A Study in Secrets

by Jeffrey Siger

A retired gentleman with a complicated past. A missing priceless treasure. A young woman in trouble. The first in the brand-new Redacted Man mystery series set in NYC introduces a Sherlock Holmes-worthy sleuth, and is a great choice for fans of Anthony Horowitz, Robert Galbraith, and Ann Cleeves.

Michael A— lives a quiet, comfortable life since his retirement from the intelligence services. Practically a recluse, he spends his days imagining the lives of the anonymous people he watches in the park beneath the window of his elegant New York townhouse—number 221—his every need tended to by his housekeeper, Mrs. Baker.

For weeks, a girl has sat in the park every morning at dawn. Always alone. Always watchful. And when the sun rises, she vanishes, as if she was never there.

But one day her routine changes—and Michael realizes that she faces terrible danger. He makes an uncharacteristic decision to abandon his solitude and help her. Soon, Michael finds himself plunged into the New York underworld, and he’ll have to use all the tricks of his former trade if he’s to keep not just himself, but his new friend, alive.

A Study in Secrets is the first in a new amateur sleuth mystery series from Jeffrey Siger, author of the critically acclaimed Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis Mysteries set in Greece.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, New York

224 pages, Hardcover

Published February 3, 2026

About the author

I am an American living on the Aegean Greek island of Mykonos. A Pittsburgh native and former Wall Street lawyer, I gave up my career as a name partner in my own New York City law firm to write mystery thrillers that tell more than just a fast-paced story. My novels are aimed at exploring serious societal issues confronting modern day Greece in a tell-it-like-it-is style while touching upon the country's ancient roots.

Some Mykonian friends told me if I started sprinkling murders with a message across my adopted country's tourist paradises, I'd likely be banished, if not hung. No one was more amazed than I when my debut novel, Murder in Mykonos (a sort of Mamma Mia setting for a No Country for Old Men story), became Greece's #1 best selling English-language novel (and a best-seller in Greek, as well).

As of September 2016 I have eight Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis novels out there and receive no more than the customary number of death threats. I'm diligently trying to improve my percentage in that regard with posts about Greece each Saturday on the Murder is Everywhere blogsite I share with nine renowned mystery writers from around the world.

It's been a remarkable journey, punctuated most notably by The New York Times selecting the fourth in my Andreas Kaldis series (Target: Tinos) as one of its five "picks for the beach" while calling the entire series, "thoughtful police procedurals set in picturesque but not untroubled Greek locales;" Left Coast Crime's nomination of the fifth in the series (Mykonos After Midnight) in 2014 as Best Mystery in a Foreign Setting; a 2016 Barry Award Best Novel Nomination for my seventh in the series (Devil of Delphi); starred reviews and official government citations; and this quote from Fodor's Greek Islands Travel Guide under a section titled "Mykonos After Dark," which colleagues say I should consider the equivalent of winning an Oscar: "Some say that after midnight, Mykonos is all nightlife—this throbbing beat is the backdrop to Jeffrey Siger's popular mystery, Murder in Mykonos."

My work is published in the US, UK, Germany (German), and Greece (Greek and English), and I'm honored to have served as Chair of the National Board of Bouchercon, the world's largest mystery convention, and as Adjunct Professor of English at Washington & Jefferson College, teaching mystery writing.

Reviews

[Jourdan Osho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael A— a former intelligence agent turned voluntary recluse, spends his days in his grand townhouse, observing the strangers he’s chosen to avoid while composing imagined stories about their lives.

Until one morning, he notices a change in the routine of one of his silent subjects. His instinct tells him she’s in danger leading Michael to make the rare decision to break from his self-imposed state of solitude and intervene.

What begins as a simple act of help catapults him into New York’s criminal underworld, forcing him to call on the skills of his past to keep himself and those now involved alive.

A Study in Secrets is a thriller that moves at a brisk pace without ever once feeling rushed. The writing is top tier, skilfully weaving through multiple plot threads without disturbing the flow of the main story.

