The Only One in the World: “The Saga of the Hidden Treasure.” by Kerry Greenwood and David Greagg
You cannot imagine my excitement when Kerry Greenwood and David Greagg suggested they could write an Icelandic Viking Holmes for the Sherlock Holmes The Only One in the World anthology. (Or perhaps you can!)
David and Kerry co-plotted ‘The Saga of the Hidden Treasure’ and in the recent Critical Mass zoom interview, David credited Kerry in particular with coming up with the denouement. David and I had some interesting discussions about naming conventions to see whether we could make the protagonists’ names closer to ‘Sherlock’ and ‘John’ while staying true to the Viking cultural context (we couldn’t) and other ways to more clearly Sherlockify ‘The Saga of the Hidden Treasure’ (which we could!).
Once more, the characters in a new cultural context still echo their canon origins and I love that in their interview, Kerry and David list Holmes’ characteristics as “highly intelligent, chivalrous, intellectually curious, and well-versed in law” – despite the occasional person (or Estate) claiming that Holmes is canonically rude, he really isn’t. Blunt, sometimes, and mostly to Watson (who is patient but can give as good as he gets!) but he is very kind to many clients and even, from time to time, gallant!
Kerry and David’s Viking saga-era ‘Sherlock’ (here named Ófeig) really captures the ideal that Holmes really could exist in any time and place, no matter how a culture or time shapes him.
If you’re intrigued, take a look at Kerry and David’s interview about their story on Clan Destine Press, where they answer three questions about writing their story – the most unexpected thing they learned while writing it, their favourite thing about writing it, and what is quintessentially Viking about their Holmes and Watson.
You can order The Only One in the World at Clan Destine Press right now.
More about Kerry and David
Kerry Greenwood, OAM, is known for her Phryne Fisher and Corinna Chapman crime novels and with Lindy Cameron wrote ‘A Wild Colonial’ for Sherlock Holmes: The Australian Casebook. Her self-described consort, David Greagg, has written the charming Dougal books for Clan Destine Press and kids books, It’s True! Bourke and Wills Forgot The Frying Pan and It’s True! The Vikings Got Lost. He has brought his considerable Viking expertise to their wonderful Holmes-as-Viking tale!