In London, Dr John Watson convalesces, after his disastrous Afghan war experiences. Sharing rooms with an enigmatic, new acquaintance, Sherlock Holmes, their quiet bachelor life at 221B Baker Street is short-lived. A dead man is discovered in a grimy house in south-east London. His face contorted with horror and hatred. On the wall, the word "rache"—German for "revenge"—is written in blood, yet there are no wounds on the victim or signs of a struggle. Watson’s head is in a whirl, but the formidable Holmes relishes the challenge—and a famous investigative partnership begins. 

From the back of the Ulverscroft paperback edition