The smooth transitions between scenes helps to keep you fully immersed in the story I never once wanted to put this book down ( finished in less than 24 hours :D ).
Another element of the book i appreciated was that the dialogue throughout never felt wasted.
Every exchange felt intentional serving the purpose of driving the story forward.

Despite its fast pace, Siger knew when to slow down the story and allow the gravity and emotion of key moments to develop and bloom.

If you’ve seen The Equalizer or read a Lincoln Rhyme novel by Jeffery Deaver, you’ll have a sense of the tone- gripping, intelligent and more importantly deeply satisfying.

This is one thriller you can’t afford to miss. I honestly can’t wait for the next instalment in the series.

Thank you to Jeffrey Siger and Severn House for an advanced copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[MJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Strong beginning with the next Sherlock Holmes imitation, but sadly petering out into violence and an all too happy ending.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engrossing thriller with a wonderful cast of characters! Michael is a retired intelligence operative who lives a reclusive life in his New York apartment, looking out of the window at the park below. His only companion is his housekeeper who looks after him.
Everyday he sees a young girl in a grey coat and he wonders what reason she has for wandering round the park and sitting on the bench near his window. One day she spends the night on the bench and Michael , fearing for her safety, sends Gabriel, a local cafe owner to keep an eye on her, worried she could be attacked alone all night in the park.
When he finally hears Angel”s story he realises that she is an innocent who has become involved with some very bad people. Determined to save her he decides to hide her in his house and give her a new life.
In an effort to further help her he tracks down a pair of psychologists who have acquired a treasure that does not belong to them and which has also attracted the attention of the same particularly unpleasant gangsters. Somehow they are connected to Angel’s predicament.
Michael uses his former skills to try and extricate Angel from her situation and in the course of helping her reintegrates himself into society by actually talking to people again, finally coming to terms with his guilt for past events.
This is a clever story and a really enjoyable read. I loved all the characters, Michael, Angel, Mrs Baker , the house keeper and Gabriel, cafe owner and son of Michael’s old friend. They were all quirky people but with kind hearts.
I believe this is the start of a series and I’m certainly looking forward to reading more about Michael, the redacted man and intelligent mystery solver. Recommended!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

[Lori Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received as an ARC through Netgalley, this is an honest review. Thanks to Severn House for the approval to read this immersive masterpiece and to author Jeffrey Siger for writing it.

From his plush home overlooking a park Michael can imagine from his perch all kinds of stories from people he views; a comfort the finds after a life where ultimately the trust Michael put into humanity terribly destroyed him, leaving him to be a shadow outside of life's stage. From the moment he views a young teen girl taking refuge upon one of the park's benches, Michael makes a fateful decision and takes in Angel to give her a life she could never imagine as a courier for a man that runs anything and everything in the dark side of the law. When a twist a fate puts a spotlight upon Angel and when she could know, Michael embraces his training as an intelligence officer to protect Angel from those; that regardless of ethics, could cost her freedom- or her life. Even when Michael picks up looking out for a brother and sister pair of psychiatrists getting over their heads by holding onto an item others will ruthlessly assault for; Michael finds himself becoming a leader of band of broken misfits with each person's final fate are deeply interwoven it'll take talent and luck to survive.


From the first page to the last word, A Study In Secrets is breathtaking poignant and harrowingly profound.

Highly recommended.

[LaShana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad for a new series

[Kevintipple · Rating 5 out of 5]

As A Study in Secrets: A Redacted Man Mystery by Jeffrey Siger begins, Michael likes to sit in his penthouse window and imagine the lives of the people he sees that pass by his home. The wealthy recluse has a good perch as his townhouse faces an entrance to the neighborhood park directly across the street. A former intelligence operative who gave a lot to this country, physically, emotionally, and every other way possible, lives a life of quiet isolation. He rarely goes out and has very limited social contact. If it wasn’t for his housekeeper, Mrs. Baker, he might not speak to another person for days.

He has many people to people watch from his perch as he envisions their imaginary lives. He does not know their names, their occupations, or anything else real about them. He watches them, the strays and the regulars, and creates stories in his head of them and how they are going about their day. That includes a regular, a young woman in her gray coat, who daily sits on one of the park benches at the entrance to the park. She arrives shortly before dawn each day, and once the sun is up, walks deeper inside the park and becomes lost to his view.

