However Improbable

Welcome to Book Club Case Files on the However Improbable Podcast! We're taking a look at our very first case file on a Sherlock Holmes pastiche—stories that are about Sherlock Holmes and often in Arthur Conan Doyle’s style, but not written by him. And we’re starting with a special one: The House of Silk by renowned mystery novelist Anthony Horowitz, the only pastiche to have the stamp of approval by the Conan Doyle Estate. This book is full of thrilling moments, clever cameos, unique frameworks and dark mysteries. This is NOT a spoiler-free discussion!

Content warning: The House of Silk spans the pretty gruesome murder of a child, kidnapping, pedophilia, and childhood sexual assault. We discuss those plot points in our conversation. 

A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/transcripts

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Sherlock Holmes himself spin us a story in this week's episode. “The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual” is the second story that gives us a look back at Holmes’s life before he met Watson - this time in a very Gothic tale of buried treasure and cryptic rituals. We talk about Holmes's early years, stories within stories, Stephen King, coming-of-age murder rituals, and if 221B really is the most famous room in the world. 

Content warning: This episode contains murder by suffocation, and casual misogyny.

A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/transcripts

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

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"The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual" from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Travis Bihn. 

“There are cases enough here, Watson,” said he, looking at me with mischievous eyes. “I think that if you knew all that I had in this box you would ask me to pull some out instead of putting others in.”

“These are the records of your early work, then?” I asked. “I have often wished that I had notes of those cases.”

This episode is narrated by Travis Bihn. Travis recently found residency in NYC to continue his Wardrobe career in Theatre, after having worked in Chicago for the previous three years. Due to the current Pandemic and closure of all live entertainment, he has been upgraded from struggling artist, to just struggling. Though with optimism, gratitude, and Grey Goose by his side, he is excited to see what the future holds. Finally, Travis wants to personal thank both Sarah and Marisa for this opportunity, scream Black Lives (still) Matter, and state that queer people rock this world.

Content warning: This episode contains murder by suffocation, and casual misogyny. 

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/

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Exciting news: We're expanding our case file episodes to include literary pastiches! In these short episodes, Marisa and Sarah will chat about some of our favorite Sherlock Holmes novels not written by Arthur Conan Doyle. And we're starting this off on April 8 with Anthony Horowitz's novel The House of Silk! Read along with us to be up to speed when we air our episode. 

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Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

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From 1984 to 1994, British actor Jeremy Brett starred in 36 one-hour episodes and five feature-length specials in the Granada Television Studios series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Yes, here's our case file about arguably the most iconic Sherlock Holmes television series made in the last 50 years in two parts. The first of two! In Part 1, we’re walking through the first two seasons of the show - starring Brett and David Burke as Watson - to look at how it was developed, who was cast, and how these early episodes stack up a full 37 years later.

Content warning: We discuss alcoholism and alcohol abuse, mental health struggles and depression in this episode.

A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/transcripts

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

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So far we’ve seen Sherlock Holmes solve the mysteries behind poisonings, hangings, and missing wives—and in “The Adventure of the Second Stain” he stops a war by looking at a rug. There's a lot to discuss in this dense little mystery, including sexy spies, queer street, Holmes's misogyny, the perils of nationalism, and Watson's romantic libido.

Content warning: This episode contains murder, blackmail, misogyny, and casual depictions of racism.

A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/transcripts

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

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"The Adventure of the Second Stain" from The Return of Sherlock Holmes, narrated by Alaina Laethem.

“We also have our diplomatic secrets,” said he, and picking up his hat he turned to the door.

This episode is narrated by Alaina Laethem. Alaina is an award-winning indie actor working in Mesa, Arizona. When she's not on set, she's hanging with her boyfriend Eric and their two cats Susan and Amigo. You can connect with Alaina on her Instagram - instagram.com/alaina.laethem

Content warning: This episode contains murder, blackmail, and casual depictions of sexism and racism. 

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

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Runaway brides, rude lords, and the return of Doyle’s American West. In “The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor,” Holmes finds himself assisting a Lord with a personal problem: his new bride vanishing the day after their wedding. Sarah and Marisa talk about armchair detective fiction, Watson's traveling war wound, Lestrade's wet laundry, and which one of us gets to propose marriage to Hatty Doran first.

Content warning: This episode contains some very Victorian depictions of racism and sexism.

NOBL makes a brief mention of what Doyle calls “Apache Indians” - we want to clarify that the Apache are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwest, including Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño and Janero), Salinero, Plains (Kataka or Semat or "Kiowa-Apache") and Western Apache. Currently, the San Carlos Apache Tribe in southeastern Arizona is engaged in a legal battle to stop their sacred land of Oak Flat from being handed over to mining corporation Rio Tinto. Read more about this here: http://apache-stronghold.com/ 

A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/transcripts

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

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"The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor" from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, narrated by Rosie French.

“Yes, my correspondence has certainly the charm of variety,” he answered, smiling, “and the humbler are usually the more interesting. This looks like one of those unwelcome social summonses which call upon a man either to be bored or to lie.”

This episode was narrated by Rosie French. Rosie is a qualified primary school teacher and Holmes enthusiast living in the South West of England. They spend most of their free time writing, reading sci-fi novels, and attempting to learn fibre crafts without much success. They have played about ninety-six hours of Hades in lockdown and are working on watching all of John Carpenter's pre-2000 films. Rosie is also the co-host of Reversing Polarity, a Classic Doctor Who podcast, rewatching the show in a completely random order and presenting evidence to support our thesis that Doctor Who has always been gay, actually. @polaritypod.

Content warning: This episode contains some very Victorian depictions of racism and sexism.

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

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Join us to delve into a Holmes film like no other. "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes," directed by Billy Wilder, was released in 1970 with mixed results. Fifty years later, it retains a certain cult status. Narrated by Dr. Watson, it covers a scandalous untold case with international implications. But it’s also a personal look into Holmes—what was the famous consulting detective really like without the veneer of Watson’s storytelling?

Sarah and Marisa talk about the film's merits as an unusual adaption, how it positions Holmes's sexuality, and what it means for queer detective fiction lovers to recognize that Sherlock Holmes might actually be gay.

Content warning: Our discussion of this film includes frank conversations about homophobia, as well as discussions of drug addiction, blackmail and murder.

A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/transcripts

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com

https://twitter.com/improbablepod