The Disappearance of Alistair Ainsworth

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Oh what fun it would be to be a cryptographer. You could drive your family and friends crazy with coded messages instead of normal shopping lists. Unfortunately during World War I, cryptography was a serious business. In The Disappearance of Alistair Ainsworth by Leonard Goldberg, Watson, Watson, Jr. and Joanna are asked by Dr. Verner to investigate an unusual occurrence. Oh and Joanna is the daughter of Sherlock Holmes. (The Disappearance of Alistair Ainsworth will be released on June 11 by St. Martin's Press.)

It seems Dr. Verner was called to consult with a patient who could not speak, but was suffering from abdominal pain. While Dr. Verner was examining the patient, he felt the letters H-E-L-P being traced into his hand as well as the letters T-U. The doctor believed the patient was being held against his well. When he suggested that the patient be moved to a hospital, his caregivers said it was necessary to keep the whereabouts of the ill patient a secret.

Joanna believes the prisoner is neither a high government official

nor a royal personage, but someone quite clever and is being held against his will by German spies. When Dr. Watson discovers a notice in the newspaper asking for information on the whereabouts of Alistair Ainsworth, who goes by the name Tubby, they fear for Dr. Verner's life.

The group approaches Scotland Yard and explains what Dr. Verner has told them. Joanna suggests using a dog named Toby Two to follow the scent of chloroform on Dr. Verner's shoes. It appears Scotland Yard knows who is missing, but they do not know where he is being held.

But who is Alistair Ainsworth? He is involved in the highest level of national security as a cryptographer for the British Government. His disappearance is of vital importance as he is privy to top secret codes used by the British Navy.

The game is afoot, says the senior Dr. Watson. As I have always been a Sherlock Holmes fans, A Daughter of Sherlock Holmes mysteries add more dimension to the mystic of Holmes.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.