Sherlock Holmes and the Murder Castle: Chicago 1893 (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798286289424)

When twelve women vanish without a trace from the streets of Chicago, only one detective can unravel America's most diabolic crime.

October 1893. The World's Columbian Exposition has transformed Chicago into a glittering showcase of human achievement, drawing millions of visitors from around the globe. But beneath the splendor of the White City lurks an evil that defies comprehension.

Detective Sergeant Patrick Fitzgerald is at his wit's end. Twelve young women have disappeared from his precinct in four months-all seeking employment at the World's Fair, all vanishing without a trace. With political pressure mounting and official channels blocked by corruption, Fitzgerald makes a desperate decision: he sends a telegram to London, requesting the assistance of the world's greatest consulting detective.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson arrive in Chicago to find a city divided between magnificent progress and systematic horror. Their investigation leads them to Dr. H.H. Holmes, a charming businessman who operates a peculiar three-story building locals call "the Castle." But this is no ordinary structure-it's a purpose-built facility for murder, complete with gas chambers, acid vats, and a basement crematorium.

As Holmes and Watson delve deeper into the case, they uncover a criminal enterprise unlike anything in their experience: systematic killing organized with industrial efficiency, protected by political corruption, and motivated by cold profit. Racing against time to prevent more deaths, they must penetrate the defenses of America's first "Murder Castle" and confront a killer who has transformed murder into a methodical business.

Based on the true crimes of H.H. Holmes, America's first documented serial killer, this gripping historical mystery brings Victorian London's greatest detective face-to-face with the dark underbelly of America's Gilded Age.