I was blown up while serving as an Assistant Surgeon in a foreign legion unit. It was just a few miles north of the Antonovsky bridge in Kherson, Ukraine. I returned to London a few months later as my role in the conflict had come to an end. I had planned on documenting what life is like for veterans in the UK as a podcast. I was going to break down what it truly means to be a soldier, speak to those that had served, those that had suffered and triumphed in warfare. I had planned to record long-form interviews and even chart the course of various conflicts... But then I bumped into an old friend mid-record and he introduced me to Mr. Sherlock Holmes. Then everything changed.
THE EDELWEISS MURDER - My companion seemed to resolve the small matter of a murder in Brixton pretty much overnight. The following day I met him - by chance - at our local pub; The Volunteer. It was during a brief bathroom break that we stumbled across our very first case. A case that would lead us to a very dangerous man, an extremely wealthy client and hopefully an influx of listeners.
THE WOMAN COLLECTOR - My companion and I (mostly my companion) had reached the conclusion that the purpose of the mysterious iPhone planted in the toilets of The Volunteer was to convey a message. An ominous message, from our new client at the very pinnacle of British aristocracy; to us. Baron Gruner, suspected of murdering his wife, had set his sights and released his toxic charms on yet another woman (also with a trust fund the size of Lanzarote I suspect). Only my companion and I were out to stop him... Or so we thought.
JANET JACKSON AND THE MING DYNASTY - The Baron was within our grasp but he proved to be a much more violent and unhinged individual than we expected. My companion and I devised a plan with Kitty Winter to get into The Baron's residence, neutralise him and rescue our target. There's also a pub quiz. Cheers.
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF HARRIET DORAN - and the curious termination of her wedding. My companion and I were alerted to a new case - the first for our official status as Sherlock & Co Ltd. We were walking Archie in the park when two distressed American women caught my attention. What they told us was very alarming.
BLOODY MARY was the word and drink on our lips in the hunt for Harriet Doran after the discovery of her wedding dress in the ponds of Regent's Park. The public sympathy, limelight and revenue streams began to flood onto The Noble Bachelor as his fiance remained undiscovered. My companion however, had everything under control... Quite annoying really.
THE KILLING OF MATHEUS GIBSON was by far our most harrowing case yet. A young Brazilian man murdered on Thor Bridge in South-East London. A crime scene I thought we would never be allowed within a mile of, but I guess, as always.. I underestimated my companion. Apologies for my levels of anxiety in this one, blame the coffee... and the murder.
DEATH DO US PART took on a whole new meaning in The Problem of Thor Bridge as our investigations lead us to the recently widowed Naya Gibson. As the case became more and more complicated - it was my companion who searched for the simplest of answers. If you find my shoes, please let me know. Thanks.
THE LAMENTABLE DEATH OF YOUNG WILLOUGHBY SMITH - it was a wild tempestuous night towards the end of November. Pissing it down non-stop and thunder banging around like no-one's business. I had plans to spend a couple of days in London with my Mum.. but the death of Willoughby Smith at Yoxley Old Place changed that. Well actually this case took place over one evening- so I did actually end up spending a bit of time with her. Little too much time to be honest, bit exhausting after a while. Anyway, enjoy the adventure.
THE DYING PREACHER had a lot to answer for. A young man had been murdered not only at his property but in his bedroom. HIS BEDROOM FOR GOODNESS SAKE. Willoughby Smith was stabbed in the neck by an unknown killer right under the nose of the incapacitated Elder Coram. My companion and I arrived at Yoxley Old Place in Chatham in the midst of a fierce storm.
THE KILLER IS IN THE HOUSE - that was the conclusion of my companion as we reached the closing stages of our investigation. All that was left was for the brilliant Detective (and a little bit of me) to put the clues together and locate the murderer of Willoughby Smith. Before 5am. Because otherwise we'd get arrested. No pressure then.
A WILD GOOSE CHASE - or so I initially thought. An ancient Chinese gemstone; to be returned by the British Foreign Office to Chinese delegates in a very glamorous ceremony... WAS GONE. And you won't believe where it was found... Honestly. You won't believe it.
MAD TIDINGS - My companion and I found ourselves in a bizarre scenario as the interrogation of Henry Baker (the butcher) led us to a poultry farm in South London. What happened there... I can only apologise for.
HAPPY NEW EAR(s) - not a phrase you're familiar with? Well, come and have a listen to The Adventure of the Cardboard Box (working title) where my companion and I received a staggering delivery in the post.
THE BLOODY BARGE - will be forever seared into my memory. A haunting sight to say the least, discovered en route to tracking down Jim Browner... which unfortunately we took the scenic route for. And I don't mean London's pretty canal network, I mean chatting up some swingers in a pub. You'll see what I mean.
THE BAD ACTOR AND THE RED FLAGS didn't really dawn on me for sometime... To be honest with you I didn't really think I'd be uploading this adventure when my companion and I first came across it. It seemed boring... But boy was I wrong.
THE BILLIONAIRESS AT THE OPERA - that was our next stop after Pinewood Studios, as The Adventure of the Red-Headed League continued to warp my understanding of just about everything. Not so much Sherlock's understanding though.
A GUN, A MOTORBIKE AND WATERLOO BRIDGE - these are my residing memories of this night. It's a good job I was recording because to be honest, I don't remember much else other than those things. I feel like the adrenaline made my brain melt.
HE CAME FROM THE LAND DOWN UNDER. My companion, Mariana and I headed to Donnithorpe House in Camden, with an old school friend of Sherlock's who was in desperate need of our help.
HUNTED TO THE GRAVE - The Trevor's visitor was out of control and tearing the family apart. We would discover however that this wasn't the first time he had taken down one of his targets... But who those targets truly were became the most pertinent question.
THE DOXXING OF VIOLET CARRUTHERS - the beautiful intruder onto our working lives came around Valentine's Day. I received a card, that's right; me. It was a poem, a requesting of our services. We tracked down Violet, but it seemed we weren't the first to do so...
THE SHOTGUN WEDDING - we couldn't quite grasp the severity of our findings until it was almost too late. Violet had been systematically abused and it was time to intervene... exactly who we were intervening against remained unclear.
THE WHITE RAT KILLER - not really something that I expected to consume my whole week. Sherlock had reason to suspect that a particular townhouse in Kensington Gardens was not all it seemed. We followed his curiosity to the next logical point and it was there where I saw a truly chilling sight.
LIVE AT THE APOLLO - always thought I'd go to The Hammersmith Apollo one day. Didn't think it would be in this capacity. The quest to uncover more about Professor Orson Presbury and 9 Palace Garden Terrace was taking many twists and turns - and it was in seeing him live where the case began to take shape.
ME, MYSELF AND AI - Presbury's home had revealed everything we had suspected about his media empire and his own fate. It was time to hit the perpetrators where it really hurts - on stage and on camera, so the whole world can see them for what they are.
PAINT THE TOWN DEAD - We headed to Lewisham in South-East London to assist in the disappearance of Amber Lee and Dr. Ray Earnest. We were greeted by Amber's husband; Hoang... And before we knew it, the game had begun.
HIDE AND REEK - the search continued and despite our best efforts and that of the police; Hoang's house proved time and time again to be devoid of evidence and bodies. The smell of paint was hiding the smell of death, my companions and I could only shut off our senses, our intruding thoughts, our worries and think clearly about the task at hand. Only then would Amber and Ray be found.