Inspector Lestrade: The Black Temple and Other Stories by William Meikle

Lestrade of the Yard lives in the shadows of Holmes and Watson in the Conan Doyle canon. In this set of new supernatural cases the dogged Inspector comes into his own as he is taken to the dark corners of the old city that even Holmes does not see.

Watson has portrayed Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard as an inept foil to Sherlock Holmes—but, left to his own devices, Lestrade is no mean detective himself. In these new encounters with the supernatural, the dogged inspector comes into his own.

“The Curious Affair on the Embankment”: One successful woman after another disappears in the vicinity of Cleopatra’s Needle … but what had they promised in exchange for their success—and to whom?

“Stage Fright”: To a pack of society gentlemen, a séance seems an amusing diversion, until one fellow receives infuriating taunts from beyond the grave … and reacts violently. But they should have known that death is a permeable barrier.

“Skulls and Skullduggery”: Mycroft Holmes works for a secret branch of Her Majesty’s government, but can pull strings to obtain Lestrade’s skills when needed to find out what connects some recently dead men … horribly disfigured and recently tattooed.

“The Thing from the Black Museum”: In a city as large as London, the police have a Black Museum containing memorabilia of terrible crimes, into which the curious may venture. When an item is surreptitiously removed, the murders begin.

“A Day at the Circus”: When a performer in a traveling circus is savagely eviscerated, Lestrade is summoned. Curiously, none of the trained animals can possibly be responsible … and a brutalized young woman finds a willing and more than able protector.

“An Encounter in the Morgue”: A widow’s corpse mysteriously appears in the Scotland Yard morgue and will not rest until her beloved husband’s last gift is recovered and justice is done.

“The Black Temple”: An investigative journalist reports that a newly wealthy lord and his cronies are conducting hideous sacrifices … but the evidence vanishes into thin air, and evil now pursues all those who attempt to interfere.

“Mrs. Hudson’s Fancies”: Mrs. Hudson begs Lestrade for help with a friend victimized by a fraudulent medium with whom Holmes himself takes issue …but what if the medium were not fraudulent?

“A Deadly Stare”: Colonialism, like other old sins, casts a long shadow. And now those who committed desecration and murder decades ago in India find they have not escaped the consequences.

“The Faithful Custodian”: Queen Victoria had many faithful servants during her long reign … but one devoted retainer is the most faithful of all, protecting her even beyond his own death.

“The Hallowe’en”: The British shipping trade is superbly lucrative when all goes well, but some goods are more profitable than others, if secrets are kept. And occult protection can be arranged … for a price that no man wants to pay.

“A Thing of Shreds and Patches”: Criminals are being efficiently caught—but not by Scotland Yard—and just as efficiently murdered by an unsanctioned executioner. Lestrade must find the culprit before Irene Adler, next on the list, dies.

An Inspector Lestrade collection!

EDITIONS

Signed & Numbered Limited Edition Hardcover

• Signed by Author William Meikle and Artist M. Wayne Miller
• Hand-Numbered 1 to 100
• Color Dust Jacket
• Front Cover and Spine Stampings
• Color Endsheets
• In Stock

CONTRIBUTORS

Author: William Meikle
Cover Art: M. Wayne Miller
Editor: Joe Morey

PRAISE FOR WILLIAM MEIKLE

“It’s an utterly charming collection, with very well written stories that work in every way. Who knew Lestrade could be this good?”
— Charles Prepolec, Canadian Holmes magazine

“I am a great admirer of William Meikle’s work and I have read most of his short stories and novels. However, up to now I have read them all in e-book format. I only rarely buy hard copy due to lack of space, but when he directed me to his Weird House Press publications, I could not resist the signed hard cover edition of Meikle’s Inspector Lestrade.
When I received it, perfectly packed and in good order, I was delighted with the quality of the book: its cover and internal illustrations, the fonts and type setting and the whole layout. The stories themselves are, in my opinion, amongst Meikle’s best, with a sympathetic and positive take on Lestrade who proves to be much more astute and capable than we could possibly imagine from the Conan Doyle Canon.
I look forward to more publications by Meikle and WHP who clearly make an excellent team.”
— Richard Christou, April 2023

“Meikle’s authorial voice is a thing of wonder as you find yourself drawn into the story and racing along after clues with Holmes and Dr. Watson, sometimes losing sight of the fact that this is a horror/armchair mystery mashup created by William Meikle and not one of Doyle’s own creations.”
— Hellnotes review of The Dreaming Man

“Mr. Meikle continues to write outstanding stories, and Professor Challenger: The Island of Terror is no exception, it further cements his place as one of the best storytellers writing today and I highly recommend it.”
— Famous Monsters of Filmland

“Masterfully written, extraordinarily entertaining, and in doing full justice to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s enormously popular detective, Sherlock Holmes: The London Terrors is a ‘must read’ for the legions of Sherlock Holmes fans.”
— The Midwest Review