Book excerpt: Secrets, suspense, and conspiracy. London through the eyes of the great Sherlock Holmes As Dr Watson’s old manuscripts, deliberately unpublished to protect the names of those they concern, are released into the public, a multitude of previously unseen cases are revealed. An American millionaire receives threatening letters from a sinister Black Hand... A mysterious box terrifies a shop keeper... Holmes and Watson feel the influence of an old enemy from beyond the grave... And a tragedy occurs which Sherlock Holmes will never be able to forgive himself for failing to prevent. From the smoky streets of London to a countryside mental institution, the renowned detective and his faithful sidekick Watson must use all their cunning skills to solve this array of mysteries. With murders, madness and diamonds abound, June Thomson continues the Holmes canon with a brilliance and ingenuity that perfectly captures where Conan Doyle left off. JUNE THOMSON, a former teacher, has published over thirty novels, twenty of which feature her series detective Inspector Jack Finch and his sergeant, Tom Boyce. She has also written six pastiche collections of Sherlock Holmes short stories. Her books have been translated into many languages. June Thomson lives in St Albans, Hertfordshire.