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OSCAR WILDE AND THE RING OF DEATH (OSCAR WILDE MYSTERIES 2)
Gyles Brandreth
FREE Delivery in Ireland
Description for OSCAR WILDE AND THE RING OF DEATH (OSCAR WILDE MYSTERIES 2)
Paperback. In OSCAR WILDE AND THE RING OF DEATH, the second in Gyles Brandreth's acclaimed Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries series featuring Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle, a parlour game of 'Murder' has lethal consequences.. 'Intelligent, amusing and entertaining' Alexander McCall Smith Series: Oscar Wilde Mystery. Num Pages: 448 pages. BIC Classification: FFH. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 198 x 130 x 29. Weight in Grams: 320.
'So amazingly good, I could not put it down' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'An inventive and highly enjoyable murder mystery' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Will a game of Murder at a dinner party turn deadly?
London 1892: Author Oscar Wilde has assembled friends and acquaintances for one of his Sunday Supper Clubs, among their number is his great friend and creator of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle. Mid-way through the evening, a game is proposed: each guest must write down the name of the person they would most like to kill.
But soon, the fictional victims begin to ... Read moredie one-by-one in mysterious circumstances - in the order their names were drawn during the game.
With growing horror, Wilde and Doyle realise that one of their guests must be the murderer. Trapped in a race against time, they must uncover the killer's identity before they can complete their final move . . .
A wonderfully witty and addictive cosy historical mystery that presents the reader with an intricate puzzle to solve. Perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie and Richard Osman.
Readers are gripped by The Ring of Death:
'Crackles with wit, tension, mysteries, and is reminiscent (but dare I say better) than the Sherlock Holmes canon' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Oscar Wilde is solving crimes while rubbing elbows with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle . . . What's not to like?' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'This book had everything I love in a story: historical detail, cleverness, wonderful conversational by-play . . . BRAVO!' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Previously published as Oscar Wilde and the Ring of Death.
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Product Details
Series
Oscar Wilde Mystery
Place of Publication
, United Kingdom
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 5 to 9 working days
About Gyles Brandreth
Gyles Brandreth is a writer, performer, former MP and Government Whip, now Chancellor of the University of Chester and probably best known these days as a reporter on BBC1's The One Show and having been a regular on Radio 4's Just a Minute. On TV he has featured on Have I Got News For You, QI, Room 101, Countdown, and ... Read moreThis is Your Life. As a journalist he writes for the Telegraph and Daily Mail and is a columnist for The Oldie. The founder of the National Scrabble Championships, his books about words and language include four best-sellers, The Joy of Lex, Word Play, Have You Eaten Grandma? and Dancing by the Light of the Moon. His novels include seven Victorian murder mysteries featuring Oscar Wilde as his detective and he has published two volumes of diaries and two acclaimed royal biographies. In 2020 he published The Oxford Book of Theatrical Anecdotes. Show Less
Reviews for OSCAR WILDE AND THE RING OF DEATH (OSCAR WILDE MYSTERIES 2)
A neat take on the big hitters in the book world just over a century ago . . . Gyles is a joy to the nation
Virginia Blackburn, Daily Express
A neat take on the big hitters in the book world just over a century ago . . . Gyles is a joy to the nation
Virginia ... Read moreBlackburn, Daily Express
A clever concept spiced with great Wilde epigrams
Daily Telegraph
A clever concept spiced with great Wilde epigrams
Daily Telegraph
He has won great acclaim for his series of Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries . . . as witty and entertaining as his hero, Gyles is renowned for his charisma and charm
Daily Mail
He has won great acclaim for his series of Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries . . . as witty and entertaining as his hero, Gyles is renowned for his charisma and charm
Daily Mail
The last novel I read was The Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries . . . it was very good
Nicholas Parsons, Daily Telegraph
