The Plague of Thieves Affair: A Carpenter and Quincannon Mystery - Hardcover

Muller, Marcia; Pronzini, Bill

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0765381044 ISBN 13: 9780765381040

Publisher: Forge Books, 2016

Synopsis

Will the true identity of the Sherlock Holmes imposter be revealed at last? Find out in Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini's The Plague of Thieves Affair

Sabina Carpenter and John Quinncannon are no stranger to mysteries. In the five years since they opened Carpenter and Quinncannon, Professional Detective Services, they have solved dozens, but one has eluded even them: Sherlock Holmes or, rather, the madman claiming his identity, who keeps showing up with a frustrating (though admittedly useful) knack for solving difficult cases.

Roland W. Fairchild, recently arrived from Chicago, claims Holmes is his first cousin, Charles P. Fairchild III. Now, with his father dead, Charles stands to inherit an estate of over three million dollars-if Sabina can find him, and if he can be proved sane. Sabina is uncertain of Roland's motives, but agrees to take the case.

John, meanwhile, has been hired by the owner of the Golden State brewery to investigate the "accidental" death of the head brewmaster, who drowned in a vat of his own beer. When a second murder occurs, and the murderer escapes from under his nose, John finds himself on the trail not just of the criminals, but of his reputation for catching them.

But while John is certain he can catch his quarry, Sabina is less certain she wants to catch hers. Holmes has been frustrating, but useful, even kind. She is quite certain he is mad, and quite uncertain what will happen when he is confronted with the truth. Does every mystery need to be solved?

The Carpenter and Quincannon Mysteries:
#1 The Bughouse Affair
#2 The Spook Lights Affair
#3 The Body Snatchers Affair
#4 The Plague of Thieves Affair
#5 The Dangerous Ladies Affair
#6 The Bags of Tricks Affair

About this title

About the Author:

MARCIA MULLER is the New York Times bestselling creator of private investigator Sharon McCone. The author of more than thirty-five novels, Muller received the MWA's Grand Master Award in 2005.

BILL PRONZINI, creator of the Nameless Detective, is a highly praised novelist, short story writer, and anthologist. He received the Grand Master Award from the MWA in 2008, making Muller and Pronzini the only living couple to share the award.

From Publishers Weekly:

One of the ongoing mysteries in Muller and Pronzini's entertaining 1890s-era San Francisco whodunits may be resolved in the series's fourth entry (after 2015's The Body Snatchers Affair). In previous volumes, PIs Sabina Carpenter and John Quincannon encountered an eccentric claiming to be Sherlock Holmes. Roland Fairchild, an attorney from Chicago, retains Sabrina to track down the Holmes impersonator, whom he believes to be his cousin Charles, so that Charles's fitness to inherit the family fortune can be evaluated. She also also accepts the duty of guarding an exhibition of famous, and expensive, reticules. Meanwhile, John is on the trail of those responsible for the gruesome murder of a brew master who drowned in a vat of fermenting beer. One suspect apparently takes his own life behind locked doors, but John is convinced that a clever murderer pulled off the seemingly impossible crime. The antics of the man who may be Charles Fairchild add a light touch, although the solutions to the various crimes aren't the authors' most imaginative. Agent: Dominick Abel, Dominick Abel Literary Agency. (Jan.)\n

About this edition

• Publisher: Forge Books
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0765381044
• ISBN 13: 9780765381040
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256