Three Pint Problems (The Accidental Detective Book 3) - Melvyn Small

Doctor John Watson has reached into his archives to treat us to three feature-length adventures. In The Darlington Substitution, The Devil’s Advocate and Murder on the Teesside Princess we see Boro’s greatest detective at the height of his wisecracking, foulmouthed, law disregarding and deductive brilliance.

If the devil is in the detail, he has nowhere to hide.

 

What did I think?

I absolutely love Melvyn Small's Sherlock Holmes stories and Three Pint Problems has a hat trick of stories that delighted and entertained me.  This Sherlock Holmes may have the same deductive reasoning as the original but he's been brought completely up-to-date by adding razor sharp wit and a Teesside postcode.

The three stories are all brilliant and I couldn't pick a favourite out from among them as I loved them all.  They read perfectly as standalones but with the same characters throughout, it's good to follow their lives too.  It's definitely a book I would read again as this is actually the second time I've read The Darlington Substitution, as it was previously published as a novella, and I enjoyed it just as much the second time round.

The stories are told from the perspective of Doctor John Watson and they're sharp, clever and incredibly entertaining.  I love how the spirit of the original Sherlock Holmes has been perfectly encapsulated and reinvented as a witty, sweary Boro lad.  Melvyn Small's writing is fantastic, creating imaginative problems that only the brilliant mind of Sherlock Holmes can solve.

I'm not usually a fan of short stories but I'm a huge fan of Boro's Sherlock Holmes and I could (and will) read these over and over again.  Melvyn Small also pays homage to Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes with several references to the original stories, for example Boro Holmes drinks pints of Engineer's Thumb in The Twisted Lip which are nods to two of Conan Doyle's short stories.  There are probably loads more references hidden in the stories like Easter Eggs for Sherlock Holmes fans to discover.

I really can't recommend Three Pint Problems highly enough; it's funny, entertaining and absolutely brilliant.  It's a book not to be missed and worthy of every single one of the five stars I have rated it.

I chose to read a digital ARC received from the author and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Accidental Detective - Melvyn Small

Thrown together by the British legal system, Holmes and his court appointed psychologist, Dr John Watson, seem an unlikely pairing... but sometimes the stars align.

Our two heroes are soon drawn into a series of riotous adventures that both bewilder and beguile. Holmes’ mastery of data, deduction and logic combines with his gin-dry wit and a casual contempt for life-threatening danger to ensure there is never a dull moment as he and the good doctor battle the mysteries that have the local constabulary baffled.

The game is afoot... oh yes!

 

What did I think?

I love books set in my native north east of England but I never dreamed that I would ever read about Sherlock Holmes in Middlesbrough.  Melvyn Small's plotting is as clever as the famous sleuth himself in this fabulous collection of short stories.

Holmes is brought up to date with added wit and sarcasm but his brilliant deductive reasoning is true to the original.  I love how Melvyn Small pays homage to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle throughout the book; not just the character names but things like Holmes drinking pints of Engineer's Thumb in The Twisted Lip pub which references two of Conan Doyle's short stories: The Adventures of the Engineer's Thumb and The Man with the Twisted Lip.  There are probably loads more references that Sherlock Holmes fans will pick up.

There are six short stories in this collection and whilst each one can be read separately, I was like a runaway train once I got started and I had no intention of stopping at the end of each one.  The stories are told brilliantly by Doctor Watson and they flow together beautifully with the same cast of colourful characters and references to earlier cases thrown in for good measure.  The humour is outstanding; it's drier than the Sahara and it made me laugh out loud on several occasions.

With six cracking mysteries to solve, The Accidental Detective is hugely entertaining and absolutely brilliant.  It's a wonderful modernisation of Sherlock Holmes whilst staying true to the inimitable features of Conan Doyle's original characters.  A must-read for any Sherlock fan and anyone who loves a good old whodunnit mystery.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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About the author:

Born in Stockton-on-Tees and raised in nearby Billingham, Mel left Northfield Comprehensive School at 16 to train as a civil engineering technician at Cleveland County Council Surveyor and Engineer's Department. It was during this time, spent either at a drawing board or on the clever end of a theodolite that, following a rather sharp haircut, he was bestowed the nickname Melvis.  Thanks go out to Joan the tea lady for that one.  Fortunately Mel is not a vengeful chap and has not once even considered informing HM Revenue and Customs of Joan's illicit below-the-tea-trolley line in Kitkats and Marathons.  Whether Mel retains any likeness to the King of Rock 'n' Roll is debatable, however even the most imaginative would now concede he is less GI Blues and more the Vegas years.  Mel loves a parmo.

