The Great Hiatus
My latest book, The Deadly Stingaree, takes place in 1891. Which just happens to be the first year of what is known as The Great Hiatus of Sherlock Holmes.
What was The Great Hiatus you might ask? Well, it’s the time between what was believed to be Sherlock Holmes’ death as described by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in The Final Problem and Holmes’ reappearance in The Adventure of the Empty House many years later. The Final Problem was published in 1893 but the events described in the story took place in 1891, after which Holmes disappears for a number of years. But where did he go?
When Holmes reveals himself to Dr. Watson in The Final Problem, he tells Watson, “You may have read of the remarkable explorations of a Norwegian named Sigerson, but I am sure that it never occurred to you that you were receiving news of your friend.”
The narrator of The Deadly Stingaree, Johnny Cong, meets a man who identifies himself as “John Sigerson” and tells Cong that he is a Norwegian explorer who has come to San Diego to recover from a somewhat mysterious illness he refers to as lethargy. As we learn later in the story, Mr. Sigerson hardly lacks for energy and enthusiasm. He shows no signs of a lethargic condition.
Which brings us to the question. Could Sherlock Holmes have visited San Diego in 1891? We know from the literature that he wasn’t in England and that the timeline of The Great Hiatus makes it a possibility.
Over the course of the book the narrator provides some additional information that connects the mysterious Mr. Sigerson to Sherlock Holmes. But you’ll need to read The Deadly Stingaree to find out more.
Radio Interview – The Deadly Stingaree
I was recently interviewed for the Inside Art program on KSDS Jazz 88.3 FM. Host Dave Drexler and I discussed my creative process and the historical inspirations for The Deadly Stingaree.
You can listen to the interview here or below.
Lawman Turned Capitalist
When you come across a historical document that relates some previously unknown exploits of Wyatt Earp during his years living in San Diego, you take notice. Such was the case with my discovery of the manuscript for The Deadly Stingaree, which will be published in November 2025.
Earp is one of the most famous and mythologized lawmen in American history. But by the time he arrived in San Diego in the late 1880s, he’d hung up his badge and was pursuing less dangerous and more lucrative occupations. San Diego was growing at a phenomenal rate and a rampant business in land speculation was underway. Earp purchased and owned at least a dozen properties in the city including stables, office buildings, gambling halls and saloons. He listed his occupation as “Capitalist” in the local directory.
The author of The Deadly Stingaree is Johnathan Cong, a fourteen-year-old Chinese orphan who, with a bit of luck and a entrepreneurial savvy, makes friends with the former lawman. Earp admires the young man’s ambition and engages him to provide laundry services for the bordello upstairs from Earp’s gambling hall. There’s more to the story as Earp teams up with the young Cong and some other historical San Diegans to investigate a potential plot against President Benjamin Harrison during the president’s visit to San Diego in April 1891.
Fact or fiction? It’s hard to say. Earp would have been 43 years old in 1891. The real estate boom had turned into a bust. Earp lost money and he and his wife Josie began looking for opportunities elsewhere. There are reasons to doubt his part in this story, but there is enough historical evidence to believe it as well.
The Deadly Stingaree also describes a boxing match held in the bullring in Tijuana, Mexico, in which Earp serves as the referee. There is some historical context for this as well. Earp refereed at least 30 boxing matches during his life, the most famous of which was Fitzsimmons vs. Sharkey in San Francisco in 1896. Earp awarded the victory to Sharkey on a technicality, leading many in the crowd to believe the match was fixed. The cartoon below ran in newspapers later that week.
I’ll have more to say about The Deadly Stingaree and its historic veracity in the coming weeks, but you may have to read it yourself to decide.
The Deadly Stingaree
I’m publishing a new book this Fall. It’s a different sort of mystery story than I’ve ever published before. It’s not even really mine. That’s all I’m saying for now, but here’s a little teaser info. More information to follow in coming months.
April 23, 1891. San Diego, CA. A presidential visit. A secret plot against the United States. This recently discovered manuscript tells the remarkable story of a fourteen-year-old Chinese orphan and his notable friends—a notorious gunslinger, a crusading female attorney, and the world’s greatest detective—who saved the president and the union that day.
A Vintage Vinyl Surprise
I’ve kept a box of old records in my closet for the last 45 years. It’s moved with me to at least 8 different times. Here’s a photograph of some records that were in that box.
See the guy second from the left sporting the debonair mustache? That’s me! And this is the 45 rpm record my band The P-15s released in 1980. You’re Not That Girl on the A side with Elevator Boy on the B side. Sales were not exactly spectacular and I ended up with a box of the remainders. I’ve given away a few copies over the years but I’ve held onto to the bulk of them through thick and thin. Apparently I’m the only member of the band to do so.
I’ve sold a few copies to collectors over the years, including one to a young lady from Japan who insisted that the A side You’re Not That Girl was her very favorite record. But I never expected there would be any substantial market for them. As a general rule I don’t like hanging on to old stuff, but I held on to these like they were lost treasure (I should point out here that I still have all the songwriting and writing notebooks I’ve kept since high school).
So imagine my surprise and delight when I found out these records were considered collectible. I was contacted by a vintage vinyl dealer who was interested in buying as many of my records as I was willing to sell. We traded a few emails and came to a deal. He paid me via PayPal, sent me a box and I packed up the records according to instructions. They’re in his hands now.
Selling the records won’t make me rich, but they were worth more than I expected. But what I’m really happy about is knowing that my old records will find new homes with collectors who appreciate them as much, or even more, than I do.
And for anyone who’s curious, here’s the songs: