by Lyndsay Faye
First published 2017
Sherlock Holmes stands in a crowded garden party at Lowther Park, forced into social niceties by his politician brother Mycroft. The antisocial detective improvises theatrical deception to expose a government conspiracy brewing among the guests. In another case, Holmes descends into the Thames Tunnel to examine the corpse of a jewel thief, murdered mysteriously in the underground railway passage. These investigations span Holmes's entire career, from his early days as a self taught amateur to his status as London's most celebrated detective. The cases continue even after his supposed death at Reichenbach Falls in 1894. Watson documents each mystery as Holmes confronts bitter family members, fraudulent mind doctors, betrayed spouses, and criminals dressed in plaid. One particularly dangerous case involves a rare species of poisonous red leech. Each story tests Holmes's deductive methods against London's criminal underworld. The detective must solve murders, thefts, and political plots while navigating the complex social dynamics of Victorian society.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, crime, detective, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: London, Lowther Park, Thames Tunnel
Period: 1894, Victorian
352 pages · Hardcover · Mysterious Press