Who is the real Sherlock Holmes? Was this famous detective
character actually based on his good friend Oscar Wilde?
Only Arthur Cowan Doyle knows for sure, yet evidence points
to their good friendship and the witty cleverness and
strong intelligence of his friend, Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie
Wills Wilde.
Whether true or not, the famous British writer Gyles
Brandreth uses this fascinating premise as the basis for an
utterly riveting and intriguing murder mystery based during
the time that Oscar Wilde is sentenced and imprisoned for
two years of hard labour in 1895 for gross indecency. What
a shock to this highly intelligent and witty gentleman used
to only the finer things to be had - books, writing,
languages, travel, theatre, exquisite food and other
pleasures as per his station in life.
Now, Oscar is utterly reduced to being a lowly prisoner,
forced to painful labour and needing to take the constant
goading of brutal guards in utter silence as per the rules
of the new "penitentiary" or separation gaols that
literally drove many to madness. Based on the research and
interviews done by Wilde's good friend and first biographer
Robert Sherard, the story of this dark period comes to
immediate life in all its stark and brutal details of this
frightful time come immediately to life as the story is
told from Oscar's perspective. How will he ever endure
it? As he learns to use his ears as eyes, can he determine
what or who is behind the death of two despicable turnkey
guards who has been relentlessly cruel to him?
OSCAR WILDE AND THE MURDERS AT READING GAOL is the sixth
book in a series of Victorian murder mysteries written by
the famous author and theatre producer Gyles Brandreth.
Each of these books is compelling as a stand-alone story or
can be read in any order according to the author.
Brandreth is so skilled at blending in his meticulous
historical research along with imaginative speculation of
how things might be that the story has a strong sense of
authenticity and immediacy. One can see the dark and grimy
conditions, taste the thinness of the gruel and feel the
assaults to the human spirit and the suffering of the Oscar
Wilde and other prisoners.
In OSCAR WILDE AND THE MURDERS AT READING GAOL, Brandeth
quickly develops a strong and compelling storyline with
realistically described characters whose vocabulary,
attitudes and mannerisms ring true to Victorian times.
This is wonderfully evident in the scene where Oscar is
asked to use his intellect as if he were a detective like
Sherlock Holmes. What is almost as fascinating as the
story itself is the background information provided on
Wilde as well as on the Reading Gaol at the back of the
book as well as on the website at
http://oscarwildemurdermysteries.com/. Fans who like this
genre will not want to miss this dramatic and captivating
story, so grab a copy and have a thrilling read!
Overview
Oscar Wilde has fled to France after his release from
Reading Gaol. Tonight he is sharing a drink and the story of
his cruel imprisonment with a mysterious stranger. Oscar has
endured the treadmill, solitary confinement, censored
letters, no writing materials. Yet even in the midst of such
deprivation, his astonishing detective powers remain
undiminished—and when first a brutal warder and then the
prison chaplain are found murdered, who else should the
governor turn to for help other than Reading Gaol’s most
celebrated inmate?
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