The West End Horror: A Posthumous Memoir of John H. Watson, M.D. (The Journals of John H. Watson, M.D. Book 0)

In March 1895 London, a series of violent crimes disturbs the West End theater district. A theater critic named Jonathan McCarthy is murdered under bizarre circumstances. A lawsuit against the Marquess of Queensberry for libel shocks the public. An ingenue at the Savoy Theatre is found with her throat slashed. A police surgeon vanishes, taking two corpses with him. Several prominent figures from London's theater world become involved in these cases: Bernard Shaw, a penniless stage critic and writer; Ellen Terry, an actress; Bram Stoker, a box office clerk; Henry Irving, an aging matinee idol; Frank Harris, an unscrupulous publisher; and Oscar Wilde, a controversial wit. Scotland Yard cannot connect what appear to be separate incidents. However, Sherlock Holmes recognizes a pattern: a maniac is responsible. His name is Jack.