Young Sherlock Holmes: Red Leech

A few months following the events of the following book, Sherlock Holmes is pleased when Mycroft comes to visit him at Holmes Manor in Hampshire, but Mycroft's visit has a serious purpose, he has come to let Amyus Crowe know that British Intelligence suspect that John Wilkes Booth has come to England under the alias to John St. Helen. Without any encouragement from Mycroft or Amyus, Sherlock sets off to Godalming where Booth is suspected of hiding out, enlisting Matty Arnatt's help along the way.

Sherlock and Matty locate the house in Godalming that Booth is suspected of living in, and Sherlock, under the pretense of picking up a ball that Matty threw onto the property, enters the grounds. Sherlock is kidnapped and dragged into the house by a mentally deranged man whose face is burned and scarred on one side. Sherlock escapes and flees, but the man gives chase, and they both end up on the roof of the house. Three fellow conspirators arrive and knock out the insane man, who is revealed to be John Wilkes Booth. The three plan to kill Sherlock, but he escapes with Matty's help and immediately returns to Holmes Manor to inform Mycroft and Amyus of the events that transpired. They are somewhat disappointed that Sherlock has let the conspirators know that they are under investigation.

The next morning, the Holmes brothers visit Amyus who concludes that the conspirators will have taken flight and left the Godalming house. Virginia is sent to fetch Matty, but on the way back they are attacked and Matty is kidnapped. Amyus, Sherlock, and Virginia give chase, but the conspirators escape after shooting at and grazing Amyus. Sherlock manages to knock out one of the three and he is arrested.

Sherlock, Virginia, Amyus, and Mycroft deduce from a coded message that the other conspirators will be heading to America, so Sherlock, Amyus, and Virginia make plans to follow them. On the boat to America, Sherlock meets Rufus, a violinist who wishes to teach in America, as well as a man who is heading to the Americas to make advances in the hot air balloon industry. Sherlock is also attacked by a deckhand paid off to kill him, but Sherlock knocks the man into the machinery cogs in the bowels of the ship.

Once they reach America, Sherlock manages to locate where Matty is being held and he and Virginia follow the conspirators (and Matty) aboard a train. The conspirators find Sherlock and Virginia, and after a perilous fight on the roof of the train in which another conspirator is killed, Sherlock is captured and the train is diverted to the headquarters of the organizer of the conspiracy, Duke Balthassar. In conversation with Balthassar, it becomes clear that the conspirators, who are all confederate supporters, plan to invade Canada and have it become a new Confederate country. John Wilkes Booth would be the figurehead for the army, but his mental state prevents any other usefulness. Balthassar also suffers from a blood disease that causes him to constantly utilize leeches to thin his blood clots, and has very breakable bones. Sherlock, Virginia, and Matty are locked in a cage with several crocodiles, but they manage to escape and make contact with Amyus.

Amyus and the US government plan to drop bombs from hot air balloons onto the confederate army's camp, which Sherlock is determined to stop because he knows it would be a massacre. Sherlock manages to destroy the hot air balloons using flaming arrows, but on his way back to where he, Amyus, Virginia, and Matty are staying he is attacked by Duke Balthassar. Balthassar sends his two pet cougars after Sherlock, but Sherlock manages to turn the cougars onto their master by breaking Balthassar's arm. The cougars attack and kill their master before leaving Sherlock in peace.

The confederate army falls apart on their own and Sherlock, Virginia, Amyus, and Matty return to England. On the boat, Sherlock once again encounters Rufus, whose plans in America had fallen through. Rufus asks Sherlock if he knows anyone who needs a violin teacher, to which Sherlock responds that he does.

The Red Leech was mentioned in "The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez", Watson is reviewing his journals of Sherlock's adventures and says "As I turn over the pages I see my notes upon the repulsive story of the red leech."

This novel introduces the character of Rufus Stone (originally Jared Stone[2]) who provides a counterpoint to Aymus Crowe and helps to explain Holmes' violin playing and melancholy.

The US edition of Red Leech is being published during 2011 under the title Rebel Fire.[1]

• Red Leech page
• Official Young Sherlock Holmes site (UK)
• Official Young Sherlock Holmes series site (U.S.)
• Extract on Pan-MacMillan Site