victorian crime Archives

Sapere Books Signs Three New Sherlock Holmes Mysteries by Linda Stratmann

We’re thrilled to announce that we have signed three new instalments of the Early Casebook of Sherlock Holmes series by Linda Stratmann.

The series follows a young Sherlock Holmes and his acquaintance, medical student Mr Stamford, as they unravel mysteries and unmask devious killers.

In Linda’s words:

“I am delighted to continue the adventures of a youthful Holmes, before he met Dr Watson. A little about what to expect next: in the Halloween-themed Widow’s Key, an unexpected legacy creates a furore, with deadly mysteries to uncover. In The Aeronauts, murder is sky-high, and escaped balloons cause peril both aloft and below. The Ghost of Lodge Thirteen finds Holmes and Stamford in Brighton. Richard Scarletti has been accused of murder, and his sister Mina (from the Mina Scarletti Mysteries) and Holmes form a powerful detective alliance.”

To keep up to date with Linda’s newest releases, visit her website and sign up to her newsletter.

Sherlock Holmes and the Cabinet of Wonders is Out Now!

Congratulations to Linda Stratmann, whose absorbing Victorian mystery, Sherlock Holmes and the Cabinet of Wonders, is out now!

Sherlock Holmes and the Cabinet of Wonders is the eighth novel in the Early Casebook of Sherlock Holmes series.

1878

Sherlock Holmes is in a slump of despair and self-doubt following his recent encounter with his brother Mycroft and his good friend Mr Stamford is determined to snap him out of it.

When Stamford hears of a new show being put on at the Egyptian Hall Theatre, he brings Holmes with him for a night of diversion.

But for Holmes, the outing leads to something much more stimulating…

A few days later, a corpse is found inside the cabinet used for one of the conjuror’s acts at the theatre, and at first it appears the death was accidental.

But Holmes soon realises it was the result of something more sinister. And lurking beneath the surface of the magician’s code of conduct is a murky world of false identities and professional jealousy.

There are secrets in the world of illusion that people would kill to keep hidden…

And if they are not careful, Holmes and Stamford could be the next targets…

Sherlock Holmes and the Mycroft Incident is Published Today

Congratulations to Linda Stratmann, whose absorbing historical mystery, Sherlock Holmes and the Mycroft Incident, is published today!

Sherlock Holmes and the Mycroft Incident is the seventh Victorian crime thriller in the Early Casebook of Sherlock Holmes series.

1877

A trusted government courier, Anthony Cloudsdale, has gone missing after delivering some secret documents.

The police are questioning everyone who works at Whitehall, and their attention has been drawn to a young clerk, Joshua Emmett, who is in need of funds and might have been vulnerable to bribery.

Emmett is an old schoolfriend of Mycroft Holmes and Mycroft approaches his private-investigator brother, Sherlock Holmes for help.

Holmes and Mycroft collaborate with the assistance of Holmes’ trusted friend Mr Stamford, but each time they discover new information about Cloudsdale’s disappearance, it appears to provide evidence of Emmett’s involvement.

And when a body is found in the Thames, Emmett is arrested.

But is the body Cloudsdale’s? Can Sherlock prove Emmett’s innocence?

Or is Mycroft trying to protect a guilty man…?

Sapere Books Sign New Early Casebook of Sherlock Holmes Books by Linda Stratmann

We are thrilled to announce that we have signed three new instalments of the Early Casebook of Sherlock Holmes series by Linda Stratmann.

*Book 1 in the Early Casebook of Sherlock Holmes series*

The series follows the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and his acquaintance Mr Stamford during their years at St Bartholomew’s Medical College.

In Linda’s words:

“I am delighted to have signed with Sapere for three more books in the Early Casebook of Sherlock Holmes series, my chronicle of his youthful adventures. In these next three we will meet a young Mycroft, enter the world of theatrical illusions, and encounter a devious confidence trickster with a mysterious device.

“My grateful thanks are due to the dedicated team at Sapere Books, for their invaluable support, and the friendly encouragement of the growing family of Sapere authors.”

Sherlock Holmes and the Legend of the Great Auk is Published Today

Congratulations to Linda Stratmann, whose atmospheric historical mystery, Sherlock Holmes and the Legend of the Great Auk, is published today!

Sherlock Holmes and the Legend of the Great Auk is the fifth Victorian crime thriller in the Early Casebook of Sherlock Holmes series.

