Part of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, book 11
First published 2011
Mary Russell receives an assignment from Scotland Yard to look into Randolph Fflytte, a powerful figure in England's emerging silent film world. Criminal activity surrounds his latest project. Russell travels to Lisbon where Fflytte prepares his adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance." The production brings together thirteen blonde actresses and actual pirates hired for realism. Russell watches rehearsals unfold as two worlds collide. The company then sails for Morocco where the real filming begins. What started as suspicious rumors becomes active danger. Russell must navigate between theatrical pretense and genuine criminal threat as the production spirals beyond Fflytte's control.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, mystery, crime
Vibes: atmospheric, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Lisbon, Morocco
Period: 1920s
304 pages · Hardcover · Bantam Books