The Wilde quotes sprinkled throughout are always entertaining.
The mystery was, as usual, somewhat secondary to the pleasure of
Oscar's company, but adequate. ( )

"Do you recognize him?"
"I'm not sure. "
"He has the look of a murderer, has he not?"
"Do you think so?"
"Yes, I do. It's his smile, Robert. Never trust a man who shows you his lower teeth when he smiles. "
"But the poor wretch is dead. Oscar. "
"The rule applies, nevertheless. "
"And this is just a waxwork."
"But it was sculpted from life, Robert, or, at least, directly from the cadaver. It's a point of honour with the Tusdaud family, you know. They will have had access to the body within hours of the execution. "

I... think I am finished with this series for now. Not particularly bad... it's just... god, I don't know. Mediocre and I'm kinda over it. ( )

Third book in this series and I'm still enjoying!

This time Oscar Wilde is in America on a lecture tour in the 1880s. A rough and tumble time in the country. While at a stop in Leadville, Colorado, Oscar made the acquaintance of Eddie Garstrang. Garstrang was a professional gambler and marksman/sharpshooter. Garstrang also rescued Wilde from a bad situation in a casino.

Sailing by back to England he meets up with the French impresario Edmond La Grange and his entourage. The entourage that includes; La Grange's mother, Lisolotte La Grange - an ancient stage star with illusions of her still beautiful and in charge, who is accompanied by her out of control, spoiled French Poodle - Marie Antoinette; Gabrielle de la Tourbillon - an actress and Edmond's mistress; Carlos Branco, Richard Marais, Pierre Ferrand, and Bernard La Grange and Agnès La Grange - Edmond's grown children. Wilde also found that Eddie Garstrang was also on board and part of the La Grange entourage.

The strange happenings started when it was time to disembark from the ship in Liverpool. Somehow Marie Antoinette was found murdered and packed with dirt into Wilde's trunk. A trunk that Wilde had packed with his books, not a dead dog.

Wilde had agreed to meet up with La Grange in Paris to work on a new staging of "Hamlet." Strange events continue to happen but the reactions to them are indifferent on the part of the others. This just fuels Wilde's curiosity even more and he finds himself digging to find out what is behind them. Misdirection and blind alleys are what he runs up against.

Brandreth's writing brings alive the era and makes me feel that I am seeing it through my eyes. The twists and turns keep me thinking and trying to solve it on my own, yet enjoying the journey. ( )

Oscar Wilde meets his future biographer and becomes involved in a series of mysterious deaths in an eminent French theatrical family. The solution is long in coming but convincing. I did feel that the scene of Wilde visiting Reading Gaol rather toyed with the reader's emotions given that Wilde will end up serving time there. Of course, Wilde is a tragic figure in general, given that he rashly threw away his freedom by a lawsuit unlikely to succeed and by failing to flee England before his criminal trial.