The Incredible Schlock Homes: 12 Stories from Bagel Street

Robert L. Fish

2015 api. · Open Road Media

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Twelve loving parodies of the great detective—each a masterpiece in its own right

The world-famous amateur detective Schlock Homes is making his way through breakfast when a telegram arrives. It takes but a moment’s deduction for the brilliant sleuth to determine that it was sent by a woman named Miss Wimpole, and that she is terribly upset. Homes knows this because the telegram reads, “I am terribly upset,” and is signed, “Miss Wimpole.” Miss Wimpole brings a case that stretches from the tombs of Egypt to the deserts of Mexico, with a stop at the racetrack in between, and it is but the first misadventure in this riotous collection of tales.

Whether chasing a counterfeit sovereign or an “Adam Bomb,” Schlock Homes and Dr. Watney never fail to have a marvelous time—even if they don’t quite catch their man.

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Robert L. Fish, the youngest of three children, was born on August 21, 1912, in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended the local schools in Cleveland and went to Case University (now Case Western Reserve), from which he graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. He married Mamie Kates, also from Cleveland, and together they have two daughters. Fish worked as a civil engineer, traveling and moving throughout the United States. In 1953 he was asked to set up a plastics factory in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He and his family moved to Brazil, where they remained for nine years. He played golf and bridge in the little spare time he had. One rainy weekend in the late 1950s, when the weather prohibited him from playing golf, he sat down and wrote a short story that he submitted to Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. When the story was accepted, Fish continued to write short stories. In 1962 he returned to the United States; he took one year to write full time and then returned to engineering and writing. His first novel, The Fugitive, won an Edgar Award for Best First Mystery. When his health prevented him from pursuing both careers, Fish retired from engineering and spent his time writing. His published works include more than forty books and countless short stories. Mute Witness was made into a movie starring Steve McQueen.

Fish died February 23, 1981, at his home in Connecticut. Each year at the annual Mystery Writers of America dinner, a memorial award is presented in his name for the best first short story. This is a fitting tribute, as Fish was always eager to assist young writers with their craft.