My Fan Playlist for the A Beautiful and Terrible Murder Duology
One of my favorite subgenres is the historical murder mystery – specifically a Victorian murder mystery where the atmosphere is thick enough to cut with a knife. A Beautiful and Terrible Murder and its sequel A Lovely and Deadly Dance are those books! Plus, it’s got the added bonus of being a Sherlock Holmes retelling from the perspective of the Irene Adler, the character who practically invented haunting the narrative.
These books are full of clever deceptions, thrilling mystery, and Irene’s enemies getting their well-deserved comeuppance so of course this playlist is a mix of riotous violin-forward movie and tv themes, and a few female rage bangers! Enjoy!
Perfect for fans of Stalking Jack the Ripper, this historical murder mystery follows the cunning Irene Adler as she teams up with the mysterious Sherlock Holmes, to discover who is murdering Oxford’s elite students in the All Souls class.
Irene Adler is no ordinary young lady. She’s at the top of the ranks in the All Souls cohort, a competitive preparatory class reserved for Oxford’s brightest minds. But her peers and professors don’t know she’s a lady at all. To them, she is Isaac Holland.
Keeping up her disguise gets trickier when All Souls students start dying, one by one. Determined to find out who’s responsible for the deaths, Irene—as Isaac—teams up with fellow classmate and roommate Sherlock Holmes to track down clues. Their mission grows more dangerous by the day as someone tries to frame Isaac for the murders, and Irene’s own father, Dean Moriarty, begins to threaten her seat in school.
Readers will love following these classic and beloved characters through the twists and turns in the dark halls of Oxford, and discovering what secret lies behind the glitz and glamor of the elite.
Irene’s investigations continue in:
A Lovely and Deadly Dance (available August 2026!)
Don’t miss the Daughter of Sparta series, also by Claire M. Andrews:
Daughter of Sparta
Blood of Troy
Storm of Olympus
Something is stalking the queen of England, and Irene Adler is ready to find whatever monster may lurk behind this new gruesome string of murders—with or without the help of Sherlock Holmes.
Irene Adler and Sherlock Holmes were both sent away from Oxford’s All Souls class after uncovering a murderous plot on campus. But now Irene’s deductive skills have called her back to England. Someone is killing off the queen’s closest allies and leaving mysterious messages at every crime scene.
The people of London are frightened—and growing angry. Could the murders be Queen Victoria’s fault, or is she the one in the most danger? With Sherlock’s help once more, Irene will follow leads that bring her deep into the secrets held by England’s richest families. The spark between the pair ignites and burns ever hotter all the while.
But the closer Irene gets to finding the killer’s identity, it becomes clear that it’s not a truth she wants to face. To prove herself an Adler, not a Moriarty, Irene will need to overcome the worst betrayal of her life. Can she endure true heartbreak if it’s for the greater good?
Claire M. Andrews pens a riveting sequel to the romantic Victorian mystery A Beautiful and Terrible Murder that will keep every mystery fan guessing until the end.