Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries - Revision history

TCDE-Team at 12:27, 16 September 2025

2025-09-16T12:27:25Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:27, 16 September 2025
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	=== Oscar Wilde and the Nest of Vipers (2010) ===		=== Oscar Wilde and the Nest of Vipers (2010) ===

	In the ~~spring of 1890~~ at a ~~glamorous reception hosted by~~ the ~~Duke and~~ Duchess of Albemarle. All London's haut monde is there, including the Prince of Wales, who counts the Albemarles as close friends. Although it is the first time Oscar and Bertie have met, Oscar seems far more interested in Rex LaSalle, a young actor, who disarmingly claims to be a vampire... However, what begins as a diverting evening ends in tragedy. As the guests are leaving, the Duchess is found ~~murdered,~~ two ~~tiny~~ puncture ~~marks in~~ her throat. ~~No one has entered the house; no one has left. Desperate to~~ avoid ~~another~~ scandal, the Prince of Wales asks Oscar to investigate the ~~crime~~. What ~~he discovers threatens to destroy~~ the ~~very heart of~~ the ~~Royal Family..~~.		Set in 1890, the story opens at a glittering London party where the Duchess of Albemarle is found dead — half-clothed with two small puncture wounds on her throat — sparking whispers of vampires. To avoid scandal, the Prince of Wales quietly asks [[Oscar Wilde]] and his friend [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] to investigate. Narrator Robert Sherard chronicles their inquiry in an epistolary mix of diaries, letters, telegrams, and clippings as the case snakes through high society's "nest of vipers." What looks like the supernatural proves grimly earthly, exposing predation, secrets, and royal-adjacent peril as [[Oscar Wilde]] and [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] unmask a human killer behind the vampiric theater.

TCDE-Team at 11:55, 16 September 2025

2025-09-16T11:55:50Z

TCDE-Team: Created page with " "Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries" is a series of 7 novels written by Gyles Brandreth published by ''John Murray'' and ''Corsair Publishing'' between 2007 and 2017. In 6 of these novels, the main characters are Oscar Wilde and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The novel "Oscar Wilde and the Murders at Reading Gaol", set during Wilde's imprisonment, doesn't have Arthur Conan Doyle in the story. TOC == Novels == File:joh..."

2025-09-16T11:49:10Z

Created page with " "Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries" is a series of 7 novels written by Gyles Brandreth published by ''John Murray'' and ''Corsair Publishing'' between 2007 and 2017. In 6 of these novels, the main characters are Oscar Wilde and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The novel "Oscar Wilde and the Murders at Reading Gaol", set during Wilde's imprisonment, doesn't have Arthur Conan Doyle in the story. __TOC__ == Novels == <gallery mode="packed" heights="200px"> File:joh..."

New page

"Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries" is a series of 7 novels written by [[Gyles Brandreth]] published by ''John Murray'' and ''Corsair Publishing'' between 2007 and 2017.

In 6 of these novels, the main characters are [[Oscar Wilde]] and [[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]]. The novel "Oscar Wilde and the Murders at Reading Gaol", set during Wilde's imprisonment, doesn't have [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] in the story.

__TOC__

== Novels ==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px">
File:john-murray-2007-05-31-oscar-wilde-and-the-candlelight-murders.jpg|Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders (10 may 2007, John Murray)
File:john-murray-2008-05-01-oscar-wilde-and-the-ring-of-death.jpg|Oscar Wilde and the Ring of Death (1 may 2008, John Murray)
File:john-murray-2009-05-14-oscar-wilde-and-the-dead-man-s-smile.jpg|Oscar Wilde and the Dead Man's Smile (14 may 2009, John Murray)
File:john-murray-2010-10-28-oscar-wilde-and-the-nest-of-vipers.jpg|Oscar Wilde and the Nest of Vipers (28 october 2010, John Murray)
File:john-murray-2011-oscar-wilde-and-the-vatican-murders.jpg|Oscar Wilde and the Vatican Murders (2011, John Murray)
File:corsair-2017-06-15-jack-the-ripper-case-closed.jpg|Jack the Ripper: Case Closed (15 june 2017, Corsair)
</gallery>

== Plot summaries ==

=== Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders (2007) ===

London, 1889. Oscar Wilde, celebrated poet, wit, playwright and raconteur, is the literary sensation of his age. All Europe lies at his feet. Yet when he chances upon the naked corpse of sixteen-year-old Billy Wood, posed by candlelight in a dark and stifling upstairs room, he cannot ignore the brutal murder. With the help of fellow author Arthur Conan Doyle, he sets out to solve the crime - and it is Wilde's peculiar genius and his unparalleled access to all degrees of late-Victorian life - from society drawing rooms and the bohemian demi-monde to the criminal underclass - that prove the decisive factors in their investigation of what turns out to be the first in a series of bizarre and apparently inexplicable killings.

Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders is a gripping detective story that explores the secret world of Oscar Wilde – his surprising friendships, his complex marriage, and his unusual association with Inspector Aidan Fraser of Scotland Yard.

Set against the exotic backdrop of fin-de-siècle London and Paris, Gyles Brandreth evokes Oscar Wilde's trademark wit and brilliance with huge flair, intertwining all the intrigue of the classic English murder mystery with a compelling portrait of one of the greatest characters of the Victorian age.

=== Oscar Wilde and the Ring of Death (2008) ===

The second witty installment in an astonishingly authentic historical murder mystery series featuring detective Oscar Wilde and his partner-in-crime, Arthur Conan Doyle

It's 1892, and Wilde is the toast of London, riding high on the success of his play Lady Windermere's Fan and celebrating with friends at a dinner party where he conjures up a game called "murder" that begs the question: Who would you kill, if you had no chance of being caught? Wilde and friends, including Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker, and poet Robert Sherard (the novel's narrator) write the names of their "victims" on pieces of paper and choose them one by one. After leaving the party, Wilde scoffs at the suggestion that he may have instigated a very dangerous game indeed...

The very next day, the game takes an all-too sinister turn when the first "victim" turns up dead. Soon Wilde and his band of amateur detectives must travel through the realms of politics, theater, and even the circus and the boxing ring to unearth misguided passions that have the potential to become deadly poisons…not only for the perpetrators of the seemingly perfect crimes, but also for the trio of detectives investigating them.

Richly atmospheric and as entertaining as Wilde himself, here is the second in a series destined to delight mystery readers and fans of historical fiction alike.

=== Oscar Wilde and the Dead Man's Smile (2009) ===

Paris, 1883. Oscar Wilde, aged 27, has come to the city of decadence to discover its charms, to rekindle his friendship with the divine Sarah Bernhardt and to collaborate with France's most celebrated actor-manager, Edmond La Grange. As he throws himself into his work (and his pleasures), Oscar discovers dark secrets lying at the heart of the La Grange company – and is confronted by murders, both foul and bizarre. To solve the crimes, to unravel the mystery, Oscar risks his life – and his reputation – embarking on a dangerous adventure that takes him from bohemian night clubs to an asylum for the insane, from a duel in the Buttes de Chaumont to the gates of Reading Gaol. This is the third in Gyles Brandreth's acclaimed series of Victorian murder mysteries featuring Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle.

=== Oscar Wilde and the Nest of Vipers (2010) ===

The fourth of Gyles Brandreth's acclaimed series of Victorian murder mysteries, Oscar Wilde and the Nest of Vipers opens in the spring of 1890 at a glamorous reception hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Albemarle. All London's haut monde is there, including the Prince of Wales, who counts the Albemarles as close friends. Although it is the first time Oscar and Bertie have met, Oscar seems far more interested in Rex LaSalle, a young actor, who disarmingly claims to be a vampire...However, what begins as a diverting evening ends in tragedy. As the guests are leaving, the Duchess is found murdered, two tiny puncture marks in her throat. No one has entered the house; no one has left. Desperate to avoid another scandal, the Prince of Wales asks Oscar to investigate the crime. What he discovers threatens to destroy the very heart of the Royal Family...

=== Oscar Wilde and the Vatican Murders (2011) ===

the fifth in Gyles Brandreth's acclaimed Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries series featuring Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle, the two must penetrate the highest echelons of the Catholic Church to solve a macabre series of killings. 'Intelligent, amusing and entertaining' Alexander McCall Smith In 1892 Arthur Conan Doyle, exhausted by his creation Sherlock Holmes, retires to the spa at Bad Homburg. But his rest cure does not go as planned. The first person he encounters is Oscar Wilde, and when the two friends make a series of macabre discoveries amongst the portmanteau of fan mail Conan Doyle has brought to answer - a severed finger, a lock of hair and finally an entire severed hand - the game is once more afoot. The trail leads to Rome, to the very heart of the Eternal City, the Vatican itself. Pope Pius IX has just died. These are uncertain times. To uncover the mystery and why the creator of Sherlock Holmes has been summoned in this way, Oscar and Conan Doyle must penetrate the innermost circle of the Catholic Church - seven men who have a very great deal to lose.

