Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    The Devil's Grin
    Unavailable
    The Devil's Grin
    Unavailable
    The Devil's Grin
    Ebook259 pages3 hours

    The Devil's Grin

    By A. Wendeberg

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    London 1889. A dead man is found floating in the city’s waterworks. Fearing an epidemic, the Metropolitan Police call upon bacteriologist Dr Anton Kronberg to examine the body. All signs point toward cholera having killed the man...but for faint marks around wrists and ankles.

    Evidence for a crime is weak, and the police lose interest in the case. But Kronberg suspects that the dead man’s final days had been steeped in cruelty. Soon, a second victim is found, and Kronberg gets embroiled in a web of abduction, abuse, and murder.

    But catching a killer and staying alive would be easier if the doctor didn’t have secrets of...her own.

    Warning: medical procedures are depicted without apology.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherA. Wendeberg
    Release dateSep 16, 2012
    ISBN9781301320226
    Unavailable
    The Devil's Grin
    Author

    A. Wendeberg

    Annelie Wendeberg is a scientist & writer of kick-ass heroines. She has sold more than 700.000 books worldwide. When she's not writing about women who live disguised as men, about girls who jump from airplanes and blow up the global satellite network, Annelie is herding goats, making cheese, and rescuing owls.www.anneliewendeberg.com

    Read more from A. Wendeberg

    Related to The Devil's Grin

    Related ebooks

    Historical Mystery For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Ghost Cats...

      Jul 4, 2020

      Ghost Cats...
      9 min read

    • Article

      Nothing to Declare

      Jun 15, 2019

      All the senior partners were having a laugh about a movie they’d seen. Forty-Five Years. Something, something about the movie taking forty-five years to sit through. The woman McGuinness thought he recognized was in it with them at the far end of the

      24 min read

    • Article

      Planof Action

      Oct 5, 2021

      Planof Action
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Massacre of Glencoe

      Jul 30, 2018

      The Massacre of Glencoe
      4 min read

    • Article

      Haunted Royal Palaces!

      Jan 3, 2021

      Haunted Royal Palaces!
      3 min read

    • Article

      The WARRIOR KING

      Aug 12, 2022

      The WARRIOR KING
      5 min read

    • Article

      Wis. Girl Missing For 3 Months Is Found — And Helps Deputies Catch Alleged Captor

      Jan 11, 2019

      Jayme Closs went missing the day her parents were found dead. On Thursday, she approached a woman and said she'd been taken. The man who allegedly abducted her and killed her parents is now in jail.

      2 min read

    • Article

      Lexington, Kentucky

      Mar 23, 2021

      Lexington, Kentucky
      8 min read

    • Article

      Grim Reality

      Sep 30, 2021

      Grim Reality
      4 min read

    • Article

      Dust

      Jan 1, 2022

      Dust
      9 min read

    • Article

      Plot To Dethrone Charles!

      Mar 14, 2021

      Plot To Dethrone Charles!
      1 min read

    • Article

      Wise old Mrs Merrow

      Jul 27, 2020

      Littlesea was everything the description said: a white stone cottage with beams and higgledy-piggledy walls and steps away from a tiny quay in a private bay. It would have been the perfect spot for honeymooners had it not had just the one single bed

      8 min read

    • Article

      Home to ROOST

      Jan 11, 2022

      Home to ROOST
      11 min read

    • Article

      Felix Francis

      Jan 13, 2022

      Felix Francis
      6 min read

    • Article

      Highland FLING

      Nov 19, 2020

      Highland FLING
      7 min read

    • Article

      Mother House

      Aug 6, 2020

      Mother House
      9 min read

    • Article

      Healing

      Apr 15, 2020

      Healing
      9 min read

    • Article

      Eyewitness to War

      Jan 1, 2022

      Eyewitness to War
      2 min read

    • Article

      A Twist On Charles Dickens: He Was A Public Health Pioneer Too

      Jul 5, 2018

      A new museum exhibit in London reveals a hidden side of the literary great. It turns out he was prolific not just as a novelist, but also as a promoter of public health and medical discoveries.

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Old Un's Notes

      Feb 8, 2023

      The Old Un's Notes
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Allure of Messy Reddit Stories

      Mar 19, 2023

      Jerusalem Demsas’s culture and entertainment picks include Children of Time, Vampire Weekend, and chasing down stories people tell—or make up—on Reddit.

