongly-suspected women.Ĥ. Appearing more than 25 years before female detectives were officially employed by the Metropolitan Police, private investigator Brooke is frequently asked by the police to assist with cases where a “feminine” perspective is required. Loveday Brooke is the first female detective created by a female author (Catherine Louisa Pirkis). The Experiences of Loveday Brooke, Lady Detective (1894) A vast (and largely uncharted) treasure trove of detective stories was published in periodicals, newspapers and magazines between 18, as Holmes rivals, clones and parodies emerged to fill the great detective’s deerstalker hat and cape. Showcasing Arthur Conan Doyle’s inimitable genius for mystery and storytelling, these tales are proof that the famous detective remains one of the greatest crime fighters ever created.Ĭontains: ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’, ‘The Red-Headed League’, ‘A Case of Identity’, ‘The Boscombe Valley Mystery’, ‘The Five Orange Pips’, ‘The Man with the Twisted Lip’, ‘The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle’, ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’, ‘The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb’, ‘The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor’, ‘The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet’, ‘The Adventure of the Copper Beeches’.For fans of Doyle’s detective stories, the good news is that they found dozens of detectives to take his place. This classic collection of Holmes tales includes many of the detective’s most-loved exploits: Holmes is confronted by a venomous snake in ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’, mystified by a missing thumb in ‘The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb’ and beguiled by a beautiful opera singer in ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’, never once losing his famous cool.įirst appearing separately in the Strand Magazine, these stories were published together in 1892 in a volume that rapidly became one of the most popular Sherlock Holmes collections. From his Baker Street apartment, Sherlock Holmes wields his powers of deduction in pursuit of justice and truth, venturing out into foggy Victorian London accompanied by his faithful sidekick Dr Watson.