While he imagines her life one way, her actual reality is far different. She has a routine that she must follow, with no exceptions. Her boss made that very clear on her first day. The same boss who is soon very dead on the floor of the apartment she shares with two other women.

Thanks to her boss being shot in the head, she now has no job. She can’t stay there. She can’t go to the cops. She certainly can’t tell anyone about her job. How much the roommates know about what she does, she has no idea, but they can’t be trusted either. She has no money, no resources, and no option other than to sleep on the bench at the edge of the park. It is dangerous, but that park bench is the one place that she feels any safety at all.

Fortunately, for her, Michael is awake and watching when she goes to the bench and lies down to sleep. He has always been intrigued by her. Haunted by those he failed to save, the elderly man is not going to let her sleep there unprotected. He certainly can’t just walk over and bring her home. With no other choice, as he sees it, he calls a person he has not spoken to in decades to ask for help for her.

That action by Michael starts a domino chain of events as the figure on the bench needs a lot of help. That help will come in many different ways as the threat to her life evolves again and again.

Beyond the obvious references to the legendary Sherlock Holmes, what struck my me most was how much this setup reminded me of the original The Equalizer TV show. During the last half of the 80s, CBS aired the drama. Edward Woodward was the dashing and sophisticated Robert McCall. He was a former intelligence operative and a man of considerable means. He was also your way out if you had no one else to help. All you had to do was call him by way of his newspaper ad. Back then, it was must see viewing for my late wife and me. It was also far and away superior to the rebooted version that CBS came up with in recent years.

That premise seems to be at work here, as I read the novel. Elderly man with a cane and plenty of money, a recluse who retired after a long career in the intelligence services, disengaged from the world, is pushed into a situation where he is compelled to help a very vulnerable young woman. That push to help begins to break him free of the protective shell he has created around himself. He gradually reengages with the world and the people around him, one slow step at a time.

That decision to contact somebody he has not spoken to in decades to get her help as she laid on the bench that cold night, starts a chain that changes everything for quite a few people in this very enjoyable first book of the new series. A solidly good read that gradually builds the tempo to a very satisfying conclusion. A Study in Secrets: A Redacted Man Mystery by Jeffrey Siger is well your time and attention.


My digital ARC came by way of the publisher, Severn House, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.


Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

[David Prestidge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeffrey Siger temporarily abandons his Greek crime thrillers to bring us to New York, where an elderly former intelligence agent lives a solitary life, cared for by his housekeeper, a Mrs Baker. The man, known to us only as Michael, lives in a grand townhouse numbered 221. So, we can see the drift. While this isn’t remotely a Sherlockian pastiche, the shadow of the great man hovers in the background. Michael is formidably rich, but rarely ventures beyond his front door step, preferring to observe the passers by in the park beneath his window. One of the park’s regular visitors is a young woman. When it transpires that she was forced by circumstances to part of a complex ring involving precious antiques, their sellers – and their clandestine buyers – Michael decides to come out of retirement. He ponders his decision:

“For so long, I’d taken such great care to maintain a detached existence for myself, a life safely confined to conjecture, reflection, and surmise, far removed from taking part in those human dramas that inexorably draw so many to misfortune, pain, and loss. I’d found my Walden Pond in the park, or so I’d thought.”

Michael rescues the young woman – Angel – and resolves to put an end to the racket which has put her life in danger. Angel was basically homeless, because she discovered the body of her former boss, a man called Carlucci, at the sleazy apartment where she and other girls employed in his racket, lived.

At the centre of the plot are a brother and sister, Dr Marilena Sinclair and Dr Brackett Fielding (one a psychiatrist and the other a psychologist) who have ‘acquired’ a priceless artifact from a deceased woman patient. The woman was the estranged wife of a notorious called Victor Persky mobster and she took the antique to spite him. Now, Persky wants his treasure back, and cares not one jot if Sinclair and Fielding have to die in the process.