      6 min read

    • Article

      Hankering After Ghosts

      Dec 1, 2022

      It’s been 10 years since the publication of my book A Natural History of Ghosts (see FT296:42-45). I probably should have written more in it about the writer Charles Dickens. The truth is I’ve always had a special place in my heart for Dickens. I rea

      8 min read

    Reviews for The Devil's Grin

    4/5

    83 ratings15 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Dr. Anton Kronberg is England's leading bacteriologist. Dr. Kronberg is called in to investigate a case of a cholera victim floating in the city's water supply. While the fact that the victim died of cholera is pretty clear cut, the way the disease was received and how the body found its way into the water supply opens up to many more mysteries. When Sherlock Holmes is also brought into the case, Dr. Kronberg has even more to fear as Holmes quickly discovers Dr. Kronberg's secret that Anton is really Anna Kronberg. Holmes and Anna find a tenuous relationship as the case brings them into dangerous scenarios with devious men and treacherous plots.The Devil's Grin is an engaging Victorian Era mystery. Dr. Kronberg is a very interesting character. Her choice to live as a man in order to practice medicine is honorable, yet has many difficulties and bears the consequence of death if found out. Since she could legally practice medicine as a woman in other countries, this seems like a strange and dangerous predicament to place herself into. Other than that, I really enjoyed the sharp and witty writing, the mystery and the passion behind Anna's character. The mystery was a slow burn and grew on me with a series of well crafted layers that started with what seemed like a simple case but quickly grew into a large conspiracy that took Anna under cover. Another interesting aspect of the story was Sherlock's character, a tortured soul and amazing detective, yet very different from the classic Holmes character. Overall, an engaging historical thriller in Victorian London. This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
    • 5/5
      This was a really excellent addition to the body of Sherlock Holmes style mysteries.
    • 5/5
      Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher/author through the LibraryThing.com Members Giveaway program. I was asked to post an honest review (though not necessarily a favourable one). The opinions expressed are strictly my own.A Sherlock Holmes novel with a twist. Watch the Greatest British Detective team up with determined and brilliant FTM transvestite bacteriologist Anna/Anton Kronberg to foil a villanious plot and defeat cholera and tetanus at the same time.Contains bacteriology, sleuthing, horrible crimes, reflections on sexuality and gender roles and tons of UST. Anna/Anton Kronberg is a very likable character and Sherlock Holmes reveals an unexpected human side.Definitely recommended. Can't wait for the next one.
    • 5/5
      Free Kindle d/l in 2013. I was surprised to find Sherlock Holmes as a major character. I was also surprised that it was a good read except for: 1) I have no idea why the name of the book 2) the ending wasn't really an ending, and that's probably why there are 3 more books in this series! I've got many more books to read, but I would not be opposed to continue this series
    • 4/5
      A relatively short novel, but one which figures Anton Kronberg, England’s leading bacteriologist in Victorian times, and Sherlock Holmes, England’s greatest detective at that time. Both of them have secrets, both know what each other’s secret is, and both could reveal their knowledge, but are bound by the threat that the other imposes upon them by that knowledge.
      This means that there is a need for them to work together, although not always with each other’s knowledge, on a strange case involving a washed up body that Kronberg works out was deliberately infected with tetanus and cholera. Victorian London’s grimy streets and utter poverty are graphically portrayed, and the activities of a shadowy, but very clever and manipulative, group that becomes simply known as the Club, become clearer and more despicable as the plot progresses. Kronberg is a damaged character (aren’t they all?) and yet is appealing in many ways – very clever and very articulate, a good foil for Holmes.
      The scientific background is well developed and entirely plausible, the descriptions of the era are bleak, with notable contrasts when the upper echelons of society become involved, and the whole book evokes a time when it was possible for the very rich and the very poor to rub shoulders, and the former to take serious advantage of the latter.
      The plot line is well worked out, with the ending being good and holding out the promise of more to follow. My only real criticism is that the last eighth (!) of the book, in my version, is the first 50 pages of the next book. Well worth a look at, particularly for those who are aficionados of Holmes – he comes across in all his Conan Doyle glory – irascible, yet brilliant.
