Auguste Lupa is a fictional character in two

pastiche A pastiche () is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche pays homage to the work it imitates, rather than mocking ...

novels by author

John Lescroart John Lescroart (; born January 14, 1948) is a ''New York Times'' bestselling author known for his series of legal and crime thriller novels featuring the characters Dismas Hardy, Abe Glitsky, and Wyatt Hunt. His novels have sold more than 10 mi ...

. The novels are ''Son of Holmes'' (1986) and ''Rasputin's Revenge'' (1987).

Character overview

Lupa, a secret agent during the First World War, is the son of

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

and

Irene Adler Irene Adler is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A former opera singer and actress, she was featured in the short story " A Scandal in Bohemia", published in July 1891. Adler is one of the ...

. It is strongly implied that he is the younger version of fictional detective

Nero Wolfe Nero Wolfe is a brilliant, obese and eccentric fictional armchair detective created in 1934 by American mystery (fiction), mystery writer Rex Stout. Wolfe was born in Principality of Montenegro, Montenegro and keeps his past murky. He lives in a ...

in the mystery series by

Rex Stout Rex Todhunter Stout (; December 1, 1886–October 27, 1975) was an American writer noted for his detective fiction. His best-known characters are the detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin, who were featured in 33 novels and ...

. Auguste Lupa is one of many aliases used by the character. Jules Giraud, the narrator of the books, explains that Lupa always chooses as his alias a first name with a connection to one of the Caesars. Auguste is the name of a Roman emperor and Lupa means "wolf." Other aliases he has used include Julius Adler and Cesar Mycroft. The latter surname indicates a connection to

Mycroft Holmes Mycroft Holmes is a fictional character appearing in stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from 1893 to 1908. The elder brother (by seven years) of detective Sherlock Holmes, he is a government official and a founding me ...

, the brother of

. In ''Rasputin's Revenge'' it is revealed that his real name is John Hamish Adler Holmes, combining the names of Dr. John Hamish Watson, the best friend of

, and Irene Adler's surname with the surname Holmes. Lupa also shares several of Wolfe's attributes, including a tendency to be overweight, a love for fine cooking, orchids, and beer, distaste for the female sex, and a preference for the color yellow. Like Wolfe, Lupa has a mistress named Anna, whom he treats poorly. Lupa explains to Giraud that he was raised by various relatives in different European countries following the death of his mother in a train accident. He saw his father on holidays. Author William S. Baring-Gould previously postulated that

was the son of

and

in his books '' Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street'' (1962) and ''Nero Wolfe of West Thirty-Fifth Street, the life and times of America's largest private detective.'' He is also considered the son of Holmes by Philip Jose Farmer, the creator of the

Wold Newton family The Wold Newton family is a literary concept derived from a form of Fictional crossovers, crossover fiction developed by the American science fiction writer Philip José Farmer. Origins In real life a meteorite, called the Wold Cottage meteorit ...

. In ''Son of Holmes,'' Lupa investigates the murder of an intelligence agent and acts of sabotage in a small French town during World War I. In ''Rasputin's Revenge'' he travels to Russia at the request of Tsarina Alexandra and investigates the murder of a relative of

Tsar Nicholas II Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. He married ...

External links

* Mengel, Brad, "Watching the Detectives" or "The Family Tree of Sherlock Holmes,

Fictional detectives Literary characters introduced in 1987 Characters in American novels of the 20th century Sherlock Holmes pastiches Nero Wolfe {{novel-char-stub