Enigma in the Redlands - Inspired by “The Adventure of the Copper Beeches” by Arthur Conan Doyle: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes IV

By Andrew Delaplaine

In "Enigma in the Redlands," inspired by Conan Doyle's "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches," a nanny, hoping to work for a wealthy family, reaches out to Sherlock Holmes seeking his advice on whether she should take the new position when her prospective employer has demanded that she cut her hair as part of the job, arousing her suspicions because of the strange nature of the request and the isolated location of the estate where she would be employed. Holmes and Watson take the case.

Sherlock Holmes IV is a direct descendant of the famed detective whose daring exploits were so vividly chronicled by Dr. John Watson and related to us by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 


This new Sherlock Holmes owns a small hotel (The Fleming House named after Ian Fleming of James Bond fame) on Miami's South Beach, and this Sherlock is just as renowned in the present day as his illustrious ancestor was in his. 

 

"Imagine Sherlock Holmes—or rather, his great-great-great-grandson—living on South Beach and solving crimes and mysteries with the same aplomb as his famous forebear and you'll get the picture of what's going on here…"
                        --Bartholomew Fox, author of "Deadlock"


"Witty and clever, with a whole new cast of characters to support this new Holmes and this new Watson. They live in a small boutique hotel on Lincoln Road called Fleming House (named after Sherlock the IV's love for James Bond author Ian Fleming). Holmes paces about in the penthouse while Watson (yes, he's a direct descendant of Dr. Watson) manages Fleming House. The cast of supporting characters, from the unseen brilliant but tempestuous Chef Hilario to the colorful Bjorn Karlsen, the gay manager of the Crown Colony restaurant in the hotel who has to put up with the irascible Cuban chef, are refreshing and contemporary."
                 --Renee Rodgers, author of "A Tuned Body"
 

"There have been countless mutations of the iconic Holmes over the last century, but none has this contemporary approach using not merely a reworked manifestation of the original character, but a descendant of the first Holmes."

--- Nathaniel Pembroke, author of  "A James Joyce Chronicle"

"You'll like not only this new Sherlock Holmes, but the hip new world he finds himself living in… South Beach. Lady Gaga even makes an appearance in 'The Red-haired Man'!"
            --Sophie Charpentier, author of "Country Club Tennis Rules"

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gramercy Park Press
• Release date: Dec 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386488781

Andrew Delaplaine

Delaplaine lives on South Beach, Miami’s Billion Dollar Sandbar. He writes in widely varied fields: screenplays, novels (adult and juvenile) and journalism. He also has a series of Long Weekend Guides covering some 50 cities around the world. Email: [e-mail] He writes several series: The “JACK HOUSTON ST. CLAIR” political thriller novels. “THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES IV,” a series of novels starring the great-great-grandson of the famous consulting detective. “THE ANNALS OF SANTOPIA” series, an epic that follows a Santa born in 1900 through to his death 82 years later. The AMOS FREEMAN police thrillers. Other novels: “The Trap Door” follows a boy who is taken back in time to 1594 and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. “The Meter Maid Murders,” a comic look at a detective trying to nab a serial killer on South Beach who only murders meter maids. Has written and directed three features (one doc, two narrative features), as well as several short films and won several awards for his film work. (See imdb.com for details).  His latest film, “Meeting Spencer,” starring Jeffrey Tambor, won the prestigious Milan International Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay.  DELAPLAINE’S “LONG WEEKEND” GUIDES These no-nonsense guides contain Delaplaine’s recommendations and advice for travelers visiting these places for 3 or 4 days. As "The Food Enthusiast," he writes a series of restaurants guides, updated annually. He has no hobbies.

