The book thrusts Sherlock Holmes into the world of Clive Barker's Hellraiser.

[1] After the death of his nemesis, Professor Moriarty, Holmes finds himself bored without someone with whom to match wits.

He stirs from his malaise when an interesting case presents itself: Laurence Cotton's brother Francis has gone missing with only his screams from behind a locked door a clue to his whereabouts.

[1] Steve Dillon of Dread Central enjoyed the "parallels with the established Hellraiser mythos" such as "the tie-ins to the Cotton family and the address on Lodovico street".

[3] Phil Lunt of The British Fantasy Society said that "Kane gambled with an intricate recipe—but triumphed in blending unorthodox ingredients with finesse and expertise to produce one hellishly tasty cocktail!