P J Humphrey

Holmes & Holmes P J Humphrey

A STUDY IN AMBER In the early 21st century, the ghost of Sherlock Holmes mysteriously turns up in the San Francisco apartment of a young woman, Sheridan (Sherry) Holmes. As a Holmes buff, Sherry is thrilled at the idea of solving crimes as he did in the 19th century. She wants to prove she has his skills so she accepts his challenge to solve a murder in the very neighborhood where she lives. Since, as a ghost, Holmes can't leave her apartment, Sherry recruits Mark Watson, the young handyman who maintains the old Victorians. Trying to learn the truth, results in the uncovering of a previous murder and an encounter with the killer. THE SIGN OF FIVE Sherry Holmes' grandmother is an author and teacher of romance novels. She introduces Carmen Abbot to her. Carmen's been sent money by her father, who died years before. Carmen learns that Abbott and his four friends made a fortune by card-counting at Blackjack in gambling casinos. Trapped by a lie, they spent twenty years in jail but are now gathered to uncover the money they'd hidden. But one of them decides to keep it for himself, which leads Sherry on a hunt for the thief with the help of a tar-sniffing dog and a speedboat chase across San Francisco Bay. THE RED HERRING Mark Watson tells Sherry and Holmes about a pawnbroker who gets paid to work crossword puzzles because he has red hair. Holmes insists there must be a crime involved, so Sherry and Watson get interested. Clues lead to an expensive jewelry store behind the pawnshop and a possible heist on Labor Day. The pawnbroker loses his cushy job, time runs out, and suddenly it's Labor Day. Can Sherry and Watson stay alive to stop the jewelry heist without police assistance?