My singularly foppish chum Melanthios just discovered something which looks rather wonderful – a mystery series with Oscar Wilde as the hero by Gyles Brandreth, the comedy writer, biographer and MP (Tory, alas.) I haven’t read any of them, but the concept is so wonderful, I’m driven to manifest one of the characters who’ve been bouncing around my head for a while…

Lucifer Marigolds, Esoteric Detective!

Art critic, bon vivant and Knight-Erudite of the Hermetic Order of the Gilded Pangolin, Lucifer Marigolds maintains the public facade of an overindulged, immoral buffoon to conceal his true vocation: an overindulged, immoral buffoon who solves unsolvable crimes and combats the dark and lifeless forces at work in this infinitely complex world. He has seen things far too great and terrible for any unprepared pysche to witness, and his favourite food is plums.

I’ve also been pondering the archetype of the Gentleman Thief – pondering with intent to buy, you might say – so I expect Lucifer shall have a rival of sorts in due time. I’d consider it unlikely that Burly-Man should become involved, however.