31 December 2025.
ISBN: 978-0-85495823-8 (PB)
The story is set in autumn 1878, when Arthur Stamford, the young medical man who preceded Doctor Watson as Sherlock Holmes’ friend and early biographer, has just passed his examinations and is now employed as a junior surgeon at St. Bartholomew’s hospital. This is a welcome change in Stamford’s circumstances, but he is concerned that his heavy workload will mean that he is less able to always assist Holmes’ investigations. Holmes is also moving on with his career and has started to advertise his services as a consulting detective, although, as he is still only twenty-four years old, he is still mainly employed by those who have experienced his talents before, or when he is invited to join Inspector Lestrade in investigating a police case.
On All Hallows’ Eve, Stamford receives a message from Holmes informing him that the corpse of an elderly woman is due to be delivered to the hospital mortuary because of allegations that she was murdered. Intrigued, Stamford hurries to Holmes’ rooms, where he is introduced to Roderick Ineson, the son of a solicitor who has previously employed Holmes. Roderick Ineson has recently joined his father’s firm and needs Holmes’ assistance regarding the death of a client, Mrs Joan Orless. At first there seems to be little reason to suspect foul play: Mrs Orless was eighty-six, and the doctor had certified that her death was due to heart failure; her will was straightforward, bequeathing her money to an orphanage, and her personal possessions to her maid, Mary Anne Clatterby, who is her niece by marriage. However, at the reading of the will, four gentlemen had turned up and expressed anger and disbelief at the provisions of the will. They claimed that Mrs Orless had promised each of them, individually and confidentially, that she would bequeath them the bulk of her property, including the house she lived in. When the will was read, and it was made clear that the four men were not the beneficiaries, and that the house was rented, the men went to the police and made such a fuss that it had been decided to delay the funeral and do a postmortem to confirm the cause of death.
Before the postmortem on Mrs Orless, Stamford meets Mary Anne Clatterby, who is anxiously awaiting the results of the medical investigation, and he thinks that she seems honest and truthful, although the time he has spent with Holmes has shown him that appearances can be deceptive. Stamford and Holmes are allowed to attend the postmortem, which is inconclusive. After this, the pair go to help inspect the house where Mrs Orless lived. There is little to interest them in most of the house, and they fail to discover anything that bears out the rumour that Mrs Orless was a wealthy woman. However, they cannot go up into the attic because of a giant wasps’ nest, and there is a possibility that something of value is packed away up there. They also open a locked cupboard that contains the Halloween decorations that Mrs Orless and her husband had used when they held Halloween parties. Mary Anne had been told to leave it locked, because Mrs Orless was afraid of letting rodents into the kitchen, but when Holmes and Stamford enter the cupboard, as well as cardboard skeletons and black wool spiders, they discover the mummified body of a woman. Nobody knows her identity or when she was placed in the cupboard. Various people are requested to examine the mummy, including archaeological experts from the British Museum, who know Holmes and Stamford from earlier investigations, and senior surgeons at the hospital. They all conclude that the mummy is not an ancient one, and that mummification has occurred naturally, which means the death of the victim will require further investigation.
One of the most pressing needs is to attempt to prepare the mummified body for postmortem. Holmes and Stamford are deeply involved in this: Holmes has the opportunity to develop some innovative new chemical experiments to soften the leathery texture, and again Stamford is allowed to assist with the postmortem. The major question that Holmes and his helpers have to answer, is to establish is the identity of the corpse, and then discover whether she had any involvement with Mrs Orless. As they investigate, the case is complicated by the four gentlemen who had hoped to be Mrs Orless’ heirs, and their foolishly reckless behaviour brings Holmes and Stamford into unexpected danger, as they try to establish whether either or both of the dead women were unlawfully killed.
Sherlock
Holmes and the Widow’s Key is the tenth book in the series featuring the young
Sherlock Holmes and his early biographer, Arthur Stamford. It is an excellent
addition to a very enjoyable series, with interesting adventures, and superb
historical details. Stamford is an engaging narrator, whose modesty and
self-deprecating courage makes Holmes more approachable and likeable. This is a
very enjoyable read, which I definitely recommend.
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Reviewer:
Carol Westron
Linda Stratmann was born in Leicester in 1948 and first started
scribbling stories and poems at the age of six. She became interested in true
crime when watching Edgar Lustgarten on TV in the 1950s. Linda attended
Wyggeston Girls Grammar School, trained to be a chemist’s dispenser, and later
studied at Newcastle University where she obtained a first in Psychology. She
then spent 27 years in the civil service before leaving to devote her time to
writing. Linda loves spending time in libraries and archives and really enjoys
giving talks on her subject. 
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