The plot has another complication. A young woman called Maria, another courier in Carlucci’s crooked auction business, was allowed to die of a drug overdose in the squalid tenement where the girls lived. Her body was later found in a dumpster. Her brother, Daniel Rudolph, is ex military, and Michael eventually discovers that he was Carlucci’s killer. There is an engaging cast of supporting actors. Housekeeper Mrs Baker is certainly more forthright than the good lady who ran 221B Baker Street, and Michael’s old friend who runs a popular local diner, is a shrewd and resourceful ally, as Michael constructs an elaborate plane to defeat Persky.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable tale, quirky and sharp, although Michael’s ability to disarm and disable gang-bangers and mobster heavies with – literally – a twirl of his cane stretches one’s credulity somewhat. This novel, which looks to be the first of a series called Redacted Man Mysteries, will be published by Severn House on 3rd February.

[Scilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised how totally different this book is from the Inspector Kaldis series in Greece. This story taking place in New York City has a recluse, Michael, suddenly becoming active as a very effective detective. He has retired in a nice house across the street from the park. He usually looks out his window to see people sitting on the benches at the entrance to the park. He particularly watches a young woman he guesses to be about 20. Her name is Angel. She waits until the sun is up and then walks around the park, always alone. When walking, sometimes folks would put envelopes in her coat pockets. Then, she goes up the street to the diner where she hangs her coat on a hook at the back and then eats the breakfast made for her. While she is eating, someone takes the papers from her coat pockets and delivers them to her boss. Gabriel runs the cafe. His father had been in the Army with Michael. One day, no one puts anything in Angel's coat pocket and Angel finally goes to her apartment. She finds her boss dead in the doorway. She gathers her possessions and leaves. Michael brings her into his home and suggests she can help his housekeeper and he will take care of her.

At this point, the b00k starts to become very exciting. Michael suddenly begins to go out of his house and to take care of everything. There are several bad people who are trying to find Angel. A man and his sister have managed to get something very valuable from one of the shady characters from the building where Angel used to live. The book becomes very difficult to put down!

I thank Net Galley and Severn House for the ARC so that I could read the book before publication. I can't wait for the next book.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in a new series by this author. I have never read any of his other books, but am impressed with his writing. The main character is Michael, a retired intelligence officer who had lost a foot in the war. He now lives as a wealthy recluse in a home overlooking the entrance to a park in New York. He spends his days looking out the window in his study, watching the people visiting the park and imaging their lives. One of the people he watches is a young girl in a grey coat who arrives every day at dawn. She sits a while at a park bench then walks a path through the park and exits. When one day her routine changes and Michael sees her appear lost and sleeping on the park bench he realizes that he must break his own routine and intervene. When he hears the girl's story he realizes that she is in great danger and hides her in his home. He gives her a safe place to live and his housekeeper and companion Mrs. Baker trains her as a servant. But Michael must use all of the skills learned in his past life to protect her from a criminal gang who are searching for her for unknown reasons. His sedate life soon becomes even more complicated when he learns that two others he had watched in the park were in similar danger. It's a fascinating and complex story that builds suspense little by little, yet always retains an air of mystery. The characters are wonderful and the dialog very well written and without a word wasted like that of a Sherlock Holmes story. In fact there are several ties to Holmes. Michael's address is 221 and his housekeeper is Mrs. Baker. Thanks to Severn House and Net Galley for allowing me to read this ARC.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A Study in Secrets,” by Jeffrey Siger, Severn House, 224 pages, Feb. 3, 2026.

Michael A. lives a quiet life in New York since his retirement from the intelligence services. He spends his days watching people in the park outside of his window. The only person he regularly talks to is his housekeeper, Mrs. Baker.

For weeks, a young woman, she appears to be in her 20s, has sat in the park alone every morning at dawn. She leaves after sunrise. But one day her routine changes.

When Michael realizes she is planning on sleeping on the bench, he sends Gabriel, a local cafe owner, to keep an eye on her. Gabriel tells her that Michael is an old friend of his mother’s. She tells Gabriel that her name is Angel and she is only 16. Michael hires her to assist Mrs. Baker.

