1895, and the eyes of the world are fixed on France. An obscure Jewish artillery officer is accused of selling military secrets to Germany. Convicted by court martial, degraded by his regiment and vilified by the press he is deported, condemned to living death on the notorious Ile du Diable. Branded a traitor, abandoned and alone, the man is about to become a legend, a symbol of injustice, the issue that would divide a nation and the world for a decade. The possibility of his innocence is a faint flame, kept alive by his immediate family. A desperate message is sent to 'the court of final appeal' - a famous address in Baker Street. Yet Sherlock Holmes is unresponsive; the traitor's guilt seems established beyond reasonable doubt and nothing - not even a wife's last-hope plea - will persuade him to intervene...nothing except the personal request of Her Majesty, Queen Victoria. Cover art by Alun Hood.