Alexander Raleigh is a penniless twenty-year-old orphan, an Elizabethan scholar, a descendent of Sir Walter Raleigh and a college friend of Dr. John Watson. His stepfather, Mr. Ivor Moseley has supported Alexander, but this support will be terminated on Alexander's twenty-first birthday, which is imminent. Alex's sole legacy is a sealed envelope in the hands of a firm of London lawyers. The content of this envelope may be seen only by an heir of Sir Walter's but may not be removed from the care of this firm of lawyers. If the Raleigh line should die out and there is no living heir, the envelope and it's content will revert to the crown of England. The content of the envelope is a letter without salutation or signature. The letter is in archaic English, and its meaning is unclear. The handwriting does not match that of Sir Walter Raleigh or of any known person of Raleigh's entourage. There is no indication as to whom the letter was written. Holmes involvement begins when asked to investigate the legacy by Mr. Ivor Moseley. After Mr. Moseley informs Holmes that he cannot pay him, Holmes continues the investigation in the "service of a blind lady holding a pair of scales."
Holmes finally unravels the mystery of the letter, its author and its meaning, and yes there is really a treasure. The discovery of the treasure and the artefact, which accompanies it, is just as shocking as the violence, which precedes its discovery.
Ms. Greenwood has captured the characters of Holmes and Watson perfectly. The backdrop of Nightstead gives the story a haunting mood and there is no let up in the suspense until the story ends. In the words of Mr. John Hodiak, "It is a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense."
L. B. Greenwood is a schoolteacher, living and working in Canada. She is also the author of two other Holmesian pastiches, The Case of Sabina Hall and The Thistle of Scotland. Hopefully Ms. Greenwood will give up her teaching profession and devote her life to a far more worthy profession, namely the writing of Holmesian Pastiches.
Reviewed by: Roger Kellogg, [The Gaslight Gazette, Pastiche Report, February 2003]