DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI is the Anthony and Shamus-award winning author of Revolver and Canary, whose work has also been nominated for the Edgar, Hammett, Macavity and Barry awards. Duane first met Mr. Holmes in his clever Sesame Street guise (“Sherlock Hemlock”), but later made his formal acquaintance in The Crimes of Dr. Watson, an interactive mystery (with pull-out clues!) published in 2007. A Philly native, he now lives in Los Angeles. http://secretdead.blogspot.com
F. PAUL WILSON is the award-winning, bestselling author of fifty-plus books and nearly one hundred short stories spanning science fiction, horror, adventure, medical thrillers, and virtually everything between. He is perhaps best known as the creator of the urban mercenary, Repairman Jack. As a boy he discovered Holmes through the Basil Rathbone films but got into Holmes when his mother ordered Doubleday’s The Complete Sherlock Holmes from the Book of the Month Club and he read both volumes cover to cover. Paul’s most recent novels are Panacea and its sequel, The God Gene. He resides at the Jersey Shore and can be found on the web at www.repairmanjack.com.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Any anthology is a team effort, from writer to publisher, and we’ve been thrilled to be working again with the dedicated people at Pegasus Books, including publisher Claiborne Hancock, and the staff at Pegasus, Bowen Dunnan, Maria Fernandez, and Sabrina Plomitallo-González. Many thanks as always to Don Maass, who shepherded the book through the contract stage, and to Jonathan Kirsch, whose legal savvy about books generally and Holmes writing in particular is unmatched.
We’re happy that the little club of contributors to these books has grown, and once again, past contributors are stalwart cheerleaders for each volume. Our gratitude continues for the support of all those who joined us in playing The Game, especially with publicity—all their names are below. In fact, the books seem to have become “recruiting” tools for the Baker Street Irregulars, with Jan Burke, Dana Cameron, S. J. Rozan, and Nancy Holder becoming active members of the Baker Street Irregulars, and Sara Paretsky and Alan Bradley as “Distinguished Speakers” for the Irregulars weekend celebrations. (Jerry Margolin, Neil Gaiman, Michael Dirda, and Michael Sims had previously been involved in the BSI, so the road goes both ways.)
To our friends in the Sherlockian world—too many to mention: thanks for supporting our little game. These books are for you, pals!
Finally, to the women, the two who always stand by us: Zöe Quinton and Sharon Klinger. Without their enthusiasm, patience, love, and proofreading skills, these books would never happen.
Laurie & Les
Volume 1: A Study in Sherlock (Random House & Poisoned Pen Press, 2011)
Alan Bradley, Tony Broadbent, Jan Burke, Lionel Chetwynd, Lee Child, Colin Cotterill, Neil Gaiman, Laura Lippman, Gayle Lynds & John Sheldon, Phillip & Jerry Margolin, Margaret Maron, Thomas Perry, S. J. Rozan, Dana Stabenow, Charles Todd, and Jacqueline Winspear
Volume 2: In the Company of Sherlock Holmes (Pegasus Books, 2014)
Laura Caldwell, Michael Connelly, Jeffery Deaver, Michael Dirda, Harlan Ellison, Cornelia Funke, Andrew Grant, Denise Hamilton, Nancy Holder, Leslie S. Klinger, John Lescroart, Sara Paretsky, John Reppion & Leah Moore, Michael Sims, and Gahan Wilson
Volume 3: Echoes of Sherlock Holmes (Pegasus Books, 2016)
Tasha Alexander, Dana Cameron, John Connolly, Deborah Crombie, Cory Doctorow, Hallie Ephron, Meg Gardiner, William Kent Krueger, Tony Lee, Jonathan Mayberry, Catriona McPherson, Denise Mina, and David Morrell
FOR THE SAKE OF THE GAME
Pegasus Books Ltd.
148 West 37th Street, 13th Floor
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2018 by Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger
Individual stories are copyrighted by the authors.
First Pegasus Books cloth edition December 2018
Interior design by Maria Fernandez
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher, except by reviewers who may quote brief excerpts in connection with a review in a newspaper, magazine, or electronic publication; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other, without written permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN: 978-1-68177-879-2
ISBN: 978-1-68177-945-4 (ebk.)
Distributed by W. W. Norton & Company
For the Sake of the Game Page 29
