What is the source of Arthur Conan Doyle's strange belief in fairies, so at odds with the analytical spirit of his best known creation? How did Peter Pan manage without Tinker Bell after she was finally laid to rest in Neverland? Did Ahab die after disappearing into the ocean, tethered to the body of Moby Dick by the line from his own harpoon? How did Dr Frankenstein really bring his terrible creature to life? What was the real motive behind the crimes of Jack the Ripper? What did Jiminy Cricket carry in his briefcase? Is there something that connects all these stories? The answers to these and many other questions are revealed throughout this novel, a series of letters, confessions and diary entries overflowing with imagination and unique in style. 'A magnificent exercise in imagination and literary knowledge.' La Nueva España