Augustus Maltravers, full-time writer and part-time sleuth, is on his way to visit friends in Cumbria when his car breaks down a few miles from his destination. Seeking help from nearby Carwelton Hall, he meets the Carringtons: Charles and his beautiful young wife Jennifer. He is astounded to find that Charles owns a Sherlock Holmes story written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle but never published. But Maltravers’ delight at this discovery is to be short-lived. A shocking murder takes place and Carwelton Hall’s most valuable possession disappears…. The police believe they have their killer but Maltravers isn’t so sure. After reading ‘Sherlock Holmes and the Attwater Firewitch’ he finds some surprising parallels to what is going on around him. Taking his lead from Conan Doyle, he does some investigating of his own… Is Maltraver’s imagination getting the better of him? Or will Holmes’ fictional investigations help him track down the killer? ‘The Book of the Dead’ is the third in the series of Augustus Maltravers detective stories, following on from ‘An Act of Evil’ and ‘Skeleton Key’. "An Act of Evil", won the John Creasey Award for the best first crime novel. “A Sherlock Holmes adventure adds an extra fillip to this neatly-fashioned tale.” - Financial Times “. . . has a gemlike imitation of the Victorian master [Arthur Conan Doyle] at its heart, making the book a double treat.” - Publishers Weekly (US) “The Holmes adventure is particularly clever.” - Booklist “Richardson is a tremendously gifted writer.” - Denver Post. “A pure delight of classic mystery novel conventions.” - Muncie Star Robert Richardson is a journalist and editor who lives in England.