The last novel I read was The Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries . . . it was very good
Nicholas Parsons, Daily Telegraph
An amusing and satisfactorily unlikely story
Jessica Mann, Literary Review
An amusing and satisfactorily unlikely story
Jessica Mann, Literary Review
Brandreth's knowledge of fin-de-siecle London, of the social and political history of the period and, above all, of Wilde himself is most impressive. Wildean witticisms abound
Brian Maye, Irish Times
Brandreth's knowledge of fin-de-siecle London, of the social and political history of the period and, above all, of Wilde himself is most impressive. Wildean witticisms abound
Brian Maye, Irish Times
Terrifically well researched, it all whizzes along and the reader can have fun identifying the real Wilde's witticisms from Brandreth's
Scotland on Sunday
Terrifically well researched, it all whizzes along and the reader can have fun identifying the real Wilde's witticisms from Brandreth's
Scotland on Sunday
As much imaginative biography as murder mystery, this book paints a lively portrait of Wilde at the height of his fame
Irish Examiner
As much imaginative biography as murder mystery, this book paints a lively portrait of Wilde at the height of his fame
Irish Examiner
It's all mid-morning bracers, detections based on the shininess of shoes, hansom cabs and gems like "work is the best antidote to sorrow" as we gallivant around 1890's London. Wilde is a tough subject to make boring, but this is great escapism
Danny Wheeler, London Lite
It's all mid-morning bracers, detections based on the shininess of shoes, hansom cabs and gems like "work is the best antidote to sorrow" as we gallivant around 1890's London. Wilde is a tough subject to make boring, but this is great escapism
Danny Wheeler, London Lite
Brandreth really has got the measure of his subject, catching the essence of the great man at almost every turn
Yorkshire Evening Post
Brandreth really has got the measure of his subject, catching the essence of the great man at almost every turn
Yorkshire Evening Post
[A] deservedly well-received series
District Messenger
[A] deservedly well-received series
District Messenger
Gyles Brandreth has done a great job with this continuing series . . . I'm wild about Wilde
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Gyles Brandreth has done a great job with this continuing series . . . I'm wild about Wilde
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Sparking dialogue, as you would expect, mystery piled deliciously upon mystery, a plot with a pace and a panache and a London backdrop that would grace any Victorian theatre
Steve Craggs, Northern Echo
Sparking dialogue, as you would expect, mystery piled deliciously upon mystery, a plot with a pace and a panache and a London backdrop that would grace any Victorian theatre
Steve Craggs, Northern Echo
That curious, uneasy shadowland of late Victorian London, where Society, Art and Popular Entertainment overlap, is richly evoked, and the details of Wilde's life are mentioned by Sherard . . . in a perfectly natural, convincing manner: the man he presents to us is both the authentic Oscar and the authentic amateur sleuth
District Messenger
That curious, uneasy shadowland of late Victorian London, where Society, Art and Popular Entertainment overlap, is richly evoked, and the details of Wilde's life are mentioned by Sherard . . . in a perfectly natural, convincing manner: the man he presents to us is both the authentic Oscar and the authentic amateur sleuth
District Messenger
A good read
Woman's Way
A good read
Woman's Way
Utterly charming caper of murder and wit . . . my reader loves them
Bookseller
Utterly charming caper of murder and wit . . . my reader loves them
Bookseller
Brandreth characterises Wilde with great finesse and provides an unconventional and languid narrative to match
Tangled Web (online)
Brandreth characterises Wilde with great finesse and provides an unconventional and languid narrative to match
Tangled Web (online)
Brandreth writes with a light touch, but conveys a sense of the moral hypocrisy and oppressive class system of the time. What raises this book several notches above most mysteries is the authentic historical detail and the engaging portrait of Wilde . . . sparkling bits of wit and wisdom
Historical Novels Review
Brandreth writes with a light touch, but conveys a sense of the moral hypocrisy and oppressive class system of the time. What raises this book several notches above most mysteries is the authentic historical detail and the engaging portrait of Wilde . . . sparkling bits of wit and wisdom
Historical Novels Review
Highly acclaimed Oscar Wilde murder mysteries . . . richly described background of fin-de-siecle London
