About the Author
Sherlock Holmes was a late Victorian and Edwardian consulting detective, known both for his pioneering work in the scientific aspects of criminology and for his powers of deduction and observation. From his late 20s his many cases were well recorded by his friend and flatmate Dr John Watson and some of his exploits have subsequently been made into feature films and TV series.
About the book
In A Case of Royal Blackmail, the 24-year-old Sherlock Holmes recounts how he untangles the web of blackmail and deceit surrounding the ‘complex romantic endeavours’ of the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, those of Lillie Langtry and her various suitors and the morass of ‘scandal sheets’ and libel cases surrounding the Prince’s court of the time.
Set in July 1879, 18 months before he met Dr. Watson, the action takes place in the vividly described London of Queen Victoria. Taken from this own case notes, Holmes also reveals the full story behind two previously untold cases: Vamberry the Wine Merchant and Ricoletti of the Club-foot and the Abominable Wife and a new discovery, The Curious Case of OscarWilde’s Amethyst Tie-pin.
Published with the endorsement of the Conan Doyle Estate, and told in Holmes’s own words, Sherlockians the world over will revel in these new adventures of the world’s favourite consulting detective.
Review
Before Dr Watson started creating a written legacy of the sleuthing exploits of Holmes, there was Holmes himself who decided to put ink to paper. Hitherto hidden to the world and his many fans - we now have the chance to read more adventures.
Adventures that take him into the underworld of the monarchy, which is fraught with manipulation, blackmail and the intention to blacken names and subvert power. A new welcome character who brings a breath of fresh air to the table is Oscar Wilde, which gives the tales a pinch of something new.
As a long-time (many many decades) Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes reader, I think it's important to note that this book has been published with the endorsement of the Conan Doyle Estate. Much like the Christie Estate has decided to control some of the narrative surrounding the use of the name and material of the Queen of Crime, so it should also be for the material of the author who created the most famous detective in the world. In fact he is so famous, and infamous, that there are still doubts about the veracity of claims in regards to his fictional status.
I loved it, and the cherry on the top of the sundae was the Finder's Note and the whole fictional story concocted to provide us with the new 'authentic' stories forgotten and hidden away by the master of deduction himself. Seriously, what's not to love about the whole idea? Bring us more. In fact there should be a treasure hunt for further tales by the master.
Buy A Case of Royal Blackmail at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : Unicorn Publishing Group - Affable Media pub date 1 July 2021. Paperback, £7.50. Buy at Amazon com.
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