Despite being one of the most famous detectives in literature, Sherlock Holmes was not the first Super Sleuth. That honor goes to C. Auguste Dupin, a French detective. Dupin first appeared in 1841, in Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.” In this story, he solves a baffling, locked-door double-homicide with his keen observations (no spoilers). Some scholars consider this short story as the first detective fiction. Poe would write two more stories about this incredible detective: “The Mystery of Marie Rogêt” and “The Purloined Letter.”
Forty-six years later in 1887, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would introduce his own super sleuth, Sherlock Holmes in A Study in Scarlet. Sherlock uses his keen powers of deduction to untangle the most sinister of mysteries and his stories were narrated by his friend Doctor John Watson. His most famous female nemesis was Irene Adler, whom Sherlock merely calls, “The Woman.” She appears in the short story “A Scandal in Bohemia” published in 1891.
Despite being the world’s most famous super sleuth, many of Sherlock’s most recognizable phrases and clothing choices come from play or film adaptations. Including the catchphrase, “Elementary, my dear Watson.” And of course, Sherlock’s unforgettable deerstalker hat.
HOLMES AWAY FROM HOME is set in 1911. When Althea Adler receives a mysterious postcard at Ladies’ College with just four words, ‘Holmes away from home.’ Surely her mother, notorious thief and opera star Irene Adler, is instructing her to break into Sherlock Holmes’s safe? But when she does, Althea makes a shocking discovery . . .which begins a heart-racing game of wits, murder and romance.
HOLMES AWAY FROM HOME
Series: An Althea Adler Mystery, Book 1
Genre: Historical Mystery
Release: October 2026
Format: Print, Digital (September 16)
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Introducing Althea Adler, accomplished thief and daring heroine with a mysterious link to Sherlock Holmes.
A heart-racing game of wits, murder and romance is about to commence . . .
London, 1911. Althea Adler receives a mysterious postcard with just four words, ‘Holmes away from home.’ Surely her mother, notorious thief and opera star Irene Adler, is instructing her to break into Sherlock Holmes’s safe? But when she does, Althea makes a shocking discovery . . .
Still reeling from events at 221b Baker Street, Althea accepts an invitation to a party at Twickenham Towers, the ancestral home of Lord Slough, where a murder throws her into further turmoil―as does handsome fellow guest William, the Marquess of Sheffield, who has been tasked with staking out Slough by the British Government.
Althea and William form an unlikely alliance as they set about catching a killer. But can they trust each other when they both have something to hide?
About the author
Samantha Hastings met her husband in a turkey sandwich line. They live in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she spends most of her time reading, having tea parties, and chauffeuring her four kids. She teaches World Literature at Brigham Young University. Her young adult fiction books are Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selections and her historical romances are published around the world. She also writes murder mysteries under Samantha Larsen that Publisher’s Weekly called “wildly enjoyable.” Learn more at: www.SamanthaHastings.com.