As the Special Investigator to the Lord Chancellor’s Visitor in Lunacy, Sebastian Becker delivers justice to those dangerous madmen whose fortunes might otherwise place them above the law. But in William James he faces a different challenge; to prove a man sane, so that he may hang. Did the reluctant showman really burn down a crowded pavilion with the audience inside? And if not, why is this British sideshow cowboy so determined to shoulder the blame?

The Authentic William James is the third novel to feature ex-police detective and former Pinkerton Man Sebastian Becker, joining The Kingdom of Bones and The Bedlam Detective. Praising “this superbly crafted thriller”, Kirkus Reviews named The Bedlam Detective one of their 100 Best of the Year and called it "that rare beast, a literary page turner”. MysteryTribune.Com described it as «a rare literary masterpiece for lovers of historical crime fiction.”

Of The Authentic William James, author and screenwriter Stephen Volk (Ghostwatch, Afterlife, The Parts We Play) says:

«It's a blinding novel… the acerbic wit, the brilliant dialogue — the sheer spot-on elegance of the writing: the plot turns, the pin sharp beats. Always authoritative and convincing, never showy. Magnificently realised characters in a living breathing world… Absolutely stunning.»

In their starred review of The Authentic William James, Publishers Weekly wrote:

«Gallagher gives Sebastian Becker another puzzle worthy of his quirky sleuth’s acumen in this outstanding third pre-WW1 mystery.»

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Stoker and World Fantasy Award nominee, winner of British Fantasy and International Horror Guild Awards for his genre fiction, Stephen Gallagher has built parallel careers as a novelist and as a creator of primetime miniseries and episodic television. In his native England he's adapted and created hour-long and feature-length thrillers and crime dramas that include the landmark ITV miniseries Chimera. In the US he was lead writer on NBC's Crusoe, creator of CBS Television's Eleventh Hour, and Co-Executive Producer on ABC's The Forgotten. His fifteen novels include Down River, Oktober, and Nightmare, with Angel. He's the creator of Sebastian Becker, Special Investigator to the Lord Chancellor's Visitor in Lunacy, in a series of historical crime novels comprising The Kingdom of Bones, The Bedlam Detective, and now The Authentic William James. Recent screen credits include an award-winning Silent Witness and Stan Lee's Lucky Man. He lives in a former weavers’ cottage in England’s Ribble Valley and attributes his Twitter following to his TV scripts for Doctor Who.

«Only bad thing about his books is that they eventually end. Brilliant.»—Jonny Lee Miller