The Alchemist’s Snare

The Alchemist’s Snare is the eighteenth in a series of Queen of Gondal books and is a quasi-historical AU of the BBC Sherlock series set (more or less) in three fantasy kingdoms devised by the Bronte children. The Alchemist’s Snare is set chronologically after Gambit Declined and before The Crown Princess of Gaaldine and the others, and can be read as a standalone. You might like to refer to their suggested reading order, family trees & series information.

Sherlock, benighted at an Angrian country manor while returning from a diplomatic mission, becomes drawn into the dark undercurrents which swirl about the manor’s owner, Andre Lemberger, formerly of Salonika, and his extended family. When murder occurs, Sherlock realises that the choice lies between preserving his alias as a traveller in wine and with it the secrecy of his mission, and his own neck.

Dedicated to my three companions of the five-hour thunderstorm in Hvar Town.

Warnings: The author chooses not to warn.

Advisory: The time period is the late seventeenth century and readers should bear in mind that this saga contains the doings of a set of supremely dysfunctional more-or-less European Royal families steeped in the “divine right of kings” ideology of monarchy, filtered through an early nineteenth century Romantic/Gothick sensibility and then depicted using the freedom of expression afforded by the early twenty-first century internet.

Furthermore, if the Greek myths contemplated it, some member of the Royal houses of Gondal, Angria or Gaaldine has probably put it into practice somewhere.

Gentle reader, consider yourself advised accordingly.

Acknowledgements:
As every, thanks to caulkhead for betaing and to shezan for putting me onto the Shabtai Zvi affair.

The original central cover image is based upon a part of the photograph of the oil painting ‘The Wine Taster’ by Hector Hanoteau circa 1850, the photograph is by Kunstarchiv Artprice. The fonts used in this book are from the Source Serif Pro font family by Frank Grießhammer.

The images and fonts were used under license detailed on their respective website pages at the date of this book publication.

As usual, Russ from shoes for industry designed the book cover, produced the books and compiled the on-line work.

The opinions, prejudices, faults and spelling herein are all my own work, and I apologise in advance for them.

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This novella is rated Teen (15). You might also like to consider other books set in the Sherlock fandom or read more books in the Queen of Gondal series.

- First Edition: 28th Apr 2016
- 2nd Edition: 12th Apr 2021

This work is created as a transformative work on a not-for-profit basis. All rights in the underlying properties are those of their respective holders.