Set in Rio de Janeiro in 1886, A Samba for Sherlock opens with the theft of a priceless Stradivarius violin that has been presented by the Emperor of Brazil to his favorite mistress. Concurrently, a hideously inventive killer is prowling Rio, leaving a violin string entangled in the intimate parts of his beautiful victims. Only one man possesses the genius, the valor, and the discretion that both cases demand: Sherlock Holmes.

In Soares's colorful settings, however, Holmes succumbs to the spell of the tropics, trading in his cocaine for "Indian cigarettes" and falling for a sultry actress. Alternately grisly and comic, and filled with historical erudition, A Samba for Sherlock is splendid entertainment.