KEY POINTS:
"The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it,' is one of my favourite Oscar Wilde quotes. This and many more are cannily woven into this engaging tale, the first of a planned series of nine mystery novels involving the famous 19th century playwright.
Brandreth presents Wilde as a sleuth, enlisting the help of none other than Dr Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Wilde finds the brutally murdered body of his pupil, the beautiful young prostitute Billy Wood. But the classic mystery is really only a vehicle to showcase the flamboyant Wilde, whose charm bursts from each page.
Late Victorian London is effortlessly recreated with its seedy boarding houses, the Albemarle Club for gentlemen, obsequious servants, rent boys, all-male secret societies, mysterious women, and the plodders at Scotland Yard. We jolt through fog-filled lanes in horse-driven cabs regaled by Wilde's unique wit, his acute observation and unconventional views masked by perfect manners.
*John Murray/Hachette Livre, $36.99
-Detours, HoS
