Hugh Ashton
Hugh Ashton was born in the UK in 1956. After graduating from the University of Cambridge, he worked in a variety of jobs, including security guard, publisher's assistant, and running an independent record label, before coming to rest in the field of information technology, where he assisted perplexed users of computers and wrote explanations to guide them through the problems they encountered.
A long-standing interest in Japan led him to emigrate to that country in 1988, where he has remained ever since; writing instruction manuals for a variety of consumer products, assisting with IT-related projects at banks and financial institutions, and researching and writing industry reports on the Japanese and Asian financial industries. Some of the knowledge he has gained in these fields forms the background for At the Sharpe End, his second novel.
He has recently published four volumes of Sherlock Holmes mysteries with Inknbeans Press of Los Angeles: Tales from the Deed Box of John H. Watson MD, More from the Deed Box of John H. Watson MD, Secrets from the Deed Box of John H Watson MD, and The Darlington Substitution, in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Inknbeans Press has also published his collection of short stories set in Japan, Tales of Old Japanese, featuring the culture and habits of the older generation of Japanese.
His first published novel, Beneath Gray Skies, is an alternative history set in a "past that never happened", where the Civil War was never fought.
His second novel, At the Sharpe End, features an expatriate consultant living in Tokyo, Kenneth Sharpe, who finds himself thrust into a world of violence and high finance that takes him by surprise.
The third novel, Red Wheels Turning, takes some of the characters of Beneath Gray Skies, and sets them in the background of Tsarist Russia, where a battle of wits takes place to control the secret Russian wonder weapons that could win the war for the Allies.
Hugh currently lives with his wife Yoshiko in the old town of Kamakura to the south of Tokyo, where he is working on future novels and stories.
A long-standing interest in Japan led him to emigrate to that country in 1988, where he has remained ever since; writing instruction manuals for a variety of consumer products, assisting with IT-related projects at banks and financial institutions, and researching and writing industry reports on the Japanese and Asian financial industries. Some of the knowledge he has gained in these fields forms the background for At the Sharpe End, his second novel.
He has recently published four volumes of Sherlock Holmes mysteries with Inknbeans Press of Los Angeles: Tales from the Deed Box of John H. Watson MD, More from the Deed Box of John H. Watson MD, Secrets from the Deed Box of John H Watson MD, and The Darlington Substitution, in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Inknbeans Press has also published his collection of short stories set in Japan, Tales of Old Japanese, featuring the culture and habits of the older generation of Japanese.
His first published novel, Beneath Gray Skies, is an alternative history set in a "past that never happened", where the Civil War was never fought.
His second novel, At the Sharpe End, features an expatriate consultant living in Tokyo, Kenneth Sharpe, who finds himself thrust into a world of violence and high finance that takes him by surprise.
The third novel, Red Wheels Turning, takes some of the characters of Beneath Gray Skies, and sets them in the background of Tsarist Russia, where a battle of wits takes place to control the secret Russian wonder weapons that could win the war for the Allies.
Hugh currently lives with his wife Yoshiko in the old town of Kamakura to the south of Tokyo, where he is working on future novels and stories.
A Sample of His Writing
The Darlington Substitution: From the Deed Box of John H Watson MD (Volume 4)
by Hugh Ashton
The deed box of Dr. John Watson, entrusted by him over a century ago to Cox & Co. of Charing Cross, and which made its way late last year to Hugh Ashton in Kamakura, Japan, continues to yield treasure. The box proved to have a false bottom, under which lay the manuscript of a full-length adventure of Sherlock Holmes, in which the great detective needs all his cunning and detective powers to unravel the mysteries at Hareby Hall. Mentioned in passing by Dr. Watson in his account of A Scandal in Bohemia, The Darlington Substitution is a tale of deceit, treachery, and murder most foul, set in the wild Border country of northern England. Holmes and Watson encounter a centuries-old legend which tells of the future extinction of an ancient noble family, and set themselves against one of the most ingenious and fiendish villains ever to cross the path of Sherlock Holmes. Holmes and his faithful biographer come to life again in this case, following in the tradition already set in the three volumes of the “Deed Box” series of shorter Holmes adventures published by Inknbeans Press. These have been extremely favorably received by readers and reviewers, with one commenting, “I would have assumed that they were indeed previously undiscovered Doyle originals,” and another, “The author has followed the approaches of the original Doyle stories to the extent that these could have been easily included in the original works”. To celebrate the discovery of The Darlington Substitution, Inknbeans Press and Hugh Ashton have produced a paperback edition that closely mimics the original Sherlock Holmes stories in its typography and orthography – “printed steampunk” – which should delight fans of the original Holmes stories as they peruse this latest addition to the adventures of the most famous sleuth ever to grace the pages of fiction.
5.0 out of 5 stars Skillfully Written, Highly Enjoyable August 23, 2012
By David
The Darlington Substitution Review
By David A. Cleinman
Before I begin this review, I must explain that I am a massive fan of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. As such, my views may be a trifle less than objective. Having said that, I must now say that The Darlington Substitution is an exquisite piece of writing that does a superb job of recrafting a Holmes tale as one might read directly from Doyle's unpublished archives. Given the depth of characters in these stories, and the worldwide popularity they have achieved, this is a courageous and admirable feat, successfully managed by a supremely talented writer.
