In the preface of Sherlock Holmes and 'The Kiss of Death' I describe how my great-grandfather was told the story of the venom killer by Dr. John Watson during their hospital stay at Verdun during the first world war.  After looking over my great-grandfather's notes again, I realized that several of the places mentioned in the first edition of my novel were incorrect.  I have edited the novel for a second edition to make it more accurate.

I also corrected a few spelling errors, punctuation problems and awkward sentences found in the first edition.  In addition, I realized that my American heritage has influenced my story telling and that several British terms should have been used instead.  There are some interesting differences between the cultures.  For example, I recently learned that the 'first floor' in an American home is called the 'ground floor' in an English home.

I hope the Second Edition of Sherlock Holmes and 'The Kiss of Death'  is more acceptable to Sherlockian and Holmesian scholars everywhere.

P. C. Shumway