It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the winter of despair, it was the spring of hope; it was the world of darkness, it was the world of light; it was the slaughterhouse of Jack the Ripper, and the stage of Sherlock Holmes.
It was England at the end of the nineteenth century,
Our darkness is our crown of thorns.
[Those who are religiously or politically sensitive please proceed with caution.
The characters and some case details are original and any similarity is purely coincidental]