Sunday, September 4, 2016

NEW BOOK PREVIEW: Meet Rory WIggins


As the newest Sherlock Holmes novel works its way though the publishing process toward publication in November, I’ll post some previews from the book -- introducing you to some of the irregulars featured in the Irregular Lives: The Untold Story of Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars.

This week, I’ll preview Wiggins, the only irregular mentioned, by name, in the Doyle canon. Despite this, we did not know much about him. So, let me introduce you.

Irregular Lives tells the story of how Holmes met Wiggins, and the other irregulars. You may not have known that they met in the midst of the largest jewel robbery in London. Wiggins meets Holmes as he dips into his pockets. It’s exciting tale. Here’s a scene for that story:

Holmes made his way, in a casual stroll, until he came to a stall selling leather goods set along the edge of the street. He began fingering a collection of belts hanging from the top of the stall. As he reached his arms upwards, his coat opened up, throwing both pockets behind him. Within moments the lad had closed the space between them and dipped both hands, simultaneously, into Holmes’s pockets.
Suddenly, Holmes swung around and gripped the lad’s hands—which were now holding a handkerchief and an inkwell.
“It’s a fair cop, sir,” the lad exclaimed in surrender.
Then, just as quickly, the boy swung a huge kick toward Holmes’s right leg, grazing his shin and rending his trousers.
“It seems you’re no better with your feet than you are with your hands,” Holmes remarked.
The lad smiled. But, the boy’s smile twisted into a look of confusion as he stared at his right hand. “Blimey! An inkwell. What’s all this then?”
“Not much value there,” Holmes said. “And, you might also note that the handkerchief has a hole it.”
“I made a right pig’s ear of it, di’n I, mister?”

I hope that you will follow this blog in the coming weeks as I introduce Snape, Ugly, Archie, Kate, and Benjie. And, while these sneak previews are fun, they are not a substitute for reading (or listening to) the entire adventure. I’ll let you know the moment it hits the bookstores in November.

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