Dr. Brackett Fielding III is a psychiatrist as is his sister, Dr. Marilena Sinclair. They share an office and they have a secret. Fielding is trying to reach Dante Carlucci. But Marilena reads in a newspaper that Carlucci was murdered. He was a fence for high end goods and was a police informant. They are all connected to Angel’s predicament.

The characters and dialogue are good. It is an enjoyable read, despite the plot being implausible.

I rate it four out of five stars.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed A Study in Secrets by Jeffrey Siger - the first book I’ve read by this author. The characters, the plot, and the setting are all very appealing and the author keeps all the balls in the air all the time.

The story revolves around a reclusive man who has tried to shut out the world, only watching life from his second floor window. That seems to be satisfactory until he begins to notice the same young girl sitting on a park bench across the street every day before daybreak, and then disappearing into the park. When he realizes that she has spent the night there he decides to take action and find out more about her. To do this, he draws in a few people he knows and are willing to help.

All of the characters are well-drawn, their interactions are entertaining, and their backstories are gently integrated into the plot with very little disruption. The main character is a Sherlock Holmes kind of personality but, make no mistake, he isn’t a knock-off. Mr Siger has crafted a unique character that is watchful, intuitive, talented, and resourceful. The plot is interesting and it’s fun to watch it unfold. Even though there are a few characters to keep track of, the author does a masterful job in keeping everything in line.

I highly recommend A Study in Secrets for anyone who enjoys a good mystery that’s written and presented well. Now, I plan to go back and read more by Mr Siger. NetGalley provided an an advance reader copy.

[Lilisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read several of the author’s Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis books and was intrigued by the different path he’s taken with this book. The main character, Michael, is a retired intelligence services (specifics are deliberately vague) man, who has withdrawn from the world. He spends his time at his townhouse window that overlooks a park watching people coming and going, and in particular, the people who use the nearby park bench as a resting spot, some of them on a regular basis. When what is routine is not anymore, that’s when he steps back into the world and things begin to move along. This is a low-key, yet interesting mystery wrapped in layers, unwinds accordingly, and is more about mental agility and intuitive deduction, although Michael doesn’t hesitate to use accessories to win the upper hand physically. The book unfolds way too conveniently Michael’s way, in my opinion, so come armed with a dose of willing suspension of disbelief to enjoy this book. I liked the hint of jauntiness in the book, which made me think that Michael had a twinkle in his eye as he relished pulling the strings of the cast of bad actors and creating a smooth path for the good ones. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Alyce Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Jeffrey Siger, Severn House, and NetGalley for an eARC in return for my honest opinion review.

Michael A is a retired gentleman with a questionable and ruthless past. Now he has withrawn from the world and choses to fill his day watching the goings on at the entrance to a park across the street. He has a vivid imagination and has created lives for the people he frequently sees going into the park. One of these invididuals is a young woman in a grey coat. Early each morning, she waits on a bench for the sun to rise then continues on her way into the park. Turns out her life is nothing like what Michael has imagined. Another park goer is Michael's godson who runs a local diner. Michael has lost tough with him but now the girl in the grey coat and her rather dead problem brings them back into each other's orbits, and Michael's old skills are once again required.

I loved this book. It's quirky, interesting, and well written. The plot moves along quickly and I wasn't too sure how it was all going to wrap up. I hope there are more coming in this series. 4 out of 5 stars.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A Study in Secrets" is a mystery with some suspense. Michael managed to get himself into and out of some rather dangerous situations. He used his wealth and connections to uncover information and solved the murder of a bad guy with the help of his housekeeper and a local restaurant owner. But his sense of justice was more concerned with giving victims a second chance to change and make better choices. I usually don't like civilians acting as judge and jury, but this story was such a delight to read that it felt like true justice had been served. Michael's a master at manipulating people (by guessing motives, probable past actions, etc.) into giving him information, yet people rarely acted completely as he expected leading to some funny moments. So many moving pieces, and yet it all worked out in the end.

There was occasional bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this delightful mystery.