    • 4/5
      Dr. Anton Kronberg is a bacteriologist who is called in by the police to the scene of a body - a cholera victim - who has been found floating in the city's drinking water supply. There he meets Sherlock Holmes who in the space of a few minutes has discovered the Doctor's secret. They then join forces to solve the crime of the cholera victims
    • 4/5
      This book is enjoyable on several levels. First, because it doesn't focus mainly on Sherlock Holmes, it has an originality that so many non-Doyle Holmes books lack. Second, the protagonist, Dr. Anton Kronberg, is actually a woman in disguise. If she wants to be a doctor in 19th century Europe, she has no choice, so she has left her native Germany, where she received her medical degree (in disguise), studied at Harvard, and finally landed in London, where she is a noted bacteriologist, searching for the cure for diseases such as tetanus and cholera. Third, the crimes themselves are interesting--horrid, but interesting, and the medical discussions in the book are well done and fascinating. Fourth, the portrayal of Holmes, while it may irk some people, shows an imperfect man, in his own way struggling as much with his identity as Anna Kronberg is with hers. This is a very fast read, and London is well-portrayed, as are the secondary characters in the book. I found Dr. Kronberg's emotions a bit hard to follow at times, and her relationship with Holmes was certainly complex, perhaps a little too complex for the writer to explain it! Lastly, the climax of the book, although long awaited and satisfying, seemed a little abrupt given the nature of the evil being confronted. Still, this was a fascinating, original story, and I would be interested in following the series further. (No wonder this one was free for the Kindle!)
    • 4/5
      this was a good read. i will look for more. i really like it.
    • 4/5
      Excellent start to a series. Outstanding lead character with a nice finesse into the world of Sherlock Holmes.
    • 2/5
      Anna always wanted to be a doctor so she changes her name to Anton Kronberg, straps on a fake penis, and disguises herself as a man. Now recognized as Britain's foremost bacteriologist in the 19th century, it is up to her to help Sherlock Holmes solve a medical mystery and save his life.This story needs editing. There are may word usage errors [e.g. where for were, trails for trials, lead for led, fried for friend, nervous tick for tic, diseased for deceased, and loosing for losing).
    • 4/5
      The Devil's Grin by Annelie Wendeberg is the first book in the 'Kronberg Crimes' series. Set in Victorian England, this book is a mix of fiction and historical facts. Disease coats the streets and Jack the Ripper haunts the alleys. People will do anything to survive.The year is 1889 and Doctor Anton Kronberg has been asked for assistance in identifying a possible cholera victim at the Hampton Water Treatment Works by Scotland Yard's Inspector Gibson. Anton works at Guy's Hospital in London in the ward of infectious diseases. The best bacteriologist and epidemiologist in England. Cholera is one of many constant threats and the hospital is always packed three to a bed, leading to the further spread of disease. Going to inspect the dead man, Anton meets the famous Sherlock Holmes, who surprises both Anton and the reader by discovering that Anton Kronberg is in fact Anna Kronberg, a female doctor who earned her degree in Germany. Anna is reasonably upset. This is an era where women are forbidden to study medicine or become doctors. The only women in a medical field are nurses. Anna works very hard to keep her identity secret by changing her countenance and her appearance, even going as far as to keep a bag filled with water in her trousers so her colleagues can occasional see her 'peeing' at the urinals, to leave no doubt in their minds that she is a man. If her secret was ever revealed, she would be incarcerated for life.Anna is just as sharp and observant as Sherlock. The two decide to work with each other (which neither of them are particularly used to or pleased about) after finding a few discrepancies on the body. The two will have to learn to deal with one another and try to get along with someone just as knowledgable as themselves. They will no doubt get on each other's nerves, but there is amicability and understanding there too. As they begin to see more into the dark underworld and corrupt corporations that are involved, they begin to realise just how deep they're in. Could the man have been killed by tetanus? If so, how could he contract it without any deep wounds or without consuming a tetanus infected animal? Is it possible he was murdered? They must also learn to battle with their own dark demons and consider how far either of them are willing to go to find the truth, even if it means risking their lives or that of others. The title of this book comes from one of the symptoms of a tetanus victim- a