In one of his most disturbing cases yet, Sherlock Holmes is called to the prestigious Albany in Piccadilly, the famously discreet residence for notable and wealthy bachelors, to investigate the disappearance of resident Ethby Sands and his valet. When nothing appears untoward, Holmes and Watson depart to investigate a murder in Norfolk. Holmes is supremely confident in his ability to solve the crime, but when a second murder takes place, just as grisly as the first, and it becomes clear that the missing man may be connected to the atrocities, a far more sinister web of intrigue begins to emerge that will test the great detective to the very limits of his powers.

In his latest new case for Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, N. M. Scott once again takes his readers on a gripping journey through Victorian England, from the West End theatres to the chilly Norfolk Broads, taking in the famous Albany, the Royal Geographical Society, exotic explorations of the tropics and the mysteries of Chinese herbal medicine along the way.

N. M. Scott was born and educated in south London, and after a career in advertising moved to Rottingdean, East Sussex, where he now lives and works. He maintains a lifelong interest in the history of transport, along with church architecture and, of course, the 'Canon' of Sherlock Holmes. This is his fourth Sherlock book with Book Guild, and his sixth in total.