A call from an old comrade has Holmes chasing a reported agent of Satan between the towering tors and bottomless bogs of Dartmoor only to find the limits of his own confidence and his Public's esteem. Only Watson stands his friend but even his patience is stretched. Sherlock's retreat to the bees of Sussex serves only to show him that his skills are unique and are desperately needed elsewhere. On returning to London, Holmes finds malign forces have been bringing ridicule to his doorstep. In this tale, the Great Sleuth is brought to life, uniquely, in expressive verse, a favourite form of the...

More Menacing than the Menacing Moors, the Great Metropolis harbours evil and deviltry far more sinister than Dartmoor could offer - it is not for nothing that Watson describes London as the great cesspool draining the Empire of its dregs. Its evil stems from the hearts of the most heartless of men, evil against which a group of stalwart Londoners is determined to act. Knowledge is power and forewarned is forearmed, it is said, but fore-knowledge is fragile and Sherlock must balance probability with instinct, caution with decisiveness, when warned of impending disaster for both City and...

Carl Zuckmayer's illustrious career as one of Central Europe's most prolific and popular playwrights during the years of the Weimar Republic after 1918 was cut short by the Nazi seizure of power in Germany in 1933. His plays were banned during the following twelve years, and he was forced to flee into exile, first in Austria and then in the United States. His return to Germany after the war was fraught with difficulty as he sought to find his place amid the destruction and dislocation of his native land. Zuckmayer finally settled in a remote village in the Swiss Alps, where he died in 1977....

Carl Zuckmayer's illustrious career as one of Central Europe's most prolific and popular playwrights during the years of the Weimar Republic after 1918 was cut short by the Nazi seizure of power in Germany in 1933. His plays were banned during the following twelve years, and he was forced to flee into exile, first in Austria and then in the United States. His return to Germany after the war was fraught with difficulty as he sought to find his place amid the destruction and dislocation of his native land. Zuckmayer finally settled in a remote village in the Swiss Alps, where he died in 1977....

Sherlock Holmes looks on idle and infuriated from the sidelines while evil has Whitechapel in the grip of fear, evil which bears the infamous name of Jack the Ripper a name set to raise the hackles on people s necks for generations to come. A fearful officialdom has declared Sherlock persona non grata but is suffering the wrath of public opinion for its failure to bring the murderer to justice. Sherlock suspects there is more to this ritual of death being performed on London s darkened streets and makes plans for his own inquiry after an ancient brotherhood makes contact. Stanza by stanza,...