Hidden Fires: A Holmes Before Baker Street Adventure

by Jane Rubino

"I assure you that the most winning woman I ever knew was hanged for poisoning three little children for their insurance money." Sherlock Holmes to Dr. Watson in The Sign of Four. Early 1902 - On the eve of Newgate Prison's demolition, Watson spies Holmes leaving a public sale of the prison's miscellany in the company of a beautiful stranger and in possession of an unusual trophy: the death mask of a woman who, more than twenty years earlier, had been executed for the murder of her three children. Holmes agrees to satisfy Watson's curiosity about the memento by recounting the decades-old history of its subject. Late December, 1878. A young Sherlock Holmes is living in a modest room at Montague Street, dividing his time between the lecture halls and the laboratories, "...studying all those branches of science which might make me more efficient". At the shop of the eccentric, old bookseller, Brodie, Holmes is introduced to the beautiful Violet Rose Turner, the young mistress and protégé of Professor James Moriarty, and the mother of his three children. When a house fire takes the lives of Moriarty's children, it is presumed to be accidental until Miss Turner's suspicious conduct prompts a further investigation, which reveals that the children had been poisoned before the fire was deliberately set. Miss Turner is charged with the murders; as her trial proceeds, Holmes sets out to prove her innocence, yet each of his discoveries seems only to confirm her guilt even as the court-room testimony assures her conviction. Not until the sentence is carried out does Holmes happen upon a scrap of evidence that sets off "...that mixture of imagination and reality which is the basis of my art" and leads to the exposure of a brilliant and sinister deception. Hidden Fires is equal parts complex puzzle, Victorian era thriller, and an "origin story" that explains familiar elements of Holmes' background and character: a distrust of women that exempts the "Violets" who are always treated chivalrously; an acquaintance with the "street urchin" Wiggins; the acquisition of a priceless Stradivarius; and the real inspiration for that bullet-marked V. R. above his sitting room mantle. Join Watson as Holmes recounts "...one of the most extraordinary narratives of my friend's career - indeed, one which may have shaped what he was to become."

388 pages, Hardcover

Published October 12, 2022

About the author

Jane Rubino is a graduate of New York University with a BA in Dramatic Literature, Theatre History, and Cinema. She has been a stringer, feature writer, and film columnist and is author of a contemporary mystery series set at the New Jersey shore and featuring entertainment reporter Cat Fortunati Austen and Sherlock Holmes-quoting cop Lt. Victor Cardenas. Jane and her husband live in New Jersey, 'down the shore'. She is a mother of three, a fan of silent and classic films, and a serious reader of Jane Austen and the Sherlock Holmes canon.

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

In early 1902, at a time when Newgate Prison is to be demolished. Watson notices that Sherlock Holmes is unusually restless. Holmes brushes off Watson's concerns and makes the ailing Watson a gift of a long stay at a health spa on the Continent. Not until he is there, does Watson begin to think Holmes deliberately got Watson away from some imminent danger and he rushes back to London to find that Holmes and a beautiful companion have gone to a sale of Newgate's mementos, and come away with the death mask of a woman hanged for the murder of her three children more than 20 years earlier.
Holmes agrees to tell Watson the tale, of a case from the late 1870s, when Holmes was introduced to Violet Rose Turner, the beautiful mistress of Professor James Moriarty and the mother of his three children. The children die, their death is ruled a murder and Miss Turner is put on trial.
Hidden Fires is based on a comment Holmes makes to Watson - that the most winning woman he ever met was hanged for poisoning three children for the insurance money - but what sounds like a simple murder case turns into a complex tale, full of suspense, colorful characters, stunning plot twists and an ending that choked me up. (I especially loved the old bookseller, Mr. Brodie.)
I was a fan of the author's other Sherlock Holmes tales, but this one is one of the best new Sherlock Holmes novel I have read in years - and I have read most of them. One of those books where you can't turn the pages fast enough, but you never want to end. Five stars, but only because five is the most Goodreads will let you give.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t believe how much I enjoyed this obscure little book. It’s almost a five star book! If the mystery wasn’t so painfully obvious from the beginning it easily would have been. However - the delight in seeing how it is all unfolded and revealed is truly wonderful. And while ultimately the resolution to the main mystery was clear from the beginning, there were two little twists within that I didn’t see coming and really enjoyed.

I do think that any Sherlock Holmes fan would enjoy this. She nailed his voice and the pace of the book is excellent, as are the characters

[Fei Fei · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not get very far into this book...made it all the way up to the part where Moriarty bought a child bride and groomed her to be super smart i guess, and had several kids with her. The Holmes of this book uncomfortably describes her as the most beautiful woman he's ever met right before casually explaining to Watson her origins (sold at 15 years old for 5 pounds...Holmes actually called it a "great bargain" 💀). Oh and she's brilliant at chess and a musician and she has large purple eyes. Okay lol. That's enough.

[Outlander · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the very best Sherlock Holmes pastiches I have yet read, I will not insert any spoilers into this review as it's more enjoyable to turn each clue over as it's read, even if I have to admit to working out the end long before the reveal. I accomplished the read from start to finish in a morning as I did not want to put the book aside, that's how much I recommend it to any Sherlock Holmes fan - and I'm picky with compliments.

[Whybecause]

I had high hopes for this book, but there is no possibility that Sherlock Holmes would mistake Frankenstein for being the monster of that story.

[bryan fothergill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read. Holmes narrates one of his earliest cases from his time living near Barts.

[Laura Spavins · Rating 2 out of 5]

adverage at best

[Tony Ciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story and twist