'About to spring out upon my appalled senses, lurked all that was vaguely horrible, all that was monstrous and inconceivably wicked in the universe'. A dense yellow fog descends upon London. Tricksters, thieves and murderers stalk their prey undetected. Lawlessness abounds but it is no match for the penetrating mind of Sherlock Holmes as he investigates the strangest of cases. A woman receiv…
‘Tell me, Watson, do you get a creeping feeling when you watch the snakes in the zoo? That’s how I feel when I see Milverton. I’ve met more than fifty murderers in my life, but he is worse than all of them.’ In an attempt to save a woman’s marriage, Holmes is forced to come face-to-face with one of his worst enemies: Charles Augustus Milverton. This abominable villain is holding ho…
‘This is not danger. It is definite destruction. Even with all your cleverness, you do not realise it. You must stand clear, Mr Holmes, or you will be crushed underfoot.’ Holmes is facing a problem – a big one. He’s on the tail of his most dangerous criminal to date, Professor Moriarty. But it seems that the professor is one step ahead. Can the detective unwind Moriarty’s web of cr…
In the story, Holmes recounts to Watson the events arising after a visit from a university acquaintance, Reginald Musgrave. Musgrave visits Holmes after the disappearance of two of his domestic staff, Rachel Howells, a maid, and Richard Brunton, the longtime butler. The pair vanished after Musgrave had dismissed Brunton for secretly reading a family document, the Musgrave Ritual.