Dust and Shadow by Lyndsay Faye

Very, very, good, hard to believe it's Faye's first book, can't wait to read her next book (due in March 2012). Pitting Sherlock Holmes against Jack the Ripper in a vividly detailed nineteenth-century London. Ever since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created the character of the detective Sherlock Holmes, fans have clamored for more. Numerous authors have taken up the task of keeping Holmes alive, but few have successfully delivered as faithful an offshoot as Lyndsay Faye's Dust and Shadow, wherein she brings an unparalleled authenticity to the legendary hero. Just as Faye breathes new life into Sherlock Holmes, she masterfully recreates one of history's most diabolical villains with her version of Whitechapel's serial killer; penned as a pastiche by the loyal and courageous Dr. Watson, and brimming with impeccable historical detail, this astonishing debut novel explores the terrifying prospect of tracking a serial killer without the advantage of modern forensics and profiling.