Art in the Blood

This book is a new and original work of fiction featuring Sherlock Holmes, Dr Watson, and other fictional characters that were first introduced to the world in 1887 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, all of which are now in the public domain. The characters are used by the author solely for the purpose of story-telling and not as trademarks. This book is independently authored and published, and is not sponsored or endorsed by, or associated in any way with, Conan Doyle Estate, Ltd. or any other party claiming trademark rights in any of the characters in the Sherlock Holmes canon.

COLLINS CRIME CLUB

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

Published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2015

Copyright © Bonnie MacBird 2015

All rights reserved

Drop Cap design © Colbalt C Creative 2015

Bonnie MacBird asserts the moral right

to be identified as the author of this work.

Cover design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2015

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008129668

Ebook Edition © July 2015 ISBN: 9780008154486

Version: 2016-03-24

‘MacBird has captured the tone and style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s immortal sleuth perfectly.’

The Huffington Post

‘A thoroughly entertaining Sherlock Holmes adventure worthy of Doyle himself … vivid period detail, a superb, labyrinthine plot, snappy pacing and, most importantly, a deep respect for the classic characters.’

Bryan Cogman, co-producer and writer of HBO’s Game of Thrones

‘Bonnie MacBird’s Art in the Blood has the three key ingredients for a delicious pastiche: meticulous research, plausibility and grand fun!’

Leslie S. Klinger, editor of The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes

‘A solid debut from an author I hope to read more of.’

The Baker Street Babes

‘A riveting journey … from the bohemian art studios of Paris and the familiar streets of London to the darker side of the Industrial Revolution, all carefully researched and excellently evoked.’

Catherine Cooke, curator of the Sherlock Holmes Collection, London

‘MacBird skilfully interweaves fact with fiction while remaining faithful to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original imagining of Sherlock Holmes … A worthy addition to the adventures of Sherlock Holmes.’

Kirkus Reviews

‘Stylish, exciting, amusing and enthralling … the best I’ve read outside of Conan Doyle himself!’

Paul Annett, director of ITV’s Sherlock Holmes series starring Jeremy Brett

‘A pitch-perfect Holmes and Watson, Art in the Blood bristles with the intelligence and wit we love in the original adventures. Dark, funny and surprising to the end.’

Peter Samuelson, film producer of Wilde, Tom & Viv, Revenge of the Nerds and many more

‘The best pastiche since The Seven-Per-Cent Solution bar none.’ Doyleockian

‘MacBird has given us back the Sherlock Holmes of old. One whose flaws are a constant battle and yet maintains a sense of panache that creates trust in those who rely on him.’

Leslie Wright, Blogcritics

‘In a world with more than its share of Sherlock Holmes pastiches, it is rare for one to soar above the rest, but Bonnie MacBird’s Art in the Blood achieves this singular feat and deserves a tip of the deerstalker.’

Otto Penzler, The Mysterious Bookshop, The Big Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories

‘A page turner … MacBird has done her homework.’

Forbes

‘A stylish leap … plunges with brio in 19th-century Europe.’

Independent

For interested readers, illustrated

annotations to Art in the Blood

can be found on

www.macbird.com/aitb/notes

For Alan

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Praise for Art in the Blood

Dedication

Preface

Part One: Out of the Darkness

Chapter 1: Ignition

Chapter 2: En Route

Part Two: The City of Light

Chapter 3: We Meet Our Client

Chapter 4: Le Louvre

Chapter 5: Les Oeufs

Chapter 6: Le Chat Noir

Part Three: The Lines Are Drawn

Chapter 7: Attack!

Chapter 8: A Slippery Slope

Chapter 9: L’Artiste en Danger

Chapter 10: Mlle la Victoire’s Story

Part Four: Behind the Scenes

Chapter 11: Baker Street Irregularities

Chapter 12: Suspension Bridge

Chapter 13: Mycroft

Chapter 14: Armed With Lies