A good selection of mysteries of the Homes era, beginning with the original Holmes story "the Copper Beeches" and including stories by well-known writers like Kipling and G.K. Chesterton, middle-rank writers like Arthur Morrison, R. Austin Freeman, Jacques Futrelle, Robert Chambers and L.T. Meade, and lesser-known writers including Catherine PIrkis, George Sims, Silas Hocking and Headon Hill. There is an intelligent introduction making the case for the Holmes period as "the First Golden Age" of detective stories, with which I strongly agree. ( )

Editor Douglas Greene has gathered an eclectic set of Victorian mysteries that is sure to please fans of Victorian literature. Many of these authors are long out of print, and there were several with whom I was completely unfamiliar.

There were of course, stories by Doyle, Orczy and Chesterton to represent the more traditional favorites--Chesterton's "The Eye of Apollo" is especially excellent. Several of the other stories were surprisingly deep and well-written, though there were also a few truly dreadfully written stories, that were quite popular in their day, and reading them was fun in a different way. (I'll not give my opinion as to which stories were which, so as not to influence other readers.)

Overall, this is an excellent set of Victorian stories, giving a wide range of styles and tastes, with a short biography of the author at the start of the story. For anyone who enjoys Victorian lit, these stories (especially the lesser known gems among them) will make a wonderful read.

This collection is a must for fans of Sherlock Holmes or mysteries set in Victorian England. It collects 14 stories about other detectives that were popular at the same time as Doyle. I enjoyed the stories, both on their own but also because they put the Holmes stories in fuller context. ( )