Photographing Fairies — Steven G. Szilagyi

It all begins in the 1920s, when a blustering country policeman, Constable Michael Walsmear, literally punches his way into American photographer Charles Castle's London studio. Walsmear has what he claims are photographs of fairies. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, whom Castle approaches to verify the pictures, offers a large sum of money to have Walsmear's photographs destroyed. But even more than cash, Castle wants the truth. His quest takes him to Burkinwell, a seemingly peaceful country village seething with secrets. Armed with a camera, he encounters gypsies and wild dogs, the innocent girls of the photos and the murderous thieves who threaten them, a beautiful garden and unspeakable sexual practices. He also discovers the most shocking truth of all: that absolute purity and utter depravity are folded together in the human heart.
"A remarkable novel . . . full of charm and enchantment." -- Los Angeles Times
"Mesmerizing and offbeat, PHOTOGRAPHING FAIRIES is an irresistible treat . . . . This novel vibrates with the tension of a topnotch detective story." -- The Washington Post