This is one of a series of mysteries featuring Oscar Wilde. I doubt I'm going to read the other books. This one takes place during the time Wilde was imprisoned for his homosexuality which was illegal in England at the time. Reading Gaol was strict with all prisoners in solitary cells, a rigid schedule, and prohibitions against prisoners talking to each other at any time. The section where Wilde is held included a convicted poisoner, an elderly & sickly prisoner, an Indian hijra (eunuch transvestite), a dwarf, and the murderer who was immortalized in Wilde's poem "The Ballad of Reading Gaol." After the violent death of one of the guards, prison officials enlist Wilde's help in solving the murder. The assumption was that Wilde would be good at this because he was a friend of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The story is farfetched and somewhat convoluted with the murderer not being "caught" until after Wilde was released from prison. I found this book difficult to finish because it was so unbelievable.
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