grin. It is a telltale sign of tetanus. The characters are intriguing. Sherlock is Sherlock. What can I say about this character that isn't already known to every person under the sun? His depiction here is very similar to his original character. Obviously, there will be slight discrepancies, not just because of a different author, but also because he's interacting with people he's never met before. All people act differently depending on the person they're with, including Sherlock. For fans of Sherlock, don't worry, he is still true to himself, if not for the occasional phrase I couldn't quite picture him saying. Sherlock himself is already a character who's interesting enough to carry the story, but Anna/Anton's character was equally compelling, to say the least. Forced to hide her gender, she spends so much time as a man, that she questions her identity. It's not that she's transgender or confused about her sexuality, but more that she has seen the pros and cons of being a member of each gender and she wonders which one it is better to be and which one she is more suited to. Add to that the fact that she must completely shed her female self, so as not to be discovered, and it's not wonder she's unsure. Like Sherlock, she will push herself to her physical and mental limits to get an answer. Together, the chemistry these two characters share is palpable. I'm bringing it up because I'm sure people will wonder, but the only similarity between her and Irene is that the two are equally as intelligent as Sherlock himself. They can outwit him. But Irene is very sure of her gender and obviously loves being a woman and the ability to make Sherlock uncomfortable with it. Anna isn't even sure what gender she wants to be. Their personalities are very different and these two characters are not to be confused.Anna and Sherlock can singlehandedly carry this story. The plot is interesting and dark, but even if it had been terrible, I believe that Anna and Sherlock would still make it work. They're just that entertaining and thought-provoking. An incomplete ending, this is a series that connects all its stories through plot, not just characters. It is not often that the same story will continue through the series. The same villain perhaps, but generally when you start a new book, a new plot begins as well. For those who aren't fans of endings without resolution, there is enough of a conclusion to satisfy. We just aren't given the whole picture. The final line will leave fans of both this book's characters and Sherlock Holmes hurrying to the next instalment. Disclaimer: I received this book from the author. This is not a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% my own.
    • 5/5
      The sign of a really good spin off book, is that it makes you want to go read the originals again just to fit the details together. This book was great! I've been an avid Sherlock Holmes fan since the 6th grade when my dad bought me a telephone book-sized, unabridged set of the stories. Yet, the original Sherlock Holmes story with Holmes breaking the "evil doctor ring" always bothered me. I didn't like that he didn't completely win. I love this book's take on it! The intellectual side of me cackled at the innovative take on the old story, while the emotional side of me was on the edge of my chair wondering what would happen next. I am definitely looking forward to the second book!
    • 5/5
      I received this book free in exchange for a review. The story of Sherlock Holmes continues in "The Devil's Grin". The interaction between Holmes and Dr Kronberg is intriguing, the story engaging, and I am looking forward to more "Kronberg Crimes" novels!
    • 3/5
      Anna Kronberg ist Arzt - da es ihr im 19. Jahrhundert nicht anders möglich ist, lebt sie ein Doppelleben. Als Anton Kronberg ist sie tagsüber ein angesehner Epidemiologe, Nachts lebt sie als Anna in den Slums von London.Sie wird zu einem Cholera-Toten hinzugezogen und stellt fest, dass dieser absichtlich infiziert wurde. Nun ermittelt sie zusammen mit Sherlock Holmes, dem sie intellektuell mindestens ebenbürtig ist. Das führt zu witzigen und knisternden Dialogen. Dass dieses Buch bei mir kein totaler Volltreffer ist, liegt sicher daran, dass ich historische (Kriminal)romane in der Regel nicht so mag. Menschen, die wie heutige Menschen denken, agieren in Kullissen aus alter Zeit. Es ist bei diesem Buch besser gelungen als bei anderen. Das Paar Anna Kronberg und Sherlock Holmes ist witzig und interessant. Vom Schreibstil her ist es angenehm zu lesen, flott und kurzweilig.Eine deutsche Autorin, die auf englisch schreibt und dann wieder ins Deutsche zurückübersetzt wird- interessante Zusammenstellung!
    • 5/5
      Devil’s Grin---WoW!!! I received this book from Library Thing to read and review. I was hooked from the beginning to the end. I hated to put the book down and was anxious to return to the this addictive story. Excellent writing, phenomenal character development and exciting plot. I can’t wait to read Book Two.