The Candlelight Murders

'As good as Sherlock!!' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Just so entertaining to read!' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'What joy! What a mystery! What a tale!' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
As his eyes adjusted to the gloom of the attic, he saw by the light of guttering candles, stretched out on the floor before him, the body of a young man, his throat cut from ear to ear . . .
London, 1889: Famous writer Oscar Wilde is the toast of London town. But when the body of a young man of his acquaintance is found in a dark attic room, surrounded by candles, he knows he can't rest until the killer is behind bars.
Appealing to fellow author Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the great Sherlock Holmes, the pair set out to solve the crime.
But unravelling a real-life plot is very different to writing one. Can Wilde and Doyle outsmart the murderer hiding in the shadows, before it's too late?
A wonderfully witty and gripping cosy historical mystery to transport you to the grand drawing rooms and back alleys of London. Perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie and Richard Osman.
Readers love The Candlelight Murders:
'I devoured this book in mere days and immediately moved on to the second in the series' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Exciting, fast paced, at times humorous and with a dramatic denouement at the finish just like any good murder mystery . . . A great read' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Entertaining, charming and evocative' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'This series is just what I needed; immersive, funny, clever, educational, and easy to read in the best of ways' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'If you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes and of Oscar Wilde, this is the book for you . . . Wonderful . . . The mystery itself is intriguing and the answer is shocking' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Previously published as Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders.

Gyles Brandreth

Praise for Gyles Brandreth and Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders -- - 'Brandreth has poured his considerable familiarity with London into a witty fin de siecle entertainment, and the rattlingly elegant dialogue is peppered with witticisms uttered by Wilde well before he ever thought of putting them into his plays' -- Sunday Times One of the most intelligent, amusing and entertaining books of the year. If Oscar Wilde himself had been asked to write this book he could not have done it any better.' -- Alexander McCall Smith 'Genius ... Wilde has sprung back to life in this thrilling and richly atmospheric new novel...The perfect topography for crime and mystery ... magnificent ... an unforgettable shocker about sex and vice, love and death' -- Sunday Express 'Very funny' -- Independent on Sunday 'Gyles Brandreth and Oscar Wilde seem made for one another ... There is much here to enjoy ... the complex and nicely structured plot zips along.' -- Daily Telegraph 'This is to be a series and if they're all as enjoyable as the first, they'll all be surefire best-sellers ... The plot races along like a carriage pulled by thoroughbreds ... So enjoyably plausible' -- The Scotsman 'Both a romp through fin-de-siecle London ... and a carefully researched portrait of Oscar Wilde ... Very entertaining' -- Literary Review 'Brandreth has the Wildean lingo down pat and the narrative is dusted with piquant social observations. A sparkling treat for fans of Wilde and Sherlock Holmes alike' -- Easy Living 'Wilde as detective is thoroughly convincing... The period, and the two or three worlds in which Wilde himself moved, are richly evoked ... Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders is an excellent detective story. I'm keenly looking forward to the rest of the series' -- The District Messenger, Journal of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London 'Brandreth knows his Wilde ... Candlelight Murders is an excellent read, and it seems the scene may be set for others in the same style -- and with the same lead character' -- Gay Times 'This is not only a good piece of detective fiction in its own right, it is highly entertaining, spiced as it is with Wildean sayings, both real and invented and the imagined conversations and intellectual sparring between Wilde and Conan Doyle. Future tales in the series are something to look forward to' -- Leicester Mercury 'Brandreth's accomplishment is evident in the force of Wilde's personality, which fairly leaps off the page...readers will delight in the effortless characterization and deft portrait of late Victorian England.' -- Stephanie Barron 'I always wanted to meet Oscar Wilde and now I feel that I have done, and shared a terrific, bizarre and frightening adventure with him. I recommend the experience.' -- Anne Perry 'This excellent novel ... I'd be staggered if, by the end of 2007, you'd read many better whodunnits. Brandreth demonstrates supremely measured skill as a story-teller.' -- Nottingham Evening Post 'The rollocking tale...a witty and gripping portrayal of corruption in late Victorian London,a nd one of which Wilde and Sir Arthur would be proud' -- Livewire PRAISE FOR GYLES BRANDRETH'Not merely, like all the best after-dinner speakers, does he know how to spin a yarn; unlike most politicians, he has a touching access to the secrets of the human heart' -- The Times 'A fine and sympathetic writer' -- The Times Literary Supplement 'He can tell a story in the way Daphne du Maurier could ... He creates a world and keeps you there' -- Sunday Express