Greenock Telegraph
Highly acclaimed Oscar Wilde murder mysteries . . . richly described background of fin-de-siecle London
Greenock Telegraph
Engaging, entertaining and skilfully written
The Sydney Morning Herald
Engaging, entertaining and skilfully written
The Sydney Morning Herald
One of the most enjoyable (series) around
Diplomat Magazine
One of the most enjoyable (series) around
Diplomat Magazine
Gyles is a joy to the nation
International Express
Gyles is a joy to the nation
International Express
An enjoyable read
MX Magazine (Australia)
An enjoyable read
MX Magazine (Australia)
Give a big, fat, sloppy kiss to the Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries, a sharply-written, deeply urbane and ongoing series
QX International
Give a big, fat, sloppy kiss to the Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries, a sharply-written, deeply urbane and ongoing series
QX International
Plenty of cliff hangers, and twists in the tale to keep even the most avid crime buff flicking pages 'till last in the night
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Plenty of cliff hangers, and twists in the tale to keep even the most avid crime buff flicking pages 'till last in the night
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Part biography and part murder mystery with a wonderful cast of historical characters
Oswentry & Border Countries Advertiser, Teresa Eccleston
Part biography and part murder mystery with a wonderful cast of historical characters
Oswentry & Border Countries Advertiser, Teresa Eccleston
The plot speeds to an exciting climax . . . Richly atmospheric. Very entertaining
Woman & Home
The plot speeds to an exciting climax . . . Richly atmospheric. Very entertaining
Woman & Home
Irresistible . . . Elegant . . . Rich . . . Enjoyable . . . A classic Agatha Christie-style whodunit
Yorkshire Evening Post
Irresistible . . . Elegant . . . Rich . . . Enjoyable . . . A classic Agatha Christie-style whodunit
Yorkshire Evening Post
One of the most enjoyable crime series around . . . He slips easily into the 21st century, does this Oscar (imagine, if you can, an even higher-wattage Stephen Fry), just as, thanks to Brandreth, we as readers are able to travel effortlessly back to join him in his own age. It is well worth the journey - and I can't wait until the next one
The Scotsman
One of the most enjoyable crime series around . . . He slips easily into the 21st century, does this Oscar (imagine, if you can, an even higher-wattage Stephen Fry), just as, thanks to Brandreth, we as readers are able to travel effortlessly back to join him in his own age. It is well worth the journey - and I can't wait until the next one
The Scotsman
PRAISE FOR GYLES BRANDRETH PRAISE FOR GYLES BRANDRETH Not merely, like all the best after-dinner speakers, does he know how to spin a yarn; unlike most politicians, he has a touching access to the secrets of the human heart
The Times
Not merely, like all the best after-dinner speakers, does he know how to spin a yarn; unlike most politicians, he has a touching access to the secrets of the human heart
The Times
A fine and sympathetic writer
The Times Literary Supplement
A fine and sympathetic writer
The Times Literary Supplement
He can tell a story in the way Daphne du Maurier could . . . He creates a world and keeps you there
Sunday Express
He can tell a story in the way Daphne du Maurier could . . . He creates a world and keeps you there
Sunday Express
PRAISE FOR GYLES BRANDRETH'S MURDER MYSTERIES PRAISE FOR GYLES BRANDRETH'S MURDER MYSTERIES Brandreth's portrait of Oscar Wilde is entirely plausible; plots are ingenious and the historical background is fascinating
Scotsman
Brandreth's portrait of Oscar Wilde is entirely plausible; plots are ingenious and the historical background is fascinating
Scotsman
This wickedly imagined and highly entertaining series . . . intelligent, jaunty and hilarious
The Good Book Guide
This wickedly imagined and highly entertaining series . . . intelligent, jaunty and hilarious
The Good Book Guide
Rather fun . . . Brandreth unashamedly wheels out a cast of historical characters to die for
Lucy Atkins, Sunday Times
Rather fun . . . Brandreth unashamedly wheels out a cast of historical characters to die for
Lucy Atkins, Sunday Times
A carnival of cliff-hangers and fiendish twists-and-turns . . . The joy of the book . . . is the rounded and compelling presentation of the character of Wilde . . . The imaginary and the factual are woven together with devilish ingenuity. Brandreth also gives his hero speeches of great beauty and wisdom and humanity
Sunday Express
