The Transformist

In this gripping novel "The Transformist" by Sidney St. James, even inanimate objects hold secrets. The telephone remembers its past callers, the doorknob retains the touch of those who turned it, and the golden revolver carries the echoes of its previous fires and wielders. Now, it is up to Vincent Gideon to unlock the hidden language of these objects, to listen for their whispered revelations.

Vincent Gideon, renowned as the world's top detective after his triumph over the notorious serial killer Rosenthall in "Rosenthall," Book 1 of the Gideon Detective Series, faces a new challenge in Book 3, "Gideon Returns." Fate interweaves with love, testing the bond between Gideon and Abigail Hoffman, a German immigrant whose life he has saved on three separate occasions. But it is fate that ultimately tears them apart in the thrilling sixth installment, "The Transformist."

As depicted on the front cover, Abigail Hoffmann abruptly breaks off her engagement to the esteemed detective, leaving him bewildered. Instead, she chooses to marry Wolfgang Klein, the affluent businessman of Portland, Oregon. Curiosity and suspicion arise when a torn love letter addressed to Gideon is discovered and pieced together from Klein's trash, seemingly pasted by the hands of Klein's secretary.

Soon after, Abigail confronts Wolfgang, and moments later, she is found holding a smoking revolver, standing over his lifeless body. Bloodstains mark his chest, with Abigail's handkerchief clutched in his hand. Desperately, she proclaims her innocence to the man she truly loves. Overwhelmed, Gideon seeks assistance from the seasoned eighty-year-old detective, Jonathan Kowalski, to help unravel the truth. However, an unexpected revelation emerges when Gideon's trusted butler, with a hidden past as a safe-cracker, becomes entangled in the investigation.

Intrigue intensifies with the involvement of a colossal Chinaman, a suicide from the 51st Street Bridge, secret passageways, and the disappearance of Ava O'Neill, a key figure who could potentially solve the enigma of "The Transformist." With time ticking away before Abigail's trial and the looming threat of the electric chair, the detectives race against the clock. Will Bulldog Dennison, the District Attorney, allow them enough leeway to prove Abigail's innocence?

Meanwhile, Inspector Joe Givens of the Portland Police Department finds himself caught in the midst of two seasoned detectives hot on the trail of a skilled assassin.

Once again, Sidney St. James demonstrates their remarkable talent for crafting riveting narratives, propelling readers through the pages of the sixth installment in the Gideon Detective Series. With breakneck pacing, "The Transformist" offers an enthralling reading experience that leaves readers breathless.