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Hidden Fires

Book 1 in the series:Holmes Before Baker Street

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Hidden Fires is a gripping Sherlock Holmes adventure set in the late 1800s, portraying a young Holmes before meeting Watson. The book is filled with intricate details that transport readers into the heart of London, making them feel like part of the plot alongside the well-written characters. The narrative style is captivating, with a nice blend of origin stories that stay true to the essence of Sherlock Holmes storytelling.

Characters:

Characters in the story are rich and complex, portraying a young Holmes authentically along with well-developed supporting characters.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is characterized by careful yet swift pacing and vivid descriptions that draw readers into the story.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot provides an engaging backstory featuring a young Holmes, with numerous twists that keep readers captivated.

Setting:

The setting is richly detailed late 1800s London, effectively immersing readers in the historical context.

Pacing:

The pacing is fast and suspenseful, maintaining engagement throughout while allowing for character development.

Notes:

The book provides backstory on a woman Holmes mentioned in "Sign of Four."
Readers find the book engaging and often can’t put it down.
You don’t need to be a die-hard Sherlock Holmes fan to enjoy the story.
The pacing is both careful and quick, keeping readers on their toes.
The author respects the spirit of original Sherlock Holmes tales while adding excitement.
The story includes plot twists that surprise readers.
Holmes is portrayed as a young man just starting his career.
The book offers notes that link the story to the original Sherlock tales.
Visual descriptions transport readers to late 1800s London.
The characters are well-developed and stick to the roots of the original stories.

From The Publisher:

"I assure you that the most winning woman I ever knew was hanged for poisoning three little children for their insurance money." Sherlock Holmes to Dr. Watson in The Sign of Four.

Early 1902 - On the eve of Newgate Prison's demolition, Watson spies Holmes leaving a public sale of the prison's miscellany in the company of a beautiful stranger and in possession of an unusual trophy: the death mask of a woman who, more than twenty years earlier, had been executed for the murder of her three children. Holmes agrees to satisfy Watson's curiosity about the memento by recounting the decades-old history of its subject.

Late December, 1878. A young Sherlock Holmes is living in a modest room at Montague Street, dividing his time between the lecture halls and the laboratories, "...studying all those branches of science which might make me more efficient". At the shop of the eccentric, old bookseller, Brodie, Holmes is introduced to the beautiful Violet Rose Turner, the young mistress and protégé of Professor James Moriarty, and the mother of his three children.

When a house fire takes the lives of Moriarty's children, it is presumed to be accidental until Miss Turner's suspicious conduct prompts a further investigation, which reveals that the children had been poisoned before the fire was deliberately set. Miss Turner is charged with the murders; as her trial proceeds, Holmes sets out to prove her innocence, yet each of his discoveries seems only to confirm her guilt even as the court-room testimony assures her conviction. Not until the sentence is carried out does Holmes happen upon a scrap of evidence that sets off "...that mixture of imagination and reality which is the basis of my art" and leads to the exposure of a brilliant and sinister deception.

Hidden Fires is equal parts complex puzzle, Victorian era thriller, and an "origin story" that explains familiar elements of Holmes' background and character: a distrust of women that exempts the "Violets" who are always treated chivalrously; an acquaintance with the "street urchin" Wiggins; the acquisition of a priceless Stradivarius; and the real inspiration for that bullet-marked V. R. above his sitting room mantle.

Join Watson as Holmes recounts "...one of the most extraordinary narratives of my friend's career - indeed, one which may have shaped what he was to become."

 
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