=== Jack the Ripper: Case Closed (2017) ===

London. 1894. Police Chief Macnaghten, Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle are in a Chelsea drawing room, gathered to discuss the case of Jack the Ripper, the most notorious murderer in England.

And thus the three men set out to solve one of the world's most famous mysteries - the ultimate truth about the identity of Jack the Ripper.

Case Closed is Arthur Conan Doyle's account of the events of 1894, the year of the return of Jack the Ripper. Based on Oscar Wilde's real-life friendship with Conan Doyle and the extraordinary but little-known fact that in 1894 the detective in charge of the Jack the Ripper investigations was Oscar Wilde's neighbour in Tite Street, Chelsea, this is a revelatory and gripping detective story, combining the intrigue of a classic murder mystery with a witty and compelling portrait of one of the greatest characters of the Victorian age.

----
* [[Pastiches & Parodies]]
* [[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle|Back to Conan Doyle]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:55, 16 September 2025
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	=== Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders (2007) ===		=== Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders (2007) ===

	London, 1889. Oscar Wilde, celebrated poet, wit, playwright and raconteur, is the literary sensation of his age. All Europe lies at his feet. Yet when he chances upon the naked corpse of sixteen-year-old Billy Wood, posed by candlelight in a dark and stifling upstairs room, he cannot ignore the brutal murder. With the help of fellow author Arthur Conan Doyle, he sets out to solve the crime - and it is Wilde's peculiar genius and his unparalleled access to all degrees of late-Victorian life - from society drawing rooms and the bohemian demi-monde to the criminal underclass - that prove the decisive factors in their investigation of what turns out to be the first in a series of bizarre and apparently inexplicable killings.		London, 1889. [[Oscar Wilde]], celebrated poet, wit, playwright and raconteur, is the literary sensation of his age. All Europe lies at his feet. Yet when he chances upon the naked corpse of sixteen-year-old Billy Wood, posed by candlelight in a dark and stifling upstairs room, he cannot ignore the brutal murder. With the help of fellow author [[Arthur Conan Doyle]], he sets out to solve the crime — and it is [[Oscar Wilde]]'s peculiar genius and his unparalleled access to all degrees of late-Victorian life — from society drawing rooms and the bohemian demi-monde to the criminal underclass — that prove the decisive factors in their investigation of what turns out to be the first in a series of bizarre and apparently inexplicable killings.

	Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders is a gripping detective story that explores the secret world of Oscar Wilde – his surprising friendships, his complex marriage, and his unusual association with Inspector Aidan Fraser of Scotland Yard.		[[Oscar Wilde]] and the Candlelight Murders is a gripping detective story that explores the secret world of [[Oscar Wilde]] – his surprising friendships, his complex marriage, and his unusual association with Inspector Aidan Fraser of Scotland Yard.

	Set against the exotic backdrop of fin-de-siècle London and Paris, Gyles Brandreth evokes Oscar Wilde's trademark wit and brilliance with huge flair, intertwining all the intrigue of the classic English murder mystery with a compelling portrait of one of the greatest characters of the Victorian age.		Set against the exotic backdrop of fin-de-siècle London and Paris, Gyles Brandreth evokes [[Oscar Wilde]]'s trademark wit and brilliance with huge flair, intertwining all the intrigue of the classic English murder mystery with a compelling portrait of one of the greatest characters of the Victorian age.


	=== Oscar Wilde and the Ring of Death (2008) ===		=== Oscar Wilde and the Ring of Death (2008) ===

	~~The second witty installment in an astonishingly authentic historical~~ murder ~~mystery series featuring detective~~ Oscar Wilde and ~~his partner-in-crime~~, Arthur Conan Doyle		It's 1892, and [[Oscar Wilde]] is the toast of London, riding high on the success of his play Lady Windermere's Fan and celebrating with friends at a dinner party where he conjures up a game called "murder" that begs the question: Who would you kill, if you had no chance of being caught? [[Oscar Wilde]] and friends, including [[Arthur Conan Doyle]], [[Bram Stoker]], and poet Robert Sherard (the novel's narrator) write the names of their "victims" on pieces of paper and choose them one by one. After leaving the party, [[Oscar Wilde]] scoffs at the suggestion that he may have instigated a very dangerous game indeed...

