It is the summer of 1868, and Sherlock Holmes is fourteen. On break from boarding school, he is staying with eccentric strangers-his uncle and aunt-in their vast house in Hampshire. When two local people die from symptoms that resemble the plague, Holmes begins to investigate what really killed them, helped by his new tutor, an American named Amyus Crowe. So begins Sherlock's true education in detection, as he discovers the dastardly crimes of a brilliantly sinister villain of exquisitely malign intent.
"Andrew Lane begins a new series exploring the pre-history of the famous fictional detective. Mr. Lane has the approval of the descendants of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote the original Holmes stories, and purists will applaud the way he salts the story with clues to the sleuth's adult propensities. . . . The dramatic, violent ending leaves enough narrative strings dangling that readers over th
The Wall Street Journal
"Lane's writing style is action-packed and detail-oriented."
The Los Angeles Times
"Lane's command of what will one day become Holmes's signature methods is remarkable. . . The novel strives to rescue Holmes from the prejudices of his creator, and thereby expand the pool of Holmes devotees. For that we can all be grateful."