The story, more than anything else, is highly entertaining. Full of light and dark, humour and hatred, irony and actuality, characters we love, and some we love quite a bit less. Well rounded and yet subtle, The Darlington Substitution builds slowly, hint by hint, or misdirection by misdirection depending on the moment.
TDS is full of the mischief and distractions of all great Sherlock Holmes stories. Distractions that perpetually keep the reader guessing and wondering, thinking and considering. In this reviewer's opinion, that is the strength of great mysteries. Just when you think you have it...
Suspenseful, as expected, TDS suffers from almost no predictability, a very rare feature in most modern mysteries. The author goes to great pains to ensure a rapport with the reader as if we are together with Watson as he engages in the events of the story and writes it down, at great personal embarrassment, at times, and yet with Watson's ever present warmth of character. Holmes is brought back to life in this tale with immaculate and painstaking detail. Truly the author has learned his craft and characters in exquisite and exacting detail.
Because the author has made a life-study of Holmes and Watson, and a life writing stories based on these characters, one might expect something akin to pastiche. This could not be further from the truth. Not only is the author exceptionally able to recreate Holmes the detective, and Watson the MD., faithful friend and assistant, he maintains a uniqueness of storytelling that is profoundly in the vein of ACD, yet has utterly no reliance on triteness, clichés or sleight of hand. The story is highly enjoyable, and does an exceptional job of extending the lives of Holmes and Watson, and the mysteries that they have conquered. Mysteries that have gained fame worldwide and with such vigor that we believe, even in the light of truth, that Holmes and Watson must have truly been real.
Hugh Ashton continues this tradition with zeal.
Five stars and my highest recommendation to anyone who loves a good story.
by Hugh Ashton
The deed box of Dr. John Watson, entrusted by him over a century ago to Cox & Co. of Charing Cross, and which made its way late last year to Hugh Ashton in Kamakura, Japan, continues to yield treasure. The box proved to have a false bottom, under which lay the manuscript of a full-length adventure of Sherlock Holmes, in which the great detective needs all his cunning and detective powers to unravel the mysteries at Hareby Hall. Mentioned in passing by Dr. Watson in his account of A Scandal in Bohemia, The Darlington Substitution is a tale of deceit, treachery, and murder most foul, set in the wild Border country of northern England. Holmes and Watson encounter a centuries-old legend which tells of the future extinction of an ancient noble family, and set themselves against one of the most ingenious and fiendish villains ever to cross the path of Sherlock Holmes. Holmes and his faithful biographer come to life again in this case, following in the tradition already set in the three volumes of the “Deed Box” series of shorter Holmes adventures published by Inknbeans Press. These have been extremely favorably received by readers and reviewers, with one commenting, “I would have assumed that they were indeed previously undiscovered Doyle originals,” and another, “The author has followed the approaches of the original Doyle stories to the extent that these could have been easily included in the original works”. To celebrate the discovery of The Darlington Substitution, Inknbeans Press and Hugh Ashton have produced a paperback edition that closely mimics the original Sherlock Holmes stories in its typography and orthography – “printed steampunk” – which should delight fans of the original Holmes stories as they peruse this latest addition to the adventures of the most famous sleuth ever to grace the pages of fiction.
5.0 out of 5 stars Skillfully Written, Highly Enjoyable August 23, 2012
By David
The Darlington Substitution Review
By David A. Cleinman
Before I begin this review, I must explain that I am a massive fan of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. As such, my views may be a trifle less than objective. Having said that, I must now say that The Darlington Substitution is an exquisite piece of writing that does a superb job of recrafting a Holmes tale as one might read directly from Doyle's unpublished archives. Given the depth of characters in these stories, and the worldwide popularity they have achieved, this is a courageous and admirable feat, successfully managed by a supremely talented writer.
The story, more than anything else, is highly entertaining. Full of light and dark, humour and hatred, irony and actuality, characters we love, and some we love quite a bit less. Well rounded and yet subtle, The Darlington Substitution builds slowly, hint by hint, or misdirection by misdirection depending on the moment.
TDS is full of the mischief and distractions of all great Sherlock Holmes stories. Distractions that perpetually keep the reader guessing and wondering, thinking and considering. In this reviewer's opinion, that is the strength of great mysteries. Just when you think you have it...
Suspenseful, as expected, TDS suffers from almost no predictability, a very rare feature in most modern mysteries. The author goes to great pains to ensure a rapport with the reader as if we are together with Watson as he engages in the events of the story and writes it down, at great personal embarrassment, at times, and yet with Watson's ever present warmth of character. Holmes is brought back to life in this tale with immaculate and painstaking detail. Truly the author has learned his craft and characters in exquisite and exacting detail.
Because the author has made a life-study of Holmes and Watson, and a life writing stories based on these characters, one might expect something akin to pastiche. This could not be further from the truth. Not only is the author exceptionally able to recreate Holmes the detective, and Watson the MD., faithful friend and assistant, he maintains a uniqueness of storytelling that is profoundly in the vein of ACD, yet has utterly no reliance on triteness, clichés or sleight of hand. The story is highly enjoyable, and does an exceptional job of extending the lives of Holmes and Watson, and the mysteries that they have conquered. Mysteries that have gained fame worldwide and with such vigor that we believe, even in the light of truth, that Holmes and Watson must have truly been real.
Hugh Ashton continues this tradition with zeal.
Five stars and my highest recommendation to anyone who loves a good story.
