Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an author, poet, playwright, and due to his flamboyant style, a major celebrity of his time. The scandal that brought about his downfall—his affair with an aristocratic young gentleman was publicly exposed—made him an even hotter item of gossip. But between his fame and his decline, Oscar Wilde (at least according to the mystery series penned by Gyles Brandreth) was one of the most intuitive detectives solving crime on the mean streets of Victorian London. For his first case, Oscar investigates the death of sixteen-year-old model Billy Wood. Oscar walks in moments after the murder, but when he brings friends Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of Sherlock Holmes) and Robert Sherard (poet and eventual Wilde biographer) back to the scene of the crime, the room has been wiped clean of all evidence—including Billy’s body. Oscar, with his contrary nature that has him waxing poetic one moment and making Sherlockian deductions the next, follows clues and culprits while his pals and the police try to convince him that nothing can possibly be done. Of course Oscar prevails, and the result is a stylish, authentic, and highly entertaining mystery.

posted Dec 7, 2010 at 12:45PM

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