Jul 29, 2026
“I would willingly give five hundred” [REIG]
Five hundred! It's astounding to think we've managed to notch
500 episodes of Trifles. But, do this weekly for nine and
a half years, and the math seems to work.
To celebrate our quincentennial, we took an unorthodox
approach — one inspired by a scene in The...
Jul 22, 2026
“my friend and rival, Mr. Barker” [RETI]
We occasionally get suggestions for topics, and this is one of
those cases. Kaj Johansen wondered “who was Barker?” — as in
“Barker, my hated rival on the Surrey shore,” in “The Retired
Colourman.”
It led us to a short article in The Baker
Street...
Jul 15, 2026
“I’ve heard of your methods before now, Mr. Holmes” [NAVA]
In this month’s “Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist” theme, we
turn our attention to another detective — a contemporary of
Sherlock Holmes: Dr. John Evelyn Thorndyke.
The creation of R. Austin Freeman, Thorndyke appeared in 21
novels and 40...
Jul 8, 2026
“It is not cold which makes me shiver” [SPEC]
We've all had moments when we've shivered. Perhaps it's from
being exposed to the cold for a while, so the entire body spasms in
an effort to create heat. Or maybe it's a tingle along our spine,
brought on by something that scares us.
We trace the appearance of...
Jul 1, 2026
“the gap of loneliness and isolation” [MAZA]
Holmes and Watson go together like every great paring. To
think of one of them, one must, by simple association, think of the
other. It seems almost anathema to consider them alone.
In his 2009 Morley-Montgomery Award-winning article "Holmes
Alone: Glimpses of...