How to Read Barry Grant’s Sherlock Holmes Series
Barry Grant is the pen name of American novelist Barry Grant Brissman. Under this pseudonym, he has crafted a fascinating, polarizing, and highly entertaining series that takes Sherlock Holmes out of the Victorian fog and drops him directly into the 21st century. The conceit of the series is simple but bold: in 1914, Sherlock Holmes was trapped and preserved in a Swiss glacier. Ninety years later, a cryobiologist discovers his body, reanimates him, and lets him loose on modern-day Great Britain. Rather than writing a standard Victorian pastiche, Grant explores how a timeless mind adapts to high-tech forensics, the internet, and modern criminal schemes.
Because the series relies on a continuous timeline that follows Holmes's adaptation to the modern world and his evolving partnership with his new chronicler, it is highly recommended to read these books in their publication order. Reading them out of order will spoil character developments, the mystery of Holmes's modern identity, and the recurring elements of their contemporary lives.
Recommended Reading Order
The core series consists of four novels, which should be read in this sequence:
- The Strange Return of Sherlock Holmes (Published in 2010/2011)
- Sherlock Holmes and the Shakespeare Letter (Published in 2011)
- Sherlock Holmes and the Swedish Enigma (Published in 2012)
- Sherlock Holmes and Frankenstein's Diary (Published in 2013)
The Reborn Sherlock Holmes Novels in Detail
1. The Strange Return of Sherlock Holmes (2010)
The series begins with a clever homage to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original setups. James Wilson, a retired journalist who has recently returned from a stressful assignment in Afghanistan, is looking for a quiet place to settle down. He moves to a small Welsh border town and takes in a highly eccentric, deeply brilliant roommate named Cedric Coombes. It doesn't take long for Wilson to notice Coombes's uncanny powers of observation and deduction. Eventually, the truth is revealed: Coombes is actually Sherlock Holmes, thawed out and adjusting to a world of computers and email. The duo is quickly pulled into their first contemporary case when a local man is found murdered in his bathtub, setting the stage for their modern partnership.
2. Sherlock Holmes and the Shakespeare Letter (2011)
In the second installment, Holmes has grown more accustomed to 21st-century tools. The mystery centers on a stolen letter purportedly written by William Shakespeare to actor Richard Burbage in 1592. What starts as a high-stakes search for a priceless historical artifact quickly escalates into a dangerous thriller. Holmes and Wilson find themselves untangling a massive web involving international terrorism, hidden microbombs, and high-tech threats that force the detective to combine classic deductive reasoning with modern cybersecurity concepts.
3. Sherlock Holmes and the Swedish Enigma (2012)
The third book takes a stylistic cue from The Hound of the Baskervilles by temporarily sidelining Holmes, forcing James Wilson to carry much of the narrative and investigative weight. The plot begins with a series of bizarre and apparently unrelated clues: a dead body discovered inside an ancient sarcophagus, a headless macaw, and a string of mysterious disappearances. The investigation leads Wilson and a tracking Holmes from the streets of London to the rugged moors of Cornwall. This book is widely praised by fans for giving Wilson more depth as a protagonist rather than just Holmes's shadow.
4. Sherlock Holmes and Frankenstein's Diary (2013)
In the final novel of the tetralogy, Grant leans into gothic tropes combined with modern social critique. The story follows Holmes as he investigates unethical scientific experiments at a Swiss chalet and the suspicious murder of an animal rights activist. The investigation pits Holmes and Wilson against a formidable modern adversary: Gerald Gurloch, a ruthless tabloid media mogul who uses phone hacking, blackmail, and media manipulation to control the police and political figures. The book serves as a sharp critique of early-2010s media ethics wrapped in a classic detective puzzle.
The Non-Holmes Translation: Barry Grant Brissman
For readers interested in the author's broader literary contributions beyond mystery pastiches, Barry Grant Brissman also co-translated an important historical autobiography. Working under his real name alongside his wife, Lily Chia Brissman (who is the daughter of the author), he translated A Woman Soldier's Own Story: The Autobiography of Xie Bingying. Published in 2001 by Columbia University Press, this book documents the life of Xie Bingying, one of China's first female soldiers and a prominent feminist writer who rebelled against traditional expectations in the early 20th century. While entirely different in tone and genre, this translation highlights Brissman's versatility and appreciation for historical narratives.
What to Know Before You Start
Before diving into Barry Grant's novels, classic Sherlockian purists should prepare for some significant shifts in tone and canon. While Holmes retains his classic analytical brilliance, his cocaine habit is replaced by nicotine patches, and he quickly learns to navigate the internet. James Wilson is a distinct character from Dr. John Watson; though he shares Watson's military background (having served in Afghanistan) and acts as the narrator, he represents a modern journalistic perspective. Additionally, Grant uses the novels to offer satirical commentary on modern politics, technology, and media culture. If you go in expecting a strict, atmospheric Victorian mystery, you may be surprised; but if you enjoy playful, high-concept updates to classic legends, this series offers a highly original ride.