The Case of the Baker Street Irregulars

by Anthony Boucher

Book Overview

For the die-hard Sherlock Holmes fans that comprise the Baker Street Irregulars -- some of them famous authors and widely-respected critics -- there's something particularly infuriating about unfaithful adaptations of Arthur Conan Doyle's immortal works. So when they get word that a Hollywood studio has plans to produce a tough, hard-boiled interpretation of the Great Detective, written by an author who has expressed disdain not only the group...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1613161824
• ISBN13: 9781613161821
• Release Date: October 2020
• Publisher: American Mystery Classics
• Length: 312 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Preposterously entertaining

Boucher obviously had a grand time writing this outlandish whodunit, and you will have an equally fun time reading it if you let yourself be taken along for the ride. Boucher wrote a few golden age mysteries and science fiction tales, but was more prolific as a reviewer and critic of other people's work. His reviews from his years with the San Francisco Chronicle have been compiled in two volumes by Francis M. Nevins and published by Ramble House in 2002. These are great volumes to peruse while looking for other golden age mysteries to read (and avoid.) Having read thousands of other mysteries, Boucher was qualified to write some of his own. "Irregulars" has some of the elements of the typical golden age mystery: a house where murder occurs and all the suspects are gathered under one roof for the duration, an impossible crime, and a plucky heroine. It also has elements that I can't resist: charts showing suspects and alibis, a diagram of the house, graphic representations of the clues and solution. The only thing missing from the Carrol & Graf paperback edition I have is a crime map on the back cover. If you are prepared to have your leg pulled for 250-odd pages, dig in.