The Serpent Under (A Sherlock Holmes Adventure, Book 6)
This delightful novel is the sixth in author MacBird’s bestselling pastiche series. Not only is she faithful to Doyle’s canon, but her skills provide a fluid, page turning, enjoyable read delivered by charming Dr. Watson. MacBird is clearly passionate about Victorian London and Sherlock Holmes.
Themes embraced include: treachery, jealousy, deceit, danger and murder with almost enough bodies for a Shakespearean tragedy. In 1891, the indomitable Sherlock Holmes is summoned to Windsor Castle when a beautiful young courtier, Jane Wandley, is found dead and grossly disfigured: an ouroboros, an ancient alchemical symbol, tattooed on her face. The plot resonates with snake imagery. Only Holmes connects the dots between this harrowing murder and a Gypsy boy drowned in the Serpentine River. With impeccable pacing, red herrings and cleverly placed clues, the reader is invited to solve the case with our fictional master detective. Don’t despair if baffled; all is revealed in the final chapters. Highly recommended.
