For the reader this extraordinary adventure means a journey back in time to the fog-bound streets of London, where Sherlock Holmes and the faithful Dr Watson stalk the minions of evil- and to the romantic, decadent world of 19th-century Vienna, where the remarkable Dr. Sigmund Freud must try to cure Holmes of his shocking addiction to cocaine, and unlock the terrible secret hidden in the dark depths of his brilliant mind. It means an astounding revelation about the great detective's past- and a new revelation of Holmes' genius as he undertakes to solve a mystery that involves the crowned heads of Europe and the peace of the entire world. It means a rediscovery of what excitement and suspense and sheer reading pleasure are all about as we plunge into the most devilish challenge that either Holmes or Freud have ever faced, in a case that only these two together can hope to solve.