It is difficult to reconcile Conan Doyle’s belief in
Spiritualism with his rational creation Sherlock Holmes. Sir Arthur, in his
later life, became a staunch advocate for Spiritualism. At this same time,
Harry Houdini devoted his efforts to unmasking unscrupulous mediums and spirit
guides. Ironically, Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were great
friends. Both Doyle and Houdini are real life characters in the latest historical
fiction collection of Sherlock Holmes mysteries: Sherlock Holmes-The Golden Years.
In The Cure that Kills, Houdini meets
Holmes and Watson aboard ship as they steam to America in pursuit of the
diabolical Ciarán Malastier. As I attempt to have all my stories be
historically accurate, it should be noted that Houdini did sail back to America after a triumphant European tour about the
time my story is dated.
In another novella, The
Kongo Nkisi Spirit Train, Sherlock meets his maker -- Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle—at a séance in the Doyle’s Windlesham home. Like Houdini, Holmes subtly
unmasks a “mostly fraudulent” medium called Margery—again, a real personality
of the time. In this scene from the story, the logical Holmes remarks to Doyle:
“Like Diogenes, Sir Arthur, I am, above all, a seeker of truth. And, if it be
possible to discover the truth that lies beyond the grave, I myself might
expect to find it in deep reflection and lucid prayer, and not around a ill-lit
table.”
You can read these tales, and three others, in Sherlock Holmes-The Golden Years—available
on AMAZON and all good bookstores.
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