	~~It's 1892~~, ~~and Wilde is~~ the ~~toast of London, riding high on~~ the ~~success of his play Lady Windermere's Fan and celebrating with friends at a dinner party where he conjures up a game called~~ "~~murder~~" ~~that begs~~ the ~~question: Who would you kill, if you had no chance~~ of ~~being caught? Wilde and friends~~, ~~including Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker~~, and ~~poet Robert Sherard (~~the ~~novel's narrator) write~~ the ~~names~~ of ~~their "victims" on pieces of paper and choose them one by one. After leaving~~ the ~~party~~, ~~Wilde scoffs at~~ the ~~suggestion that he may have instigated a very dangerous game indeed..~~.		The very next day, the game takes an all-too sinister turn when the first "victim" turns up dead. Soon [[Oscar Wilde]] and his band of amateur detectives must travel through the realms of politics, theater, and even the circus and the boxing ring to unearth misguided passions that have the potential to become deadly poisons…not only for the perpetrators of the seemingly perfect crimes, but also for the trio of detectives investigating them.

	The very next day, the game takes an all-too sinister turn when the first "victim" turns up dead. Soon Wilde and his band of amateur detectives must travel through the realms of politics, theater, and even the circus and the boxing ring to unearth misguided passions that have the potential to become deadly poisons…not only for the perpetrators of the seemingly perfect crimes, but also for the trio of detectives investigating them.		Richly atmospheric and as entertaining as [[Oscar Wilde]] himself, here is the second in a series destined to delight mystery readers and fans of historical fiction alike.

	Richly atmospheric and as entertaining as Wilde himself, here is the second in a series destined to delight mystery readers and fans of historical fiction alike.


	=== Oscar Wilde and the Dead Man's Smile (2009) ===		=== Oscar Wilde and the Dead Man's Smile (2009) ===

	Paris, 1883. Oscar Wilde, aged 27, has come to the city of decadence to discover its charms, to rekindle his friendship with the divine Sarah Bernhardt and to collaborate with France's most celebrated actor-manager, Edmond La Grange. As he throws himself into his work (and his pleasures), Oscar discovers dark secrets lying at the heart of the La Grange company – and is confronted by murders, both foul and bizarre. To solve the crimes, to unravel the mystery, Oscar risks his life – and his reputation – embarking on a dangerous adventure that takes him from bohemian night clubs to an asylum for the insane, from a duel in the Buttes de Chaumont to the gates of Reading Gaol~~. This is the third in Gyles Brandreth's acclaimed series of Victorian murder mysteries featuring Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle~~.		Paris, 1883. [[Oscar Wilde]], aged 27, has come to the city of decadence to discover its charms, to rekindle his friendship with the divine Sarah Bernhardt and to collaborate with France's most celebrated actor-manager, Edmond La Grange. As he throws himself into his work (and his pleasures), Oscar discovers dark secrets lying at the heart of the La Grange company – and is confronted by murders, both foul and bizarre. To solve the crimes, to unravel the mystery, Oscar risks his life – and his reputation – embarking on a dangerous adventure that takes him from bohemian night clubs to an asylum for the insane, from a duel in the Buttes de Chaumont to the gates of Reading Gaol.


	=== Oscar Wilde and the Nest of Vipers (2010) ===		=== Oscar Wilde and the Nest of Vipers (2010) ===

	~~The fourth of Gyles Brandreth's acclaimed series of Victorian murder mysteries, Oscar Wilde and the Nest of Vipers opens in~~ the spring of 1890 at a glamorous reception hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Albemarle. All London's haut monde is there, including the Prince of Wales, who counts the Albemarles as close friends. Although it is the first time Oscar and Bertie have met, Oscar seems far more interested in Rex LaSalle, a young actor, who disarmingly claims to be a vampire...However, what begins as a diverting evening ends in tragedy. As the guests are leaving, the Duchess is found murdered, two tiny puncture marks in her throat. No one has entered the house; no one has left. Desperate to avoid another scandal, the Prince of Wales asks Oscar to investigate the crime. What he discovers threatens to destroy the very heart of the Royal Family...		In the spring of 1890 at a glamorous reception hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Albemarle. All London's haut monde is there, including the Prince of Wales, who counts the Albemarles as close friends. Although it is the first time Oscar and Bertie have met, Oscar seems far more interested in Rex LaSalle, a young actor, who disarmingly claims to be a vampire... However, what begins as a diverting evening ends in tragedy. As the guests are leaving, the Duchess is found murdered, two tiny puncture marks in her throat. No one has entered the house; no one has left. Desperate to avoid another scandal, the Prince of Wales asks Oscar to investigate the crime. What he discovers threatens to destroy the very heart of the Royal Family...