A carnival of cliff-hangers and fiendish twists-and-turns . . . The joy of the book . . . is the rounded and compelling presentation of the character of Wilde . . . The imaginary and the factual are woven together with devilish ingenuity. Brandreth also gives his hero speeches of great beauty and wisdom and humanity
Sunday Express
Pitch perfect. Great entertainment
Booklist
Pitch perfect. Great entertainment
Booklist
Excellent - a light-hearted and entertaining murder mystery
Irish Post
Excellent - a light-hearted and entertaining murder mystery
Irish Post
Fabulous . . . The plot races along like a carriage pulled by thoroughbreds
The Scotsman
Fabulous . . . The plot races along like a carriage pulled by thoroughbreds
The Scotsman
Very entertaining
Literary Review
Very entertaining
Literary Review
This excellent novel . . . I'd be staggered if you'd read many better whodunnits. Brandreth demonstrates supremely measured skill as a story-teller
Nottingham Evening Post
This excellent novel . . . I'd be staggered if you'd read many better whodunnits. Brandreth demonstrates supremely measured skill as a story-teller
Nottingham Evening Post
The murders begin. Highly theatrical ones . . . Entertaining and meticulously researched
Washington Post
The murders begin. Highly theatrical ones . . . Entertaining and meticulously researched
Washington Post
A cleverly plotted, intelligent and thoroughly diverting murder mystery. This novel is an educated page-turner, a feast of intriguing and light-hearted entertainment
Good Book Guide
A cleverly plotted, intelligent and thoroughly diverting murder mystery. This novel is an educated page-turner, a feast of intriguing and light-hearted entertainment
Good Book Guide
Inventive . . . brilliant . . . marvellous . . . glittering . . . graceful . . . intricate . . . enthralling
Booklist
Inventive . . . brilliant . . . marvellous . . . glittering . . . graceful . . . intricate . . . enthralling
Booklist
The latest witty installment in Gyles Brandreth's hugely enjoyable series of Victorian murder mysteries
Daily Mail
The latest witty installment in Gyles Brandreth's hugely enjoyable series of Victorian murder mysteries
Daily Mail
Gyles Brandreth succeeds magnificently. A plot that is intriguing throughout. A skilfully crafted story that goes all the way
Daily Mail
Gyles Brandreth succeeds magnificently. A plot that is intriguing throughout. A skilfully crafted story that goes all the way
Daily Mail
What sets the novel apart is Brandreth's talent for conveying time and place. The barbarism of close confinement has rarely been so graphically and movingly portrayed
Daily Mail
What sets the novel apart is Brandreth's talent for conveying time and place. The barbarism of close confinement has rarely been so graphically and movingly portrayed
Daily Mail
Gyles Brandreth's Murder Mysteries just get better and better . . . and this is the best so far
The Sherlock Holmes Journal
Gyles Brandreth's Murder Mysteries just get better and better . . . and this is the best so far
The Sherlock Holmes Journal
One of the most intelligent, amusing and entertaining books of the year. If Oscar Wilde himself had been asked to write this book he could not have done it any better
Alexander McCall Smith
One of the most intelligent, amusing and entertaining books of the year. If Oscar Wilde himself had been asked to write this book he could not have done it any better
Alexander McCall Smith
Genius . . . Wilde has sprung back to life in this thrilling and richly atmospheric new novel . . . The perfect topography for crime and mystery . . . magnificent . . . an unforgettable shocker about sex and vice, love and death
Sunday Express
Genius . . . Wilde has sprung back to life in this thrilling and richly atmospheric new novel . . . The perfect topography for crime and mystery . . . magnificent . . . an unforgettable shocker about sex and vice, love and death
Sunday Express
Brandreth has poured his considerable familiarity with London into a witty fin de siecle entertainment, and the rattlingly elegant dialogue is peppered with witticisms uttered by Wilde well before he ever thought of putting them into his plays
Sunday Times
Brandreth has poured his considerable familiarity with London into a witty fin de siecle entertainment, and the rattlingly elegant dialogue is peppered with witticisms uttered by Wilde well before he ever thought of putting them into his plays
Sunday Times
Classically twisty
Observer
Classically twisty
Observer
Gyles Brandreth and Oscar Wilde seem made for one another . . . the complex and nicely structured plot zips along
Daily Telegraph
Gyles Brandreth and Oscar Wilde seem made for one another . . . the complex and nicely structured plot zips along
