The Infernal Device

This is a rather unlikely story, but it makes pleasant reading, and it's been carefully written to include many details of the period (late 19th century) and locations (Constantinople, then London). It seems to me that Kurland made a good job of it; the story, the characters, and the dialogue are all entertaining.

It's not my favourite kind of story (I normally read sf or fantasy), but I can read this kind of thing now and then.

It's set in the world of Sherlock Holmes, but I can't really comment on that, not having read most of the original Sherlock Holmes stories. What I can tell you is that you don't need to have read those original stories before reading this one.