221B Recs

Title: Signs Following
Author: vulgarweed
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 24,285 words
Rating: Explicit
Verse: BBC Sherlock

Author's summary: 1976. Bone Fiddle-verse; Appalachian AU. A couple years into their relationship, John and Sherlock are cozily setting up for spring with Mrs. Hudson's expert guidance when a distraught young woman appeals to them for help and sends them on one of their strangest cases yet - in order to solve one murder and prevent another, they must tangle with a sinister preacher and enter the much-sensationalized, little-understood world of Pentecostal Holiness believers who strictly observe Mark 16: 17-18:

(And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.)

Reccer's comments: This takes place in the awesome Bonefiddle 'verse, an AU set in 1970's Appalachia. Considering how well known this verse is, I'm surprised at the comparatively low kudos and hits, so I thought it deserved a shout-out here.

Sherlock and John are an established couple here in rural West Virginia. Don't let the American setting put you off: these are the Sherlock and John that we know and love, just transplanted into a different culture. They are still very much themselves. John is a doctor and a war veteran, and Sherlock is a self-proclaimed detective. Together they solve crimes. For this specific story, it is a retelling of The Speckled Band, using a most unique twist. Here, the villain is a Holy-Roller snake handling preacher who preys upon his flock's vulnerabilities in order to commit murder. It never descends into religion bashing, though. The author deftly navigates between good old Sherlockian skepticism and sensitivity to good people's sincerely held beliefs. It's manipulative evil that is the true villain here.

The reader will surely enjoy John's reaction to Sherlock's prowess with a tire iron, as well as his BAMFness when it comes time to save Sherlock from himself.