	=== Oscar Wilde and the Vatican Murders (2011) ===		=== Oscar Wilde and the Vatican Murders (2011) ===

	~~the fifth in Gyles Brandreth's acclaimed Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries series featuring~~ Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle~~, the two~~ must penetrate the highest echelons of the Catholic Church to solve a macabre series of killings. ~~'Intelligent, amusing and entertaining' Alexander McCall Smith~~ In 1892 Arthur Conan Doyle, exhausted by his creation Sherlock Holmes, retires to the spa at Bad Homburg. But his rest cure does not go as planned. The first person he encounters is ~~Oscar Wilde~~, and when the two friends make a series of macabre discoveries amongst the portmanteau of fan mail Conan Doyle has brought to answer - a severed finger, a lock of hair and finally an entire severed hand - the game is once more afoot. The trail leads to Rome, to the very heart of the Eternal City, the Vatican itself. Pope Pius IX has just died. These are uncertain times. To uncover the mystery and why the creator of Sherlock Holmes has been summoned in this way, Oscar and Conan Doyle must penetrate the innermost circle of the Catholic Church - seven men who have a very great deal to lose.		[[Oscar Wilde]] and [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] must penetrate the highest echelons of the Catholic Church to solve a macabre series of killings. In 1892, [[Arthur Conan Doyle]], exhausted by his creation [[Sherlock Holmes]], retires to the spa at Bad Homburg. But his rest cure does not go as planned. The first person he encounters is [[Arthur Conan Doyle]], and when the two friends make a series of macabre discoveries amongst the portmanteau of fan mail [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]] has brought to answer - a severed finger, a lock of hair and finally an entire severed hand — the game is once more afoot. The trail leads to Rome, to the very heart of the Eternal City, the Vatican itself. Pope Pius IX has just died. These are uncertain times. To uncover the mystery and why the creator of Sherlock Holmes has been summoned in this way, Oscar and [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]] must penetrate the innermost circle of the Catholic Church - seven men who have a very great deal to lose.


	=== Jack the Ripper: Case Closed (2017) ===		=== Jack the Ripper: Case Closed (2017) ===

	London. 1894. Police Chief Macnaghten, Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle are in a Chelsea drawing room, gathered to discuss the case of Jack the Ripper, the most notorious murderer in England.		London. 1894. Police Chief Macnaghten, [[Oscar Wilde]] and [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] are in a Chelsea drawing room, gathered to discuss the case of Jack the Ripper, the most notorious murderer in England. And thus the three men set out to solve one of the world's most famous mysteries - the ultimate truth about the identity of Jack the Ripper. Case Closed is [[Arthur Conan Doyle]]'s account of the events of 1894, the year of the return of Jack the Ripper. Based on [[Arthur Conan Doyle]]'s real-life friendship with Conan Doyle and the extraordinary but little-known fact that in 1894 the detective in charge of the Jack the Ripper investigations was [[Arthur Conan Doyle]]'s neighbour in Tite Street, Chelsea, this is a revelatory and gripping detective story, combining the intrigue of a classic murder mystery with a witty and compelling portrait of one of the greatest characters of the Victorian age.

	And thus the three men set out to solve one of the world's most famous mysteries - the ultimate truth about the identity of Jack the Ripper.

	Case Closed is Arthur Conan Doyle's account of the events of 1894, the year of the return of Jack the Ripper. Based on ~~Oscar Wilde~~'s real-life friendship with Conan Doyle and the extraordinary but little-known fact that in 1894 the detective in charge of the Jack the Ripper investigations was ~~Oscar Wilde~~'s neighbour in Tite Street, Chelsea, this is a revelatory and gripping detective story, combining the intrigue of a classic murder mystery with a witty and compelling portrait of one of the greatest characters of the Victorian age.