A shocking account of the savage world in which Sherlock Holmes operated. The crimes of The Ripper; Conan Doyle's knowledge of the killer's identity; the methods employed by criminals, and of their pursuers; the harrowing truth about Holmes' drug abuse, and of his gang of 'street arabs', the long-lost crime monographs by the Baker Street sleuth; and much more, this book tells the true story of Holmes' gas-lit and sinister criminal world. "Victorian society was violent & exploitive..., footpads and garrotters stalked the streets of the City...beggars were rife.".Kelvin is the author of many books about Holmes, the definitive biography of Doyle as a spiritualist & the 3 volume edition of the author's spiritualist writings. A distinguished life member of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London, he has published contemporary crime novels and poetry, and is a member of the Crime Writers' Association.