Sherlock Holmes and the Scandal of the Portuguese Bank
June 5, 2025
Richard H. Cross · June 2025 · Hanse Media Press · Fiction Line
A forgotten fraud. A legendary detective. A final enigma. One of the boldest financial crimes in history resurfaces in a dazzling new literary investigation.
Set in the shadows of 1925 Lisbon, Sherlock Holmes and the Scandal of the Portuguese Bank places the iconic detective at the centre of a conspiracy involving forged signatures, millions of genuine banknotes, and an elusive criminal mastermind. At the heart of the story is Alves dos Reis, a man who nearly brought down a nation and who may have been merely the visible face of something far larger.
Blending real historical events with the suspenseful rhythm of Arthur Conan Doyle, the novel marks the opening of The Congregation Cycle, a new saga where politics, finance, and justice clash with the methods of reason. The narrative remains faithful to Watson’s voice, making the book both homage and revelation.
With a foreword by Professor Guido Pagapini (University of Bath), the novel is essential reading for anyone drawn to classic detective fiction, historical thrillers, and the machinery of economic intrigue.
