originally published Shadows Over Baker Street, Del Rey, 2002
Holmes and Watson are visited by Miriam Shah, an Afghan noblewoman whom Watson had something of an affair with back in his military days. It seems an unexpurgated manuscript of Kitab Al-Azif has turned up in Afghanistan, and made it's way to London. She needs Holmes and Watson to help her track it down before it gets put to nefarious use!
They quickly trace the book to the home of one Prof. Coombs. When confronted, Coombs is at first evasive, then defensive, but when Coombs' butler tries to shoot Miriam, Wason breaks his arm. Too bad - cuz Miriam then puts a fatal magical spell on Coombs and runs off with the MS!
Holmes and Watson chase her to a cromlech and interrupt her evil ceremony, but not before some bloodshed and her own demise. Holmes destroys the MS.
A very well-written story, but as with many others in this collection, the denouement seems disappointing after a very effective build-up.
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