Author: margalitfox

In 1908, a wealthy woman was killed in her home — and Jewish immigrant Oscar Slater proved a convenient suspect. After his conviction, famed writer Arthur Conan Doyle stepped in to prove the man’s innocence in Holmesian style. “Pure catnip for the devotee of true crime writing” (The Washington Post).

For half a century, scholars struggled to decipher the linguistic key to a mysterious Bronze Age civilization — only to have the puzzle solved by an enthusiastic novice. A riveting intellectual detective story comes to life in this “captivating and important book” (Oliver Sacks).