The Sherlock Holmes Children's Collection: Shadows, Secrets and Stolen Treasure

Titles in This Set:

1. A Study In Scarlet
2. The Sign of the Four
3. The Blue Carbuncle
4. The Speckled Band
5. The Red-Headed League
6. The Reigate Squires
7. The Naval Treaty
8. The Sussex Vampire
9. The Veiled Lodger
10. The Three Students

Description:

A Study In Scarlet
Body thought to be that of E.J. Drebber discovered last night in empty London house. No obvious cause of death. Address given as Cleveland Ohio. Any information would be appreciated.

After a mysterious murder leaves the police baffled, the world’s best amateur detective is asked to investigate. Along with his fellow lodger, Dr Watson, Sherlock Holmes sets about uncovering a quest for revenge that runs far deeper than anybody suspected.

The Sign of the Four
“Be at the third pillar from the left outside the Lyceum Theatre tonight at seven o’clock. You are a wronged woman and shall have justice. Do not bring police. If you do, all will be in vain.”

When Holmes is asked to look into a cryptic message received by Mary Morstan, neither he nor Watson expect to be drawn into a decades-old web of betrayal. Soon they’re conducting dangerous moonlit expeditions to uncover the meaning of the sign of the four, and resolve a long-buried crime.

The Blue Carbuncle
A valuable jewel known as the Blue Carbuncle was stolen from the jewel case of the Countess of Morcar yesterday.
A reward of £1000 has been offered by the countess for information leading to the stone’s return …

While the police work to trace the missing diamond, Holmes attempts to reunite a Christmas dinner and its owner. But when the detective comes across the jewel, Holmes and Watson find themselves in a race against time to save an innocent man’s life.

The Speckled Band
It is with great sadness that we report the death of Miss Julia Stoner of Stoke Moran. The cause of death remains unknown.

The mysterious noises last heard around the time of Julia’s death are back, and her sister Helen knows it is simply a matter of time before she suffers the same fate. There is a dark plot afoot and the only way to catch the culprit is to walk into a deadly trap …

The Red-Headed League
The Red-Headed League is looking for a new member to assist with minor tasks. The salary for this position will be four pounds a week. All red-headed men in good health and over the age of twenty-one will be considered.

After Jabez Wilson’s well-paid position with the Red-Headed League ends with no warning, he asks Holmes to find out why. What starts out as a straightforward investigation turns into a midnight stakeout as Holmes attempts to prevent a shocking crime.

The Reigate Squires
Keen to help his friend recover from a particularly stressful case, Watson arranges for them to visit a friend in the country. But after a robbery baffles the local police, Holmes is drawn into a web of lies, blackmail and murder. It’s up to him to identify the villains – if he survives the case, that is …

The Naval Treaty
Watson, Do you think you could bring your friend, Mr Sherlock Holmes, down to see me? My position at the Foreign Office seemed safe until this horrible disaster. I fear my career is ruined!

War becomes a real possibility after a top-secret document is stolen from the Foreign Office. But why has the thief waited ten weeks to sell the treaty? Holmes and Watson are plunged into a world of international diplomacy only to find that danger can come from unexpected quarters.

The Sussex Vampire
Sir – our client, Mr Robert Ferguson, has made an enquiry concerning vampires. Since we are an engineering firm, unfortunately the matter is not one upon which we can advise. Perhaps you can help.

Holmes and Watson take on their strangest case yet when a distraught husband comes to them desperate to understand his wife’s weird behaviour. He’s caught her sucking the blood of their baby son! But there’s no such thing as a vampire … is there?

The Veiled Lodger
Seven years ago a disturbing incident took place in the village of Abbas Parva. Mr Ronder, owner of Ronder’s Wild Animals Show, met his end after an escaped lion attacked him.

Holmes is confronted with an old mystery when he is summoned to visit a lady who refuses to show her face. A grisly crime committed seven years ago has had terrible consequences, and it is up to Holmes to save the veiled lodger from her own conscience.

The Three Students
Mr Holmes – I beg for your assistance. I cannot engage the police. If news of this dreadful scandal were to reach the public, the reputation of this university would be utterly destroyed.

A leisurely research trip turns into a race against time when Professor Soames comes to Holmes and Watson with a bizarre mystery. Three students are suspected of cheating – can Holmes solve the case in time for the examination to go ahead?

Adapted by Stephanie Baudet

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a British writer best known for his detective fiction featuring the character Sherlock Holmes. Doyle was a prolific writer; his non-Sherlockian works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction and historical novels.

Arianna is a freelance illustrator based in Florence, Italy, where she graduated as Entertainment Designer at Nemo Academy. Since then she has worked as 2D artist with Italian independent video game studios. The Sherlock Holmes series is her debut novel as an illustrator for Children's books.

Stephanie was born in England before emigrating to Australia - and later New Zealand - with her family, where she trained as a nurse. Whilst back in England on holiday, she met and married her husband, had a daughter and settled down. Stephanie's lifelong interest in writing became more serious when her first children's book, Avalanche, was published in the 1980s. Since then, she has had around forty children's books published, and has also published an historical novella for adults.