‘An exciting period murder mystery’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘If you want a fun mystery to read, I highly recommend it’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Couldn’t put it down!!’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Does death await you in The Eternal City?
1892: Arthur Conan Doyle is intrigued when he first begins to receive mysterious packages addressed to his famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes.
But the contents of the parcels are as gruesome and cryptic as any case Holmes himself tackled: a lock of hair, a severed finger wearing a gold ring, and the hand of a dead man.
The only clue to who has sent them is the postmark from Rome.
Doyle’s friend and fellow author Oscar Wilde persuades him they must track down the perpetrator and identify the victims.
Arriving in Italy, their investigation leads them to connect the parcels with the disappearance of a young girl and to the glittering Vatican City . . .
With danger and death stalking them at every corner, can they unmask the killer before he catches up with them?
A wonderfully witty and gripping cosy historical murder mystery with twists and turns aplenty. Perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie and Richard Osman.
Readers love The Vatican Murders:
‘The plot is constructed wonderfully . . . jumps off the page‘ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A truly enjoyable read from start to finish‘ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This is an excellent mystery series starring Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle among others. Great plots with a mix of history and interesting characters. Totally entertaining‘ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Simply delightful’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Previously published as Oscar Wilde and the Vatican Murders.
‘If you want a fun mystery to read, I highly recommend it’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Couldn’t put it down!!’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Does death await you in The Eternal City?
1892: Arthur Conan Doyle is intrigued when he first begins to receive mysterious packages addressed to his famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes.
But the contents of the parcels are as gruesome and cryptic as any case Holmes himself tackled: a lock of hair, a severed finger wearing a gold ring, and the hand of a dead man.
The only clue to who has sent them is the postmark from Rome.
Doyle’s friend and fellow author Oscar Wilde persuades him they must track down the perpetrator and identify the victims.
Arriving in Italy, their investigation leads them to connect the parcels with the disappearance of a young girl and to the glittering Vatican City . . .
With danger and death stalking them at every corner, can they unmask the killer before he catches up with them?
A wonderfully witty and gripping cosy historical murder mystery with twists and turns aplenty. Perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie and Richard Osman.
Readers love The Vatican Murders:
‘The plot is constructed wonderfully . . . jumps off the page‘ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A truly enjoyable read from start to finish‘ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This is an excellent mystery series starring Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle among others. Great plots with a mix of history and interesting characters. Totally entertaining‘ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Simply delightful’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Previously published as Oscar Wilde and the Vatican Murders.
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Reviews
Gyles Brandreth succeeds magnificently. A plot that is intriguing throughout. A skilfully crafted story that goes all the way
PRAISE FOR GYLES BRANDRETH
Not merely, like all the best after-dinner speakers, does he know how to spin a yarn; unlike most politicians, he has a touching access to the secrets of the human heart
A fine and sympathetic writer
He can tell a story in the way Daphne du Maurier could . . . He creates a world and keeps you there
PRAISE FOR GYLES BRANDRETH'S MURDER MYSTERIES
This wickedly imagined and highly entertaining series . . . intelligent, jaunty and hilarious
Rather fun . . . Brandreth unashamedly wheels out a cast of historical characters to die for
A carnival of cliff-hangers and fiendish twists-and-turns . . . The joy of the book . . . is the rounded and compelling presentation of the character of Wilde . . . The imaginary and the factual are woven together with devilish ingenuity. Brandreth also gives his hero speeches of great beauty and wisdom and humanity
Pitch perfect. Great entertainment
Excellent - a light-hearted and entertaining murder mystery
Fabulous . . . The plot races along like a carriage pulled by thoroughbreds
Very entertaining
This excellent novel . . . I'd be staggered if you'd read many better whodunnits. Brandreth demonstrates supremely measured skill as a story-teller
The plot speeds to an exciting climax . . . Richly atmospheric. Very entertaining
Irresistible . . . Elegant . . . Rich . . . Enjoyable . . . A classic Agatha Christie-style whodunit
One of the most enjoyable crime series around . . . He slips easily into the 21st century, does this Oscar (imagine, if you can, an even higher-wattage Stephen Fry), just as, thanks to Brandreth, we as readers are able to travel effortlessly back to join him in his own age. It is well worth the journey - and I can't wait until the next one
The murders begin. Highly theatrical ones . . . Entertaining and meticulously researched
A cleverly plotted, intelligent and thoroughly diverting murder mystery. This novel is an educated page-turner, a feast of intriguing and light-hearted entertainment
Inventive . . . brilliant . . . marvellous . . . glittering . . . graceful . . . intricate . . . enthralling
The latest witty installment in Gyles Brandreth's hugely enjoyable series of Victorian murder mysteries
What sets the novel apart is Brandreth's talent for conveying time and place. The barbarism of close confinement has rarely been so graphically and movingly portrayed
Gyles Brandreth's Murder Mysteries just get better and better . . . and this is the best so far
One of the most intelligent, amusing and entertaining books of the year. If Oscar Wilde himself had been asked to write this book he could not have done it any better
Genius . . . Wilde has sprung back to life in this thrilling and richly atmospheric new novel . . . The perfect topography for crime and mystery . . . magnificent . . . an unforgettable shocker about sex and vice, love and death
Brandreth has poured his considerable familiarity with London into a witty fin de siecle entertainment, and the rattlingly elegant dialogue is peppered with witticisms uttered by Wilde well before he ever thought of putting them into his plays
Classically twisty
Gyles Brandreth and Oscar Wilde seem made for one another . . . the complex and nicely structured plot zips along
An amiably enjoyable Victorian murder mystery
This is to be a series and if they're all as enjoyable as the first, they'll all be surefire best-sellers . . . The plot races along like a carriage pulled by thoroughbreds . . . So enjoyably plausible
This bounces along with vim and wit. Beautifully packaged
Both a romp through fin-de-siècle London . . . and a carefully researched portrait of Oscar Wilde . . . Very entertaining
Brandreth has the Wildean lingo down pat and the narrative is dusted with piquant social observations. A sparkling treat for fans of Wilde and Sherlock Holmes alike
Wilde as detective is thoroughly convincing . . . The period, and the two or three worlds in which Wilde himself moved, are richly evoked . . . an excellent detective story. I'm keenly looking forward to the rest of the series
Brandreth knows his Wilde . . . Candlelight Murders is an excellent read, and it seems the scene may be set for others in the same style -- and with the same lead character
This is not only a good piece of detective fiction in its own right, it is highly entertaining, spiced as it is with Wildean sayings, both real and invented and the imagined conversations and intellectual sparring between Wilde and Conan Doyle. Future tales in the series are something to look forward to
Brandreth's accomplishment is evident in the force of Wilde's personality, which fairly leaps off the page . . . readers will delight in the effortless characterization and deft portrait of late Victorian England
I always wanted to meet Oscar Wilde and now I feel that I have done, and shared a terrific, bizarre and frightening adventure with him. I recommend the experience
This excellent novel . . . I'd be staggered if you'd read many better whodunnits. Brandreth demonstrates supremely measured skill as a story-teller
The rollocking tale . . . a witty and gripping portrayal of corruption in late Victorian London, and one of which Wilde and Sir Arthur would be proud
Hugely enjoyable - reminds us just how enjoyable a well-told traditional murder mystery can be
