The Real Sherlock Holmes

Angela Buckley • £19.99
Pen & Sword

On 6 December 1886, Arthur Foster leaves the Queen’s Theatre, Manchester with a pocket full of gold and a lady bedecked with diamonds on his arm. He hails a hansom cab unaware that a detective has been trailing him as he crisscrossed the streets of the city. As the cab pulls away, the detective slips inside and arrests the infamous ‘Birmingham Forger’.

The detective is Jerome Caminada, legendary policeman and real-life Victorian super-sleuth. A master of disguise with a keen eye for detail and ingenious methods of detection, Caminada is at the top of his game, tracking notorious criminals through the seedy streets of Manchester’s underworld. Relentless in his pursuit, he stalks pickpockets and poisoners, unscrupulous con artists and cold blooded murderers.

His groundbreaking detective work leads to the unravelling of classic crime cases such as the Hackney Carriage Murder in 1889, secret government missions and a deadly confrontation with his arch-rival, a ruthless and violent thief. Caminada’s compelling story, explored in fascinating depth by Angela Buckley, bears all the hallmarks of Arthur Conan Doyle and establishes this indefatigable investigator as one of the most formidable detectives of the Victorian era.

War in the Crimea

Ian Fletcher & Natalia Ishchenko • £19.99
The History Press

On 28 March 1854 Queen Victoria’s government announced that Britain had declared war on Russia. Few conflicts have provoked as much debate as the Crimean War, with details right down to the name and date of it remaining discussion points for historians. This illustrated history gives a unique and exciting pictorial insight into the war, presenting illustrations from one of the early pioneers of photography Roger Fenton alongside artist William Simpson, the Russian painters Timms and Rubio and artists from The Illustrated London News and Punch .

London’s Markets

Stephen Halliday • £12.99
The History Press

Stephen Halliday’s book is a comprehensive account of the long, lurid and often controversial history of London’s markets, from Roman Londinium to today, as well as a guide to visiting them (and emerging with a bargain). He explores the historic markets still in existence, and the sites of those that no longer exist, and recounts the fascinating stories of the famous, not-so-famous and sometimes infamous Londoners who have populated them through the ages.

Lifeboatmen

Simon Wills • £16.99
Pen & Sword

The worst hurricane for over a century devastated the south coast of England in 1866, during a period when emergency services were in their infancy. In the town of Poole, Dorset, the newly-appointed lifeboat is launched to aid the numerous stricken ships in the vicinity but unaccountably fails to save any lives. Many sailors are drowned as a result. In an era when gallantry and self-sacrifice were expected, the lifeboatmen are publicly accused of cowardice by the Mayor and local dignitaries creating a serious rift in a closeknit community. It is in this atmosphere of suspicion and blame that lifeboat coxswain Richard Stokes finds himself, tasked with overcoming a prevailing sense of pessimism and creating a viable team which will be ready for the next maritime emergency. This fast paced true story by Discover Your Ancestors writer and maritime history expert Simon Wills portrays an authentic and enthralling evocation of a 19th century seafaring community on the brink of great change.