An Arrowwood Mystery - 01 - Arrowood

‘Crackles with energy and wit’ – *The Times*

London Society takes their problems to Sherlock Holmes. Everyone else goes to Arrowood.

1895: London’s scared. A killer haunts the city’s streets. The poor are hungry; crime bosses are taking control; the police force stretched to breaking point.

While the rich turn to Sherlock Holmes, the celebrated private detective rarely visits the densely populated streets of South London, where the crimes are sleazier and the people are poorer.

In a dark corner of Southwark, victims turn to a man who despises Holmes, his wealthy clientele and his showy forensic approach to crime: Arrowood – self-taught psychologist, occasional drunkard and private investigator.

When a man mysteriously disappears and Arrowood’s best lead is viciously stabbed before his eyes, he and his sidekick Barnett face their toughest quest yet: to capture the head of the most notorious gang in London…

In the bestselling tradition of Anthony Horowitz and Andrew Taylor, this gloriously dark crime debut will haunt readers long after the final page has been turned.

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Review

Named one of the TOP 12 MYSTERY NOVELS OF 2017 by The Strand Magazine.

"The Victorian workingman's answer to the higher-class Sherlock Holmes-a foul-mouthed, hard-drinking, shabby detective with a seriously bad attitude toward his more famous counterpart.... It's a terrific premise... Finlay has fun referencing the Holmes canon, and he gives his hero a skill that the more famous detective lacks." -The Seattle Times (Summer's Hottest Crime Titles Round Up)

'Arrowood is a flawed but engaging hero and the plot spins from peril to twist and back with real panache.'' --The Times of London

'If you ever thought the Sherlock Holmes stories might benefit from being steeped in gin, caked in grime and then left unwashed for weeks...Mick Finlay's 1895-set detective debut is for you.'' --Crime Scene

'How I loved this book. Arrowood is an almost infuriatingly absorbing, awkward and brilliant character. I wanted to start his next mystery with him as soon as I'd finished his first. More than that, Arrowood feels strangely like he's always existed, we're only now being treated to an introduction. Mick Finlay's atmospheric, detailed, singular London is a terrifying place I hope to return to again and again.'' --Ross Armstrong, bestselling author of The Watcher

"Finlay debuts with a tale built on a wonderful premise: a downscale Sherlock Holmes for the rest of us... Finlay has a fine time recasting the friendship between Holmes and Watson, as Arrowood and Barnett repeatedly quarrel, swap obscenities and threats, and pummel each other." -Kirkus Reviews

"Fiercely edgy... Finlay captures the filth, frustration, and dark humor of the Victorian-era slum, plopping the reader into the story among the odoriferous, life-encrusted characters... Doyle's fans will be entertained."-Booklist

"A plausible alternative to Sherlock Holmes... [with a] reputation for muckraking."-Publishers Weekly

"Fans of Sherlock Holmes might appreciate an alternate view of Victorian London from the perspective of people struggling to survive."-Library Journal

About the Author

Mick Finlay is the author of the historical crime novel Arrowood. He teaches psychology and has published social-psychological research on political violence, persuasion, and verbal and non-verbal behavior. He reads widely in history and psychology, and he enjoys a variety of fiction genres (including crime, of course!). Born in Glasgow, he grew up in Canada and England and now divides his time between Brighton and Cambridge.