I received a free ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This quietly compelling mystery introduces Michael, a retired intelligence officer living a life of elegant solitude in a New York townhouse that nods—ever so cheekily—to 221B Baker Street. His days are spent observing the world from his window, until a young woman’s dawn ritual in the park below stirs something in him: curiosity, concern, and a long-dormant instinct to protect.

What follows is a stylish descent into the underbelly of Manhattan, where secrets shimmer just beneath the surface and Michael must dust off the tools of his former trade. Siger’s prose is crisp and atmospheric, with a touch of noir and a dash of old-world charm. Michael is a fascinating lead—reserved, razor-sharp, and unexpectedly tender.

This is the kind of mystery that doesn’t shout; it hums. Perfect for fans of cerebral sleuths and quiet tension, with just enough emotional depth to leave a mark.

With thanks to Jeffrey Siger, the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

[Homerun2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This was an interesting debut, presumably the series opener. The main character is Michael, a retired spy type whose background is hinted at but never entirely clarified. He is out of the violent exciting life and spends his time looking out the window at the neighboring park in New York City. Through his observations, he violates his own rule to stay uninvolved, and gets himself caught up in a situation involving stolen treasures, murder, payoffs, gangs and treachery.

Michael and his housekeeper Mrs Baker, who is more a business partner and obviously has a lot of history with him, have some formidable skills. Michael also reconnects with his godson Gabriel who is part of the mystery as well.

Great character development, convoluted plot. But I will read another to find out more about the main characters. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr Michael, a former member of military intelligence, sits in the window of his house observing life in the park across the street but never getting involved. Until one night he spots a young woman, a park regular, sleeping on a park bench and decides to help her. Unbeknownst to Mr Michael aiding her will involve him with the seamy side of the city. Involvement that will take all of his skills.

This is the first book I’ve read by Jeffrey Siger but it won’t be the last as I plan to continue with this series. This book has plenty of twists and turns - a psychological game of cat and mouse where things never quite happen the way you’re expecting them to.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterclass in modern suspense. Jeffrey Siger’s A Study in Secrets introduces a retired spy so compelling, he instantly earns a place among the great literary sleuths. From his townhouse at 221, a brilliant nod to Holmesian lore, the enigmatic Michael A proves that the sharpest minds never truly retire. Siger deftly weaves a web of elegant observation, quiet dread, and a poignant connection between two solitary souls, launching readers into a shadowy, high stakes game that feels both classic and utterly fresh. Intelligent, intricately plotted, and brimming with heart, this series opener is a pure delight for mystery aficionados. Unputdownable.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great story about an agoraphobic and his ability to get to know others and help them overcome their lives' challenges. The author did a great job with giving them all a backstory and getting to know Angel, Mrs. B, Gabriel, the attorney siblings and best of all Michael it felt like I actually knew them. How things came to be and ending as a feel-good story which was a quick read, I'd recommend it to anyone who'd enjoy a good book.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific, engaging thrill of a book. I am a big fan of Jeffrey Siger’s Inspector Kaddish series set in Greece and was not too sure of this (hopefully) new series set in New York City starring war veteran Michael. This book started off a bit slow for me but once the pace picked up I was hooked.

[Leila Coppala · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up. This started out so strong but took a turn into unbelievability a few too many times for me, and the ending seemed a little too pat. I did like it enough to check out the next title in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Severn House, and Jeffrey Siger for the eARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Cathy Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

After years of enjoying Jeffrey Siger's Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis mysteries set in Greece, I wasn't about to miss this first in his new Redacted Man series. Although Michael, the retired intelligence officer, could remind readers of Sherlock Holmes with the number of his townhouse being 221, his housekeeper named Mrs. Baker, and his exhaustive knowledge, Michael says, "I get to play the Wizard of Oz." He prefers to work behind the scenes, and the contacts he's made throughout the years are nothing short of amazing.

It did take me a while to warm up to the characters; their histories unfold so gradually, but I did: Angel, the young girl Michael decides to help, a brother and sister who find themselves over their heads when the brother acquires a very dangerous man's treasure, Michael's friends in the neighborhood, Michael himself, and especially Mrs. Baker.

With a strong, fast-paced plot and engaging characters, A Study in Secrets was a pleasure to read. I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)