In this charming, witty, and weird fantasy novel, Alexis Hall pays homage to Sherlock Holmes with a new twist on those renowned characters. Upon returning to the city of Khelathra-Ven after five years fighting a war in another universe, Captain John Wyndham finds himself looking for somewhere to live, and expediency forces him to take lodgings at 221b Martyrs Walk. His new housemate is Ms. Shaharazad Haas, a consulting sorceress of mercurial temperament and dark reputation. When Ms. Haas is enlisted to solve a case of blackmail against one of her former lovers, Miss Eirene Viola, Captain Wyndham finds himself drawn into a mystery that leads him from the salons of the literary set to the drowned back-alleys of Ven and even to a prison cell in lost Carcosa. Along the way he is beset by criminals, menaced by pirates, molested by vampires, almost devoured by mad gods, and called upon to punch a shark. But the further the companions go in pursuit of the elusive blackmailer, the more impossible the case appears. Then again, in Khelathra-Ven reality is flexible, and the impossible is Ms. Haas' stock-in-trade.

The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

This story follows Captain John, a trans-gendered who was hurt in a space war, and Ms. Haas is cleaver, pansexual. So, when Ms. Haas, former lover finds herself in trouble she comes asking for help, leading them to back-alleys, prison, pirates, vampires, gods, sharks, blackmailing and more while solving this mystery. This is a weird, crazy ride, however with so much going on Alexis Hall balances where nothing feels rushed or pushed. This book is witty while being quite dark at times too. I had fun with the homage to Sherlock Holmes, it did have that vibe. I had fun with the bending reality. I did like the writing style, I found it different and neat!
This book is hard to review without giving anything away. I had fun while reading this, and that's what matters.


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I was given an ARC, however this is my 100% honest review.