London. A snowy December, 1888. Sherlock Holmes, 34, is languishing and back on cocaine after a disastrous Ripper investigation. Watson can neither comfort nor rouse his friend - until a strangely encoded letter arrives from Paris.

Bonnie MacBird is passionate about Victorian London and Sherlock Holmes. She lives in an 1890 building right off Baker Street, and fell in love with Holmes as a schoolgirl in her native California. After many years in the entertainment industry as a film executive, Emmy winning producer and screenwriter, she now writes the critically acclaimed Sherlock Holmes Adventure Series for HarperCollins, bringing the much loved detective back, traditional style, in full-length adventures. Meticulous research, a flair for deductions and a decided sense of humour have turned these into fan favourites. ART IN THE BLOOD was translated into seventeen languages and was followed by UNQUIET SPIRITS, THE DEVIL'S DUE and the upcoming THE THREE LOCKS.