Sherlock Holmes is dead. But his nemesis is not.

James Moriarty is severely wounded, his organisation has been dismantled and Sherlock Holmes is dead. Fleeing to recover, desperate to rebuild his empire, Moriarty must assume a new identity.

Months after Sherlock's death, aspiring doctor Clara Mendel returns to Schloss Alber after a six-year absence. The vast estate, which hangs high upon the cliffs of Bavaria, is home to the noble Alber family. A priceless sword, on which the family's wealth and reputation depends, has been stolen from the grave of the intended heir, Clara's step-father.

Lord Alber has placed his trust firmly in his esteemed new friend, a Mr Hugo Strahm, to find the sword and prevent the noble family's ruin. Once they have spent more time together, Clara becomes intrigued by Strahm's formidable intellect: finally she has an equal at Schloss Alber.

But Clara isn't naïve. She knows the secrets a great house like Schloss Alber can hide. And as she spends more time in Mr Strahm's company. she begins to suspect him of hiding his true identity. Can she really trust him to find the missing sword?

The start of a fiendishly inventive and enjoyable new historical mystery series. Jack Anderson's The Return of Moriarty books see Sherlock Holmes' iconic villain re-invented for a whole new generation of listeners.