David Stuart Davies (10 February 1946 – 16 August 2024) was a British writer. He worked as a teacher of English before becoming a full-time

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

, and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

. Davies wrote extensively about

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

, both fiction and non-fiction. He was the editor of ''Red Herrings'', the monthly in-house publication of the

Crime Writers' Association The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) is a specialist authors' organisation in the United Kingdom, most notable for its "Dagger" awards for the best crime writing of the year, and the Diamond Dagger awarded to an author for lifetime achievement. ...

, and a member of

The Baker Street Irregulars The Baker Street Irregulars is an organization of Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts founded in 1934 by Christopher Morley. As of 2015, the nonprofit organization had about 300 members worldwide. The group has published ''The Baker Street Journal,'' ...

and the

Detection Club The Detection Club was formed in 1930 by a group of British mystery writers, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ronald Knox, Freeman Wills Crofts, Arthur Morrison, Hugh Walpole, John Rhode, Jessie Louisa Rickard, Baroness Orczy, ...

. Davies died on 16 August 2024, at the age of 78.

Novels

Sherlock Holmes Adventures

#''Sherlock Holmes and the Hentzau Affair'' (1991): A crossover with characters from ''

The Prisoner of Zenda ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' is an 1894 adventure novel by Anthony Hope, in which the King of Ruritania is drugged on the eve of his coronation and thus is unable to attend the ceremony. Political forces within the realm are such that, in o ...

''. Holmes and Watson are engaged to solve the disappearance of Rudolf Rassendyll. #''The Tangled Skein'' (1992): Holmes battles

Count Dracula Count Dracula () is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. He is considered the prototypical and archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. Aspects of the character are believed by some to have been i ...

in a re-imagining of the events of the Bram Stoker novel. #'' The Scroll of the Dead'' (1998): Holmes and

Dr. Watson Dr. John H. Watson is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Along with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson first appeared in the novel ''A Study in Scarlet'' (1887). "The Adventure of Shosc ...

pursue an ancient Egyptian treasure with links to immortality. #''Shadow of the Rat'' (1999): Holmes investigates the Giant Rat of Sumatra. #'' The Veiled Detective'' (2004): An alternate account of the relationship between Holmes and Watson that posits Watson as an agent of

Professor Moriarty Professor James Moriarty is a fictional character and criminal mastermind created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to be a formidable enemy for the author's fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. He was created primarily as a device by which Doyle could ...

. #''The Games Afoot'' (2008): A short story collection edited by Davies. #'' The Devil's Promise'' (2014): An investigation into a corpse on the coast leaves Watson in a months long coma, and Holmes acting suspiciously. #'' The Ripper Legacy'' (2016): Holmes and Watson look into a child's kidnapping that is connected to the

Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer who was active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer was also ...

killings. #''The Instrument of Death'' (2019): A crossover with ''

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' () is a 1920 German silent horror film directed by Robert Wiene and written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer. The quintessential work of early German Expressionist cinema, it tells the story of an insane hypno ...

''. #''Revenge from the Grave'' (2022): Holmes and Watson are once again pitted against the late

's gang.

Johnny One Eye

Johnny Hawke is removed from the army after a rifle explodes in his face and he loses an eye. Offered a desk job with the police, Johnny sets up as a private investigator in London. When asked to investigate the disappearance of a young woman things turn dangerous. Could there be a connection between the girl and fading film actor Gordon Moore? #''Forests of the Night'' (2000) #''Comes the Dark'' (2006) #''Without Conscience'' (2008) #''Requiem for a Dummy'' (2009) #''The Darkness of Death'' (2010) #''A Taste for Blood'' (2013)

Detective Inspector Paul Snow

#''Brothers in Blood'' (2013) #''Innocent Blood'' (2015) #''Blood Rites'' (2017)

Non-fiction

His

non-fiction Non-fiction (or nonfiction) is any document or content (media), media content that attempts, in good faith, to convey information only about the real life, real world, rather than being grounded in imagination. Non-fiction typically aims to pre ...

books about

include: *''Holmes of the Movies: The Screen Career of Sherlock Holmes'' (1977) *''Bending the Willow: Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes'' (1996; revised 2002) *''Starring Sherlock Holmes: A Century of the Master Detective on Screen'' (2001, updated 2007) *''Clued Up on Sherlock'' (2004) *''Dancing in the Moonlight: Jeremy Brett - A Celebration'' (2006)

Plays

His award-winning one-man play ''Sherlock Holmes - The Last Act'' toured after its premiere at Salisbury Playhouse in 1999. It has played in France, Canada, United States, Hong Kong, Malta and all over the British Isles. In 2009,

Big Finish Productions Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and radio drama, audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'' ...

released audio adaptations of his plays ''The Last Act'' and ''The Death and Life'', starring Roger Llewellyn. They also adapted ''The Tangled Skein'' into a two-part audio drama starring

Nicholas Briggs Nicholas Briggs (born 29 September 1961) is an English actor, writer, director, sound designer and composer. He is associated with the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs, particularly as the voice of the Da ...

Other work

Davies was the editor of several collections for Wordsworth & Collectors Library (

Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. The company operates approximately 600 retail stores across the United States. Barnes & Noble operates mainly through its B ...

) including: *''The Best of Sherlock Holmes'' *''Shadows of Sherlock Holmes'' *''Stories from the Nineteenth Century'' *''Tales of Unease'' *''Return From the Dead'' In 2009 an omnibus volume of William Fryer Harvey's stories, titled "The Beast with Five Fingers" was published (). The volume contains 45 stories, and an extensive biographical introduction. His

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

work includes writing and narrating commentaries for the MPI release of the digitally re-mastered

Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was an Anglo-South African actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume drama ...

Holmes films; conducting interviews on the new

Jeremy Brett Peter Jeremy William Huggins (3 November 1933 – 12 September 1995), known professionally as Jeremy Brett, was an English actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes from 1984 to 1994 in 41 episodes of a Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV ...

Holmes releases; and with

David Jason Sir David John White (born 2 February 1940), known professionally as David Jason, is an English actor. He has played Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in the sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'', Detective Inspector Jack Frost in the drama series '' A Touch ...

on ''A Touch of Frost'' DVDs. Davies was one-third of the literary performance group The Mystery Men, alongside Matthew Booth and M. J. Elliott.

References

External links

* 1946 births 2024 deaths British dramatists and playwrights British crime fiction writers British book editors British male novelists British male dramatists and playwrights Sherlock Holmes scholars Writers of Sherlock Holmes pastiches {{UK-novelist-stub