On the completion of his traineeship at the council, which included BTEC qualifications studied on day release at both Cleveland Technical College and Teesside Polytechnic, Mel relinquished his unused right to countersign passport applications and photographs, and left local government for a period of employment in the private sector. This included stays at WS Atkins, WA Fairhurst and, perhaps his spiritual home, the now defunct Bullen Consultants Limited. During this period, interrupted by a bachelor’s degree in civil and structural engineering at the University of Sheffield, Mel undertook a lot of modelling work. Three-dimensional ground modelling work to be precise, Mel's use of isopachyte analysis being now the thing of legend.

A natural engineer, Mel expanded his capability into that of hydraulic engineering soon forming quite a reputation in the fields of both storm water drainage and sewerage design, his skills in this area being such that he soon earned the honorary title of the Shitman. It's no exaggeration to state that Mel has forgotten more about storm water attenuation than most people will ever know.

Feeling more inclined to a digital era the modelling shitman left the world of roundabout entry deflection and balancing ponds to embark on a career in information technology. Following a master's degree in information processing at the University of York, he gained employment in the IT department of a large financial services organisation. It wasn't his fault. None of it. Honest.

With respect to the written word, Mel's efficient writing style is perhaps the requirement of both engineering and computer science to communicate in a concise manner. The comedy in his literary output being more of a function of a Teesside upbringing. Mel's first foray into the world of creative writing came in the form of slogans for leading tee shirt retailer Shot Dead In The Head. Mel's work included the popular ”What Part Of Theoretical Physics Do You Not Understand?” and “If You Can Read This You Are Too Close”.

Upping the word count considerably into that of fictional crime writing, Mel's first printed work Holmes Volume 1 and the imaginatively titled Holmes Volume 2. The reviews for this reimagining of Sherlock Holmes a dry-witted, working class northerner plying his trade in current day Middlesbrough have been amazing. If you would like a copy of these classics including their cult cover art, act quickly, They will soon disappear to be republished as The Accidental Detective series in November 2022. This will include a new volume of stories including The Darlington Substitution. and two new feature length stories.

And it doesn’t end there. Mel has now turned his writing skills to music and Project Melv!s. The debut single from this initiative, Provisionally Yours, was released in September 2021 and was followed up with The Perfect EP at the end of 2021. Work on an album of original music is currently underway. It’s shaping up to be something quite special.

If you would like an email providing updates on Mel’s various endeavours please sign up to the newsletter.

Social Media Links – 

https://www.twitter.com/melsmallwriter

https://www.indipenned.com/melsmall

https://www.twitter.com/northernholmes

https://www.facebook.com/northernholmes

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BLOG TOUR: Holmes: The Darlington Substitution - Melvyn Small

With Watson’s literary career going from strength to strength, he secures a slot on local radio to publicise his new book.  Uncertain as how to well it went, he is still a little surprised when the recording isn’t broadcast. Although disappointed, he disregards this snub to his confidence as a peculiar but unimportant bend in the path of his literary career.

Sherlock Holmes is not so dismissive. He seizes upon the event, certain that there is more to this rebuff than meets the eye. He grills Watson to the content of his interview, convinced a key fact will reveal all. There is nothing. Watson is sure off that. An investigation ensues that takes Holmes to the end of the known world, a place just near Thirsk.

The Darlington Substitution is a retrospective account, occurring during the same time as the adventures chronicled in Holmes Volume 2. It sees Holmes at the height of his wisecracking, foulmouthed, law disregarding deductive brilliance.

What did I think?

I thought Mel Small's Holmes Volume 1 could not be bettered but I was wrong.  This novella is simply magnificent; it's a page turning mystery filled with the dry wit we have come to expect from Boro's very own Sherlock Holmes.

Mel Small shows his knowledge of the original Sherlock Holmes by naming his book The Darlington Substitution which is the scandal on which Arthur Conan Doyle's son, Adrian, based his short story: The Adventures of the Wax Gamblers.  This isn't a retelling of the tale, though.  It's a fresh, new, modern interpretation of a case that only Sherlock Holmes could solve.