London, 1877

The unveiling of a new specimen of the extinct Great Auk leads to accusations of fraud against the British Museum and a ferocious attack on the exhibit by ornithologist Charles Smith.

Sherlock Holmes is tasked with saving the reputation of the museum, but before long, Smith is found murdered.

Police think it was a random robbery gone wrong but when Holmes examines the crime scene, he is sure there is more to it.

Aided by his loyal friend Mr Stamford, Holmes is determined to discover if the museum has something to hide.

Is there more to the legend of the Great Auk? Why has this exhibit attracted so much controversy?

Could more lives be in danger…?

Happy Publication Day to J. C. Briggs!

Congratulations to J. C. Briggs, whose thrilling Dickensian adventure, The Jaggard Case, is published today!

The Jaggard Case is the tenth urban mystery in J. C. Briggs’ literary historical series, the Charles Dickens investigations, a traditional British detective series set in Victorian London.

London, 1851

With Superintendent Sam Jones away in Southampton on the trail of missing murderer Martin Jaggard, his wife, Elizabeth, enlists the help of Charles Dickens when her beloved servant, Posy, goes missing.

Meanwhile, Jones apprehends Jaggard’s mistress, Cora Davies, who is in possession of stolen jewels belonging to Jaggard’s murder victim, Sir William Pell.

But Jones is no closer to finding the man himself, so he returns to London where he believes Jaggard may be hiding.

Dickens and Jones discover that their separate cases both have links to Clerkenwell – a notorious haunt for criminals and forgers.

And when they suspect they are being followed, they realise Jaggard may be onto them.

Was Jaggard behind Posy’s abduction? Is the servant girl still alive?

Or will more victims be found dead in the mysterious Jaggard Case…?

Sherlock Holmes and the Ebony Idol is Out Now

Congratulations to Linda Stratmann, whose gripping historical mystery, Sherlock Holmes and the Ebony Idol, is published today! Sherlock Holmes and the Ebony Idol is the third Victorian crime thriller in the Early Casebook of Sherlock Holmes series.

When a pugilist dies at a local boxing demonstration attended by medical student Mr Stamford and his acquaintance Sherlock Holmes, a post-mortem reveals the death is due to natural causes.

But when the corpse of another boxer is discovered clutching a small wooden carving – the ebony idol – Holmes begins to suspect that sinister forces are at work.

His suspicions seem confirmed when the companions hear about a previous death in the ring.

Tasked by the man’s widow to bring his killer to justice, Holmes and Stamford are swiftly drawn into their most curious case to date.

Click here to order Sherlock Holmes and the Ebony Idol

Sherlock Holmes and the Explorers’ Club Published Today

Congratulations to Linda Stratmann, whose fabulous historical mystery, Sherlock Holmes and the Explorers’ Club, is published today!

Sherlock Holmes and the Explorers’ Club is the second Victorian crime thriller in the Early Casebook of Sherlock Holmes series.

When the preserved foot of a dead man with extra toes arrives at St Bartholomew’s Medical College, the students are fascinated. However, despite this unusual feature being reported in the press, the man’s identity remains a mystery.

Intrigued by the puzzle, medical student Mr Stamford calls on his acquaintance Sherlock Holmes — an eccentric but brilliant young sleuth — to help him learn more about the deceased.

With only the man’s boots and a few possessions to examine, Holmes relishes the challenge. He soon finds a coded message hidden inside the man’s purse, which suggests a possible connection to criminals or spies.

Over the course of their investigations, Holmes’ and Stamford’s suspicions are strengthened when they learn of further shocking deaths. It soon becomes apparent that the men who died all belonged to the mysterious Explorers Club — and the lives of the remaining members may also be in danger.

Although the deaths look like accidents, Holmes is convinced that the men were murdered. And with conspiracy and intrigue lurking at every turn, he must now expose the secrets of the Explorers’ Club before the next member meets a grisly end…

Click here to order Sherlock Holmes and the Explorers’ Club

Dead Drop Published Today

Congratulations to Marilyn Todd, whose gripping historical mystery, Dead Drop, is published today!

Dead Drop is the fourth book in the Julia McAllister Victorian Mystery series: thrilling British detective novels with a courageous woman sleuth at the centre.

Seeing an easy way to pay off her debts, Julia McAllister takes in three female lodgers from a travelling show.

