February 27, 2017
An intriguing central mystery isn’t enough to compensate for the unmemorable plot and characters of Harris’s fifth Victorian whodunit (after 2016’s The Dalwich Desecration). Imperious Eugenia Endicott consults private investigator Colin Pendragon, a pale imitation of Sherlock Holmes, after she fails to get satisfaction from Scotland Yard in the matter of her octogenarian sister Adelaide’s death. Adelaide, who was quite infirm, fell from her bedroom window in what the police quickly categorized as a suicide. Eugenia insists that her sibling was murdered, despite the testimony of a witness, the victim’s footman, that Adelaide unlatched the window before hurling herself to the cobblestones. Colin and his unassuming sidekick, Ethan Pruitt, accept the case, which takes a surprising turn after they learn that Adelaide’s house is rumored to have been haunted by ghosts. A loose end from 2015’s The Connicle Curse will distract readers familiar with the earlier book and confuse newcomers. Agent: Kathy Green, Kathy Green Agency.