George Mann has, through a series of novels, explored the world of the gentleman detective in the form of Newbury and his friend and companion Hobbs. There two inhabit the Victorian world reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes, but with a twist. Taking Conan Doyle’s basic premise Mann has pushed his two heroes into a world where the occult and steam driven technological wonders rub shoulders....

The Casebook of Newbury and Hobbs (2013 - 316 pages) presents fifteen short stories which further expand this world. It’s a mixed bag of stories, full blown short stories share the page with tales told as a conversation between two characters.

The series was always an unabashed love letter to Sherlock Holmes and the world he inhabited, but before you think that this is little more than plagiarism, Mann has taken only the barest of ingredients to produce a body of work which stands apart from its inspiration.

Indeed, Mann wears the warped Victorian world he has created like a comfortable smoking jacket, but the name of the collection is a bit of a misnomer as Mann has taken the opportunity to expand on his collected cast of characters. So, while most feature Newbury, a lessor number involve Hobbs, a small point, one which will please his fans, but disorientate a new reader. With that in mind Mann has not only included a useful chronology, but more interestingly a section at the back explaining the genesis of each of the stories.

For fans of the series this will be a welcome addition, for the more casual reader it’s a nice bite sized introduction.

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Charles Packer