Auguste Lupa is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

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 it ...

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

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

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 writer Rex Stout. Wolfe was born in Montenegro and keeps his past murky. He lives in a luxurious brownstone on West 35th Street in Ne ...

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 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 member of the Diogenes ...

, 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 William Stuart Baring-Gould (1913–10 Aug 1967) was a noted Sherlock Holmes scholar, best known as the author of the influential 1962 fictional biography, ''Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street, Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street: A Life of the World's ...

previously postulated that

was the son of

and

in his books ''

Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street ''Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street: A Life of the World's First Consulting Detective'' is a 1962 novel by William S. Baring-Gould. The book purports to be a biography of Sherlock Holmes. It is considered to be the "definitive" biography of Sherloc ...

'' (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 Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

, the creator of the

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

. 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 or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Polan ...

External links

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

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