In A Study in Scarlet, much to the surprise of his flatmate John H Watson, Sherlock Holmes summons a bunch of street children to their Baker Street apartment. ‘Six little scoundrels,’ an unimpressed Watson notes, ‘stood in a line like so many disreputable statuettes.’ Holmes entrusts the children with a task that will ultimately lead… Continue reading Deepa Anappara on the wonders of childhood friendships and the challenges of writing about young detectives