If you like Sherlock Holmes and spicy books, I have a recommendation for you. You’ll love “The Counterfeit Detective” by Simpson Grears.

About the Book

An American professor discovers the diaries of John Ledbury, known as the counterfeit detective, a minor poet who, in Victorian London, is employed to reply to the mail that comes addressed to Sherlock Holmes at 221b Baker Street.

Through the diaries, he unearths a series of baffling unsolved murders. He travels through England and Scotland but he realizes that, in order to solve the mystery, he has to travel further, back through time itself.

My Thoughts

This was a wild ride. Based on the description, I was expecting a nice little mystery novel similar to a Sherlock Holmes book. I know Sherlock is edgier than we think – more like the recent Sherlock than some of the sanitized versions we’ve seen in the past. But this was something else altogether.

Chockful of surprising twists and turns, some amount of fantasy or science fiction or magical realism or something starts to come into play.

The first part of the book was a little slow. The author did a lot of world and character exposition that slowed the pace quite a bit. But after that, it did pick up. As long as you’re okay with literal pornographic literature and you enjoy mysteries and thrillers, I think you’ll enjoy this. I don’t enjoy spicy books, which made it less enjoyable for me. I wish I’d known it would be such a big part of the book going in. So that’s something for both sides. If you’re like me, maybe steer clear. If you’re a spicy book lover, go for it!

I enjoyed the mystery and the twists were top-notch and surprising. I did not expect them. The book kept me surprised throughout. I literally did not know what was going on for the majority of the book.

Thanks to the author and Love Books Tours for including me in this book tour.

Who’s It For?

If you’re into weird, disturbing books with graphic sex scenes – mostly sapphic in nature – and a wild, twisty thriller/mystery, this book is for you. It is absolutely not for sensitive readers. I listed some content warnings, but I’m not sure I caught them all and if you have a trigger, it’s possible it exists in the book.

Content Warning: Graphic Murder, Graphic Sex, Violence, Sexism, Drug Abuse, Alcohol Abuse, Suicidal Ideation, Implied Suicide, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and More.

About the Author

SIMPSON GREARS was born in Glasgow and studied at the universities of Strathclyde, Glasgow and Edinburgh before following an academic career in Scotland, England, Wales, and the United States. His first work of crime fiction – a collection of short stories titled The Foot of the Walk Murders – was longlisted for the prestigious Dagger Award of the Crime Writers Association. He lives in Perth, central Scotland.

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