The Opal Serpent

A young writer's dreams of literary fame lead him into a Victorian nightmare in this gripping mystery. Paul Beecot flees his oppressive family home for the mean streets of London, hoping to make his mark as an author. Instead, he finds himself entangled with Sylvia Norman and her father Aaron, a melancholy one-eyed bookseller harboring dark secrets. When Aaron is found murdered, his mouth frozen shut by an opal serpent brooch gleaming with uncanny blue and red fire, Paul discovers that the glittering world of letters hides shadows far more dangerous than anything he could write. The brooch that promised security becomes the key to a mystery where everyone is a suspect and trust is a luxury no one can afford. Hume crafts a atmospheric tale of ambition, love, and the dark undercurrents running beneath Victorian respectability, where a young man's dreams collide with secrets that refuse to stay buried.