Book preview

The Adventures

of

Sherlock Holmes IV

ENIGMA

IN THE

REDLANDS

Inspired by The Adventure of the Copper Beeches by Arthur Conan Doyle

Andrew Delaplaine

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

The Matter of Beyoncé

Chapter 2

A Curious Email

Chapter 3

Hector Zurada

Chapter 4

The Chestnut Hair

Chapter 5

To the Redlands

Chapter 6

The Electric Blue Dress

Chapter 7

The Locked Drawer

Chapter 8

The Forbidden Wing

Chapter 9

The Last Straw

Chapter 10

A Text Message

Chapter 11

A Journey South

Chapter 12

The Copper Beeches

Author’s Note

Background Information on

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes IV

Since this book is one in a series on the exploits of Sherlock Holmes IV,  it might be useful to the Reader to know how he came to find himself in Miami and how he came to find himself associated with Watson and Lestrade. 

Some of this backstory cannot be revealed at this moment because it is integral to developments that occur in books in the series yet to be written. However, this is how Holmes relates the story in The Red-haired Man:

I was just explaining to Mr. Janklow here that I emigrated from London to South Beach strictly because of Inspector Lestrade. It really was quite astonishing, Mr. Janklow. I was returning from a case in Ecuador, and I had to change planes here in Miami. I knew that Lestrade had come over from London years before when he married a Cuban woman, and since I was here for a couple of days, I decided to look him up.

That’s exactly right, Mr. Holmes, said Lestrade with a thin-lipped smug grin.

I’d never met the descendant of my ancestor’s colleague at Scotland Yard, Holmes went on, and I thought as the opportunity for me to return to Miami might not arise again, I ought to look him up.

And what does he do, Mr. Janklow? Lestrade said, leaning forward for emphasis, "he goes and buys this hotel on Lincoln Road and moves here!"

And even stranger, Mr. Janklow, two years after I opened Fleming House, John Watson comes here for a visit and ends up staying on as my general manager!

I’d read of course about the reunion of the descendants of Holmes and Lestrade, said Watson, and when I had a one-week holiday, thought I’d come over to meet them both.

And when he got here, Holmes took over the narrative, it turned out that he was a top manager at the Connaught. I was having the devil of a time managing Fleming House, so I offered him a berth here and that pretty much brings us up to date.

And that, dear Reader, as far as it goes, brings you up to date as well.

Chapter 1

The Matter of Beyoncé

WATSON STROLLED LEISURELY down Lincoln Road enjoying what could be described as nearly toasty weather. It wasn’t unusual for the daytime temperature to be in the 70s in February, but the humidity levels the last few weeks had given the air a quality more like summer than winter. This was especially remarkable given what had been the extreme cold weather they’d had the year before, weather that had reminded Watson of dear old dreary London, the drizzly town he had left to join, here in Miami, Sherlock Holmes IV, the descendant of the Sherlock Holmes who’d originally made the name so famous in the annals of detective work.

Watson, himself the direct descendant of the Dr. Watson who had chronicled the exploits and adventures of Sherlock Holmes, was now managing Fleming House, the small and exclusive hotel owned by his friend and current employer, and he marveled that hardly a day passed when they weren’t engaged in solving some mystery or other.

As he approached Fleming House on the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Lincoln Road, Watson saw Lupe, the maître d’ of their restaurant, Crown Colony, in huddled conference with the restaurant manager, Bjorn Karlsen. Watson came up to them at the maître d’ stand under the wide British racing green and white striped awning that extended over Lincoln Road.

¿Hay problemas? he asked, practicing his Spanish.

He seemed to startle both Lupe and Bjorn.

Oh, no, Mr. Watson. Everything’s fine, said the luscious Lupe.

Bjorn rolled his eyes and shook his head.

Oh, Mr. Watson, Lupe’s such a pathetic liar. She wants me to ask Mrs. Portillo to get one of the housekeepers to get Beyoncé’s autograph.

And will you, Bjorn?

Well, Mrs. Portillo’s not the most, uh, approachable woman in the world, but sure, I will. She likes me.

Mrs. Portillo, head housekeeper at Fleming House, was the former Miss El Salvador of several decades past and married to the vice president of that country. When driven out during one of the many revoluciones after her husband was dragged into the street and shot, she ended up in Miami and now ran the housekeeping department with the same iron hand with which her husband had ruled the Sombra Negra paramilitary death squads. 

And where’s Sherlock Holmes just now? I’ve just come back from City Hall and have to ask him about some permitting issues they raised.