With musical halls more popular than ever, Buffalo Buck’s Mild West is the perfect antidote to the noise and smoke belching out of the factories, and the tide of Julia’s fortune quickly turns.

Until one of the three girls is found hanging under a bridge.

Julia doesn’t believe it was suicide. Annie had been excited about the future, not depressed.

And when another body is found on the railway line, a distraught widower, inspired by Julia’s role as crime scene photographer, asks for her help as the police are refusing to give out any details.

When Julia raises the matter with Detective Inspector John Collingwood, he explains that they’re keeping the case close to their chest because the body had ligature marks, showing he’d been chained up. Their fears are that this is just the tip of a particularly nasty iceberg.

Is Annie’s death connected to the body on the railway? Can Julia work with Collingwood to solve the mystery?

Or will the secrets they uncover put their lives in grave danger…?

Click here to order Dead Drop

Summons to Murder Published Today

Congratulations to J. C. Briggs, whose absorbing historical mystery, Summons to Murder, is publishing today!

Summons to Murder is set in Victorian England and is the ninth book in the Charles Dickens Investigations series.

Pierce Mallory, a gentleman journalist, is found dead in his lodgings with a gunshot wound in his head and a duelling pistol beside him.

Though the death is deemed a suicide, Mallory’s friends — including Charles Dickens — don’t believe that he would have taken his own life.

Dickens therefore returns to the scene of Mallory’s demise, along with Superintendent Sam Jones from Bow Street. On further investigation, they soon find evidence that Mallory was murdered.

A notorious philanderer, there are plenty of people who could have wanted Mallory dead — including abandoned lovers and jealous husbands.

And as Dickens and Jones dig further into Mallory’s personal affairs, it seems that there are more shocking scandals waiting to be uncovered…

Click here to order Summons to Murder

BAD BLOOD by Marilyn Todd

Marilyn Todd is the author of the Julia McAllister Victorian Mystery series: historical murder mysteries with a courageous woman sleuth embarking on traditional British private investigations in nineteenth-century London.

The case of the Lindbergh baby is infamous. In March 1932, he was snatched from his nursery, a ransom note left in his place, and although the money was paid, two agonising months passed without news. It was pure chance that his body was found, thrown or dumped just off the highway, suggesting he was killed almost immediately after his abduction.

I don’t know if it was because Charles Lindbergh was famous — the first man to fly solo across the Atlantic — but it struck me that all the sympathy for this horrific crime went to the father, rather than both parents. I desperately wanted to change that.

In Bad Blood — the third book in the Julia McAllister series — baby Thomas Forbes is also snatched from his nursery, and a ransom demand is left on the pillow. The difference here is that the money is never collected, and the baby never found. When, eight years later, his father is murdered, Julia’s heart breaks for the woman brought to her knees by these two tragedies. As an amateur sleuth, Julia determines to do whatever it takes to find Thomas.

But as I plotted the novel, I was drawn into other injustices of the era. Not just the social inequalities — class, race and religious divides feature regularly in my books — but also the impact of being a pawn in the marriage game among the powerful and the wealthy. I wanted to explore the misery that comes from being a strong woman trapped in a weak man’s world.

Click here to pre-order BAD BLOOD

Click here to learn more about the Julia McAllister Victorian Mystery Series

Sapere Books Sign a New Sherlock Holmes Series by Linda Stratmann

Following the publication of Linda Stratmann’s sensational Mina Scarletti Mysteries – Victorian crime novels with a courageous woman sleuth at the centre – editorial director Amy Durant has signed up her exciting new series, which follows a young Sherlock Holmes. The first instalment will be published next year.

In Linda’s words:

“22 year old Sherlock Holmes, realising that his destiny is to be the world’s first and best consulting detective, has abandoned conventional education and come to London to acquire the very particular and unusual skills and knowledge he needs for his chosen career. This is Holmes before Watson: youthful, fiery, determined, energetic, still learning his craft. This is the legend in the making, the story of how young Holmes became the Holmes we know.

“Sherlock Holmes is the epitome of the great detective, iconic and instantly recognisable. It was a tremendous thrill to be asked to create new adventures and explore those periods of Holmes’s life which Conan Doyle left to the imagination. It is a pleasure to continue working with the wonderfully supportive team at Sapere Books, and to be a part of the Sapere family of authors.”

Click here to order MR SCARLETTI’S GHOST

Click here to find out more about the Mina Scarletti Mysteries