The International Writers Magazine: Book Launch Event

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The Book launch for The Curse of the Nibelung A Sherlock Holmes Mystery at the University of Portsmouth November 2005 All images © Carine Thomas Nov 2005 Stuart Olesker as Holmes Sam North as Dr Watson

It was a performance reading - fairly unique as things go around here. Stuart Olesker played Sherlock Holmes with flair and cunning, Sam North as Dr Watson mugged his way through the session, oogling the delectacle Roxy WIlliams who played Nurse Cornelia and Lily Parker who appears at the waitress and Mrs Hudson. Dominic Symonds breathtakingly was Winston Churchill, a publican, a sailor and most convincingly the odious Herr Dore - the evil nazi, accomplishing quick costume changes and accents as events swiftly moved from one scene to the next. Him keeping a striaight face as Peter Billingham the narrator listed his characters unique sexual perversions was a treat. Stuart Olesker's Sherlock Holmes had much gravitas and surely for him a career beckons in the next TV series about Holmes.

If you have never been to a performance reading before it is rather like a rehearsed script reading but everyone is in character and costume and there is even a vague hint at props. Not quite the book, but equally most definitely not a screenplay either, as it was accompanied by the narrator played with aplomb by the playwright Peter Billingham. Music and sound were provided by Alex Purser and this surely provided half the fun as we tossed the Channel in our bathchairs with wind, seagulls and torpedo explosions that night.

Stuart Olesker and Dominic Symonds Holmes and Churchill

The Curse of the Nibelung is the story of how Winston Churchill comes to plead with Holmes and Watson to do one last thing for their nation in the bleak days before the actual fighting begins in WW2. It's no easy task for Holmes aged 83, nor for Watson 87. They must travel to Germany, appear to be sympathetic to the Nazi regime and discover why four of England's best spies have gone missing and retrieve the fantastic secret that only Hitler's own Doctor Lauscher knows. It's daunting and there is the matter of crossing the channel knowing the U-Boats would like a crack at England finest consulting detectives. Getting all that on stage in a book launch was fun and my appreciations go out to the cast who really put themselves out last week

Peter Billingham as Narrator

Lily Parker as waitress in Paris Café.

Dominic Symonds as the odius Herr Dore

Roxy Williams Nurse Cornelia

My thanks to the cast and Cafe Parisien who hosted the booksigning and to Carine Thomas captured the event for posterity.

It was a fun night and if you'd like a signed copy of The Curse of the Niblung - A Sherlock Holmes Mystery by Sam North, then contact the author at sam.north at port.ac.uk and it can be yours for just £9 pounds plus post and packing (usually £1.50 within the UK) (UK Cheques accepted)

Or just order it from these on-line bookstores

The Curse of the Nibelung A Sherlock Holmes Mystery by Sam North ISBN 1-4116-3748-8 $19.98 Retail - 300 pages - Lulu Press USA 'Chocolate will never be the same again' - Sunday Express Buy from your favourite on-line retailer Amazon UK Amazon USA Barnes and Noble Or buy direct from Lulu Press at special price of $12.95 US

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