Mr. J. B. Varney

J. B. Varney was born on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation on the Great Plains of South Dakota. He is a member of the Sioux Tribe and, through his father, a descendant of the Little Crow Line of hereditary Dakota Sioux Chiefs. Through his mother he is a descendant of the earliest recorded Shawnee Chief, Straight Tail, of the Pekowi Band of the Shawnee Tribe. In this line he is also related to the Shawnee leader, Tecumseh. Straight Tail’s daughter, Sewatha, married the French-Canadian explorer, Martin Chartier, who had traveled the Great Lakes, Ohio, and Mississippi Valleys with both LaSalle and Joliet. Through his mother he is also descended from the Osborn Line of England, from whom the late Queen Elizabeth was also descended.

Mr. Varney grew up nurtured on the stories of ancestors. His love of history was among his earliest memories.

His birthplace is not far from the final resting place of his Great-Great-Great Grandfather, the French-Canadian trader named August Traversie, who arrived in Indian Territory in 1831 and married one of the daughters of the Sioux Chief, War Eagle. War Eagle Park, in Sioux City, commemorates the Chief’s efforts to maintain peace between the Americans and the Sioux during the turbulent 1800’s. War Eagle’s statue stands on a bluff overlooking the confluence of the Big Sioux River and the Missouri River.

Mr. Varney has spent his life pursuing a deeper knowledge of his own family lines and history, as well as the broader history of our world. He has researched and traced several of his family lines back into the mists of time. His Great-Great-Great Grandparents, Josiah & Margaret (Findley) Osborn, were Pioneers on the Oregon Trail in 1845, and survivors of the tragic Whitman Massacre in 1847.

Born to so many explorers and nomadic tribesman, it is not surprising that Mr. Varney has enjoyed traveling widely in both the New World and the Old. He weaves many of his true-life experiences, his love of travel, of mystery, and adventure, and his knowledge of history, into his works.

He credits authors as disparate as Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan-Doyle, Robert Service, John Buchan, Daphne Du Maurier, Edgar Rice Burrows, and Lillian Jackson Braun, with fueling his interest in reading. In his Sherlock Holmes "Resurgent Mystery Series" he works to provide readers with exciting new settings and mysteries for the world's most famous consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, and his faithful friend, Dr. John Watson.

Mr. Varney’s believes that “truth is stranger than fiction” and his stories are proof of this belief. He works to be historically accurate and true to the Victorian Era. His mysteries often showcase actual crimes and characters from that bygone age. Another unique aspect of his mysteries are the illustrations. A gifted artist and sculptor, he attempts to capture the essence of the original Sidney Paget illustrations, to provide his readers with a similar experience to that of the first readers of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's mysteries.

Please dive into Mr. Varney's books...and enjoy every minute.