June, 1916. With a world war raging on the continent, exhausted John H. Watson, M.D. is operating on the wounded full-time when his labors are interrupted by a knock on his door, revealing Sherlock Holmes, with a black eye, a missing tooth and a cracked rib. The story he has to tell will set in motion a series of world-changing events in the most consequential case of the detective's career. Amid rebellion in Ireland and revolution in Russia, Germany has a secret plan to win the war and Sir William Melville of the British Secret Service dispatches the two aging friends to learn what the scheme is before it can be put into effect. In pursuit of a mysterious coded telegram sent from Berlin to an unknown recipient in Mexico, Holmes and Watson must cross the Atlantic, dodge German U-boats and assassination attempts, and evade the intrigues of young J. Edgar Hoover, while enlisting the help of a beautiful, eccentric Washington socialite as they seek to foil the schemes of Holmes's nemesis, the escaped German spymaster Von Bork. Sherlock Holmes and the Telegram from Hell plunges Holmes into a world that eerily resembles our own, where entangling alliances, treaties, and human frailty threaten to create another cataclysm. "Nicholas Meyer, a master storyteller, brings Holmes and Watson triumphantly to life during the English, American and Mexican intrigues of the Great War. His witty and riveting mystery, based on a crucial historical event, has a brilliant climax." -- Jeffrey Meyers "For me, Nicholas Meyer has managed the impossible, which is to sound exactly like Arthur Conan Doyle, as he plunges Holmes and Watson into a time in our history when the survival of Britain and the British was under threat. The danger is real and so, by this stage, at any rate for most of us, are Holmes and Watson. The combination is irresistible. It will not surprise the reader that in Sherlock Holmes and the Telegram from Hell, the Great Detective surpasses himself." -- Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey and The Gilded Age "Nicholas Meyer's stirring tale of the turning point of the Great War reveals the pivotal roles of Sherlock Holmes and his friend Dr. Watson. Solidly based on history, it's thrilling, full of surprises, yet touchingly poignant in its depiction of the aging partners. Please continue unearthing these lost accounts, Mr. Meyer!" -- Leslie S. Klinger, editor, New Annotated Sherlock Holmes "The Sherlockian mystery is solid and delightful on its own, but Meyer's portrait of this moment in history adds a surprising and fascinating bonus. . . . Ingenious international froth studded with historical tidbits." ― Kirkus "[Meyer] weaves real people into this fabulous tale, including Alice Roosevelt Longworth and a very young J. Edgar Hoover, all while keeping the game very much afoot. Baker Street Irregulars everywhere will enjoy this." ― Library Journal "Sherlock Holmes and the Telegram From Hell is certainly fun to read . . . In such works of homage and affection, the great detective lives on." ― Washington Post "A thrilling, fast-paced, and dangerous story . . . Of all the Holmes novelists—and there are a lot of them—Meyer is one of the best, and it's wonderful to see these two characters back in action." ― Booklist "Mr. Meyer's touch is as deft as ever, as the veteran Sherlockian serves up a potent solution of action, deduction, history and affectionate banter." ― Wall Street Journal "[Meyer has] written a beautiful ode to friendship set against the backdrop of international warfare and espionage, with a subtly elegant structure that perfectly suits his characters and themes." ― Criminal Element "Meyer gives us a wonderful plot line with lots of thrills and chills and a chase that makes me long for a film version." ― Toronto Globe and Mail Nicholas Meyer is the “editor” of several Watson manuscripts, including The Seven-Per-Cent Solution , which spent forty weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. His screenplay of the film received an Oscar nomination. His film credits include writing and directing Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . He wrote and directed Time After Time , co-created Medici: Masters of Florence , and directed The Day After , about nuclear war that attracted the largest audience ever for a television movie. A native of New York City, he lives in Santa Monica, California. Otto Penzler , the creator of American Mystery Classics, is also the founder of the Mysterious Press (1975); Mysterious Press.com (2011), an electronic-book publishing company; and New York City’s Mysterious Bookshop (1979). He has won a Raven, the Ellery Queen Award, two Edgars (for the Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection , 1977, and The Lineup , 2010), and lifetime achievement awards from Noircon and The Strand Magazine . He has edited more than 80 anthologies and written extensively about mystery fiction. Wonde