The Darlington Substitution is a brilliant mystery story.  It is based around Dr John Watson who has written about about his escapades with Sherlock Holmes.  Watson is invited to do a radio interview about his new book with DJ Charles Darlington.  Watson, Holmes and friends are all huddled around the radio in their local pub, The Twisted Lip, to listen to the interview, only to find that Watson has been substituted with another author.  Holmes concludes that Watson must have said something in his interview that someone doesn't want broadcast.  Either that or Watson's interview was shit (Sherlock's words, not mine!).

It only takes about an hour to read this novella and I absolutely loved every minute of it.  I quite agree that this is the best Boro Sherlock Holmes story to date, not only that but I also think that it is the best novella I have ever read.  I usually feel unsatisfied by short stories but this one is just perfect.  It had me crying with laughter at Holmes' sharp, cutting and dry humour but I was also completely captivated by this latest mystery.  No dithering over the amount of stars to award here: 5 stars without doubt.  An excellent book!

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Read the first chapters here and keep visiting Indipenned for a new chapter each week.


About the author:

Melvyn Small is an author and the founder of Indipenned, a website that champions the work of independent literature. Thus far he has written two books, Holmes Volume 1 and the imaginatively titled follow up Holmes Volume 2 (Subsequently republished by Fahrenheit Press as the Victor Locke Chronicles).

Mel's perhaps unique spin on Sherlock Holmes, which places the character in a different time, location and section of society, has found fans around the world and is fast becoming a cult classic.  His writing style is pacey and littered with gin-dry humour. It has been described as "hilarious, clever and hugely enjoyable."  The Darlington Substitution novella is his longest story so far and perhaps his best work to date.




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Holmes Volume 1 - Melvyn Small

Six short stories inspired by the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. What if Sherlock Holmes, with his dry wit and natural predilection for data, deduction and logic, had been born on Teesside and lived in present-day Middlesbrough?

This smart-arse Boro lad hides his talents under a bushell of misdirection, self-deprecation and good old Teesside sarcasm, served up with some rather coarse language.

With the assistance of his associate, Doctor John Watson, a psychologist he met during some court-ordered counselling sessions, Holmes wends his way through a string of adventures, baffling and entertaining as he goes, with many a three-pint problem solved over his favourite libation, a pint of Engineer’s Thumb in the Twisted Lip, before he staggers back to Flat 1B, 22 Baker Street, Middlesbrough.

What did I think?

I read and enjoyed a few Sherlock Holmes novels in my youth, so I was absolutely delighted that Melvyn Small used the same method of logic and deduction, with a huge dose of dry humour, in his Holmes Volume 1 collection of short stories.  I'm not usually a big fan of short stories but this book doesn't read like a short story collection at all.  With the same cast of colourful characters, each one interlinks and they are so entertaining that they flow effortlessly from one to another.

Boro Sherlock Holmes is a parmo eating, ale drinking, sarcastic super-sleuth.  He sees things others don't see and cleverly pieces together all the clues to solve the crime, with the help of Doctor Watson of course.  There are some cracking mysteries to solve; I loved each story and, unlike most short story collections, I had no intention of stopping at the end of each one.  The humour running through the book is so dry that I think I would have to read it again to pick up each and every clever little quip.  Some of it is regional humour, as I'm sure not everyone would understand being as offside as Bernie Slaven (but I got that one!).

Melvyn Holmes pays great homage to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in this modern day telling of Sherlock Holmes.  Boro Sherlock drinks pints of Engineer's Thumb in the Twisted lip and, being a real ale lover, I did actually google Engineer's Thumb to see if it was a real beer but found that it was a clever way to mention two of Conan Doyle's short stories: The Adventures of the Engineer's Thumb and The Man with the Twisted Lip. 

Holmes Volume 1 is hugely entertaining; it's a wonderful modernisation of Sherlock Holmes whilst staying true to the inimitable features of Conan Doyle's original characters.  If Benedict Cumberbatch hadn't got there first, you could have easily seen cheeky chappy Boro lad Bob Mortimer in this starring role.  A must-read for any Sherlock fans and those who love a good old whodunnit mystery.

I received this e-book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon