'The stories are atmospheric, fast-moving, ingenious and very enjoyable.' - Roger Johnson, The District Messenger

Inspector Lestrade was a worried man. He was facing the biggest case of his career. The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and the Governor of the Bank of England had learnt through a variety of sources - a private bank in Vienna, an Anglophile moneylender in Munich, a reliable tip off from the Casino in Monte Carlo - that Britain's enemies were trying to debase the currency. Sherlock Holmes has retired to keep his bees in Sussex, Dr Watson is curing the sick. So Lestrade turns to Holmes's elder brother Mycroft, still keeping to his unchanging routine between his rooms in Pall Mall, the Government Offices where he audits all Government Departments, and the silent quarters of the Diogenes Club. Mycroft tracks the gang through the banks and Treasuries of Europe, his brain travelling faster than the swiftest express train.

Will Mycroft and Lestrade solve the mystery? And who is the mysterious stranger who led them to the gang's hiding place and then vanished, last seen striding rapidly into the fog?

David Dickinson's brilliant new short novel will appeal to fans of Sherlock Holmes, of detective fiction, and of historical mysteries. It recreates the style and atmosphere of the original stories, but with a compelling new character. The first in a news series, it will establish Mycroft as a worthy successor to his more famous brother.

Praise for David Dickinson

'One of the story's strengths is the portrait it paints of Mycroft, a picture rich with details about his lifestyle, habits, and associates...mystery itself is straightforward and fast-paced...provides new perspectives to enjoy' - Baker Street Babes Podcast

'A cracking yarn, beguilingly real from start to finish... you have to pinch yourself to remind you that it is fiction - or is it?' - Peter Snow

'This is detective fiction in the grand style; the characters and the plot soar upwards and carry us in their wake. Powerscourt's debut in this intoxicating book is the start of a gilded life in the archives of crime.' - James Naughtie

'In this excellent novel, Dickinson weaves a tale of blackmail and murder among the royals late in Victoria's reign... One hopes to see more of Lord Powerscourt and his friends in the near future.' - Publishers Weekly

David Dickinson is the best-selling author of the Lord Powerscourt series of historical mysteries, including 'Death of a Pilgrim' and 'Death of an Old Master'.