It’s London, the year is 1852, and Christmas is rapidly approaching. What? No, you’re right, of course. It’s actually 2016, and Christmas is rapidly approaching—and in the run up comes the release of Big Bona Ogles, Boy! or Octavius Guy and the Case of the Mendacious Medium, the third outing in the series Send for Octavius Guy. So what can you expect from Gooseberry, the fourteen-year-old Victorian boy detective, this time round? Well, for starters, he’s just celebrated his fifteenth birthday. And he now has himself an unofficial trainee, his older though somewhat less streetwise friend George Crump. You are cordially invited to join the pair at two spine-tingling séances held by a certain Mrs Maria Harmon, a spiritualist medium from Boston, Massachusetts, who is a recent arrival to these shores. Truly extraordinary things happen at these events that Gooseberry is hard pressed to explain—including an attempt on the life of the medium herself. The boys’ investigation becomes official when a rival firm of solicitors engages them to look into the authenticity of a will, which one of those attending the séances claims is forged. What caused the dying Frederick Eldritch, Esquire, to alter his will—if he indeed did alter it—and how does it relate to the attack on Mrs Harmon? Gooseberry and George are determined to find out! Expect puzzles and clues aplenty as the death toll mounts. Enjoy Christmas dinner at the Bucket of Blood in the company of Bertha and her friends—the fare may be meagre since she’s temporarily strapped for cash, but you can bet it will be delicious. Take a train ride with George—Third Class, of course; right up next to the engine. It’s his first-ever train journey, and he never quite works out why First Class passengers prefer to travel at the rear of the train. Expect your toes to freeze—the whole of Britain is beset by snow, and detective work means lots of traipsing around. If you like cosy detective fiction, this could be the perfect holiday read. And if you’re prepared to give it an honest review, why not sign up for a free reviewer’s copy over at LibraryThing Early Reviewers? I can also reveal that on November 1st 1852 young Gooseberry started keeping a daily diary, the results of which will be published some one hundred and sixty-four years later. Follow his trials and tribulations as Mr Bruff’s Chief (and only) Investigator in the lead up to his latest big case—and throughout—at @sendforOctavius. Happy reading!
Michael
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