“Good heavens, Holmes!” I ejaculated. “Is that what I think it is?”

“That depends, Watson,” replied my friend, “on what you think it is.”

“Well, it appears to be a cover image for a new collection of stories detailing your and my exploits.”

“Indeed so. But it is unusual in that there is a marked supernatural theme to the narratives.”

“How on earth can you have deduced that?” I said, ready to be as baffled as ever by Holmes’s powers of logical analysis.

The great detective snorted. “Watson, Watson, do you not observe the rather sinister pictorial image with which the cover is adorned? It fairly reeks of the occult and the outré. Perhaps a more obvious clue would be the legend ‘New Tales of Terror’ which precedes the list of contributing authors.”

“And what a fine gathering of talent that list comprises,” I remarked with genuine pleasure. “Noteworthy chroniclers of your adventures, one and all… save for that Lovegrove fellow. A reprobate and a ne’er-do-well, in my opinion.”

“Come, come. Lovegrove is an honest scrivener such as yourself.”

“I have heard dark rumours about him. The literary world is known to shudder at the mere mention of his name.”

“Be that as it may,” Holmes said, “Messrs Campbell and Prepolec have surely gifted the world with a fine anthology, which I believe will be available to buy very soon.”

“Should I purchase a copy?” I enquired.

“The answer is elementary, Watson. Yes.”