Val Andrews was a music hall artist, ventriloquist and writer.

Andrews was born in Hove

Hove

Hove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...

, Sussex

Sussex

Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 a few hours after Valentine's Day, hence his name. Son of an architect, he was introduced to magic by his father. Andrews was a prolific writer on magic, having published over 1000 books and booklets from 1952. He also authored Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...

 pastiches and Houdini's novels. He lived for a number of years in Brighton

Brighton

Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...

, then in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

( from 1943 onwards ) where he joined the London Society of Magicians.

Autobiography

• Dedicated Magic (1971)
• Four seasons in the life of Val Andrews (1984)

Sherlock Holmes novels

• Sherlock Holmes and the Charlie Chaplin Mystery
• Sherlock Holmes and the Eminent Thespian (1988)
• Sherlock Holmes and the Brighton Pavilion Mystery (1989)
• Sherlock Holmes and the Egyptian Hall Adventure (1993)
• Sherlock Holmes and the Houdini Birthright (1995)
• Sherlock Holmes and the Yule-tide Mystery (1996)
• Sherlock Holmes and the Man Who Lost Himself (1996)
• Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Dozen (1997)
• Sherlock Holmes and the Circus of Fear (1997)
• Sherlock Holmes and the Greyfriars School Mystery (1997)
• Sherlock Homes and the Theatre of Death (1997)
• Sherlock Holmes and the Sandringham House Mystery (1998)
• Sherlock Holmes and the Tomb of Terror (1999)
• Sherlock Holmes on the Western Front (1999)
• Sherlock Holmes at the Varieties (1999)
• The Torment of Sherlock Holmes (1999)
• Sherlock Holmes and the Longacre Vampire (2000)
• Sherlock Holmes and the Holborn Emporium (2001)
• Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Seven (2001)
• The Ghost of Baker Street (2006)
• The Prince of Ventriloquists: Another Case for Sherlock Holmes (2006)