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Book Giveaway For The Stone of Destiny: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure

Book Giveaway For The Stone of Destiny: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure

During the elaborate funeral for Queen Victoria, a group of Irish separatists breaks into Westminster Abbey and steals the Coronation Stone, on which every monarch of England has been crowned since the 14th century. After learning of the theft from Mycroft, Sherlock Holmes is tasked with recovering the stone and returning it to England. In pursuit of the many-named stone, which has a rich and colorful history, Holmes and Watson travel to Ireland in disguise as they try to infiltrate the Irish Republican Brotherhood, the group they believe responsible for the theft. The story features a number of historical characters, including a very young Michael Collins, who would go on to play a prominent role in Irish history; John Theodore Tussaud, the grandson of Madame Tussaud; and George Bradley, the dean of Westminster at the time of the theft. There are also references to a number of other Victorian luminaries, including Joseph Lister and Frederick Treves. For fans of Conan Doyle’s immortal detective, the game is always afoot. However, for the great detective the stakes have never been higher as he must mollify a king who refuses to ascend the throne until “order has been restored.”

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The Stone of Destiny: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure is available for pre order from all good bookstores including The Strand Magazine,  Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstones UKand for free shipping worldwide Book Depository.

9781787050839

 

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Review of The Vatican Cameos

Ryan’s series debut is a must for die-hard Sherlock Holmes fans. Crafted in Arthur Conan Doyle’s style, it opens with a Roman Catholic cardinal asking Holmes’ help in recovering cameos created by Michelangelo in the 16th century that have been stolen from the Vatican.

In Rome, Holmes’ and Watson’s sleuthing is rife with familiar ACD trappings, from their respective character traits and procedural approach to problem solving, on to the imaginative means of maneuvering around inevitable hurdles, and down to the trademark minutiae of ACD’s storytelling.

The action time-travels between 1501, when the cameos were created, and 1901, when Holmes and Watson meet with Pope Leo XII. Compatible to a fault with the arcane aspects of ACD’s Sherlock, the story offers a well-researched cultural history of the papacy.

Ryan, author of “The Official Sherlock Holmes Trivia Book (Quinlan Press), is at work on his next Holmes mystery.

Reviewed by Fran Wood

The Vatican Cameos is available from all good bookstores including The Strand MagazineAmazon USA, Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK and for free shipping worldwide Book Depository. In ebook format it is in Kindle, Kobo, Nook and Apple iBooks (iPad/iPhone). Also available on Audible.

FRONT COVER

 

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Book of the Week on Crime Thriller Hound

Book of the Week on Crime Thriller Hound –  The Vatican Cameos: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure

When the papal apartments are burgled in 1901, Sherlock Holmes is summoned to Rome by Pope Leo XII. After learning from the pontiff that several priceless cameos that could prove compromising to the church, and perhaps determine the future of the newly unified Italy, have been stolen, Holmes is asked to recover them.  In a parallel story, Michelangelo, the toast of Rome in 1501 after the unveiling of his Pieta, is commissioned by Pope Alexander VI, the last of the Borgia pontiffs, with creating the cameos that will bedevil Holmes and the papacy four centuries later. For fans of Conan Doyle’s immortal detective, the game is always afoot. However, the great detective has never encountered an adversary quite like the one with whom he crosses swords in “The Vatican Cameos.”.

An extravagantly imagined and beautifully written Holmes story” reviewed by Lee Child.

The Vatican Cameos is available for from all good bookstores including The Strand Magazine, Amazon USA, Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK and for free shipping worldwide Book Depository. In ebook format it is in Kindle, Kobo, Nook and Apple iBooks (iPad/iPhone). Also available on Audible.

FRONT COVER

 

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