Erasing Sherlock (novel)

Erasing Sherlock was the sixth novel in the Faction Paradox series.

First edition
'''Seeking: Maid of all Work. Master of Arts required.''' She thought she was there to observe and document the methods of the twenty-five-year-old Sherlock Holmes before he gained notoriety-- Rooftop Robber Strikes Again! A barely noticed automaton; quiet, efficient, and unobtrusive-- The partially clad body of a young girl was found Sunday morning at the London Dock. A remarkable opportunity for research in the field-- Gilbert & Sullivan's comic opera, Perola, premieres at the Savoy Theatre. Bestowed upon her by a benefactor who has sold his soul-- '''American Oil Tycoon, Henry Barstow, has begun annulment proceedings on behalf of his daughter Lady Henrietta Holbrook. Lord Merrill Holbrook's whereabouts still unknown.''' For a technology that only works if the devil he sold it to is sufficiently entertained. Dr Grimsley Roylott of Stoke Moran arrested in connection with suspicious deaths of his stepdaughters, Julia and Helen Stoner. The life of Sherlock Holmes is being written by another hand-- '''Woman held captive for forty days, rescued. White slave gang suspected.''' And maid must become master if she wants to survive-- '''Krakatoa explodes with a force of 1,300 megatons. Thousands perish.''' Because the devil loves a spectacle. The more blood, the better.

Second edition
"Seeking maid-of-all-work. Master of Arts required. Unique opportunity for research in the field. Intensive training provided. One to two year commitment necessary. Must be willing to travel in time."

A 21st century doctoral candidate takes on the guise of a maid-of-all-work in 19th century London in order to observe the great detective in his natural habitat, when he was young and callow and still fine tuning those remarkable skills. It's a unique opportunity for research in the field, no denying, but bestowed by a benefactor who has sold his soul for a technology that only works if the devil he sold it to is sufficiently entertained. The life of Sherlock Holmes is unraveling, being rewritten in both subtle and monumental ways. The maid must become the master if either of them are to survive. Because the devil loves a spectacle. The more blood, the better.

Plot
to be added

Characters

 * Sherlock Holmes
 * John Watson
 * Rose Donnelly
 * Mrs Hudson
 * Mycroft Holmes
 * Inspector Lestrade
 * Jimmy Moriarty
 * Shinwell Johnson
 * Mrs Merriam
 * Jack Hudson
 * Gerard Cavendish
 * Thomas Corkle / Mr Gra
 * Jarvey
 * Violet
 * Lady Holbrook
 * Lucius Maitland
 * Harry Hughes
 * Georgio L. Santelli
 * Mrs Neekham
 * Mrs O'Leary
 * Constable McBride
 * Stewart Ronaldson
 * Detective Inspector Clarke
 * Mr Pitty
 * Chief Constable Morrison
 * Alice
 * Iris
 * T. Evelyn Wickford
 * Nigel Davies
 * Ben
 * Mr Murray
 * Kenneth Dalby

Story notes

 * This novel was an adaptation of Hale's first novel, Erasing Sherlock Holmes, which won a $10,000 award in the Great North American Fiction Contest and was published as an e-book by PublishingOnline.com. Before pitching Erasing Sherlock to Mad Norwegian Press, Hale had pitched it to Tor Books, where it was rejected for not fitting into any one genre.
 * After the Mad Norwegian Press edition of Erasing Sherlock went out of print, Hale republished it with the Faction Paradox references removed. An ebook of this story was released on the Amazon Kindle store on 9 December 2010 with a cover by Dani Guralnick.
 * In 2015, Kelly Hale said that she was picking between working on several projects, including a sequel to Erasing Sherlock. In 2018, she clarified that, while she may someday finish the sequel, it will have to be published outside of the Faction Paradox series due to a conflict of interest with Obverse Books CEO Stuart Douglas' Sherlock Holmes novels for Titan Publishing Group.
 * Corkle notes that due to the interference in history, Holmes never became involved in one of his important cases: "the one with the evil stepfather and the poisonous snake". This refers to The Adventure of the Speckled Band.
 * In summer 2020, a script written by Mitch Hale based on Erasing Sherlock Holmes won the semifinalist award in the Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards.

Continuity

 * Holmes would come across the influence of War powers much later in life when he found The Book of the Enemy, transforming himself into fiction, (PROSE: The Book of the Enemy), perhaps explaining his ambiguous relationship between reality (PROSE: All-Consuming Fire) and imagination in other media. (PROSE: Evolution, The Gallifrey Chronicles, TV: The Snowmen)