Daily Telegraph
An amiably enjoyable Victorian murder mystery
Sunday Times
An amiably enjoyable Victorian murder mystery
Sunday Times
This is to be a series and if they're all as enjoyable as the first, they'll all be surefire best-sellers . . . The plot races along like a carriage pulled by thoroughbreds . . . So enjoyably plausible
The Scotsman
This is to be a series and if they're all as enjoyable as the first, they'll all be surefire best-sellers . . . The plot races along like a carriage pulled by thoroughbreds . . . So enjoyably plausible
The Scotsman
This bounces along with vim and wit. Beautifully packaged
Bookseller
This bounces along with vim and wit. Beautifully packaged
Bookseller
Both a romp through fin-de-siècle London . . . and a carefully researched portrait of Oscar Wilde . . . Very entertaining
Literary Review
Both a romp through fin-de-siècle London . . . and a carefully researched portrait of Oscar Wilde . . . Very entertaining
Literary Review
Brandreth has the Wildean lingo down pat and the narrative is dusted with piquant social observations. A sparkling treat for fans of Wilde and Sherlock Holmes alike
Easy Living
Brandreth has the Wildean lingo down pat and the narrative is dusted with piquant social observations. A sparkling treat for fans of Wilde and Sherlock Holmes alike
Easy Living
Wilde as detective is thoroughly convincing . . . The period, and the two or three worlds in which Wilde himself moved, are richly evoked . . . an excellent detective story. I'm keenly looking forward to the rest of the series
The District Messenger, Journal of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London
Wilde as detective is thoroughly convincing . . . The period, and the two or three worlds in which Wilde himself moved, are richly evoked . . . an excellent detective story. I'm keenly looking forward to the rest of the series
The District Messenger, Journal of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London
Brandreth knows his Wilde . . . Candlelight Murders is an excellent read, and it seems the scene may be set for others in the same style
and with the same lead character
Gay Times
Brandreth knows his Wilde . . . Candlelight Murders is an excellent read, and it seems the scene may be set for others in the same style
and with the same lead character
Gay Times
This is not only a good piece of detective fiction in its own right, it is highly entertaining, spiced as it is with Wildean sayings, both real and invented and the imagined conversations and intellectual sparring between Wilde and Conan Doyle. Future tales in the series are something to look forward to
Leicester Mercury
This is not only a good piece of detective fiction in its own right, it is highly entertaining, spiced as it is with Wildean sayings, both real and invented and the imagined conversations and intellectual sparring between Wilde and Conan Doyle. Future tales in the series are something to look forward to
Leicester Mercury
Brandreth's accomplishment is evident in the force of Wilde's personality, which fairly leaps off the page . . . readers will delight in the effortless characterization and deft portrait of late Victorian England
Stephanie Barron
Brandreth's accomplishment is evident in the force of Wilde's personality, which fairly leaps off the page . . . readers will delight in the effortless characterization and deft portrait of late Victorian England
Stephanie Barron
I always wanted to meet Oscar Wilde and now I feel that I have done, and shared a terrific, bizarre and frightening adventure with him. I recommend the experience
Anne Perry
I always wanted to meet Oscar Wilde and now I feel that I have done, and shared a terrific, bizarre and frightening adventure with him. I recommend the experience
Anne Perry
This excellent novel . . . I'd be staggered if you'd read many better whodunnits. Brandreth demonstrates supremely measured skill as a story-teller
Nottingham Evening Post
This excellent novel . . . I'd be staggered if you'd read many better whodunnits. Brandreth demonstrates supremely measured skill as a story-teller
Nottingham Evening Post
The rollocking tale . . . a witty and gripping portrayal of corruption in late Victorian London, and one of which Wilde and Sir Arthur would be proud
Livewire
The rollocking tale . . . a witty and gripping portrayal of corruption in late Victorian London, and one of which Wilde and Sir Arthur would be proud
Livewire
Hugely enjoyable - reminds us just how enjoyable a well-told traditional murder mystery can be
The Scotsman
Hugely enjoyable - reminds us just how enjoyable a well-told traditional murder mystery can be
The Scotsman
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