Lindsey Fitzharris | Sleuth-Hound
Lindsey Fitzharris presents *Sleuth-Hound*, a portrait of Joseph Bell, the nineteenth-century Edinburgh surgeon whose extraordinary powers of observation and deduction helped inspire Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. In conversation with Nicole Angemi, Fitzharris explores Bell’s work as a medical and criminal investigator, from diagnosing patients at a glance to examining murders, poisonings, and other crimes.
The program follows Bell from hospital wards and witness boxes to gaslit streets and Gilded Age drawing rooms. It recounts his collaborations with police surgeon Henry Duncan Littlejohn, ballistics expert Dr. Watson, and Conan Doyle, including their effort to overturn a homicide conviction and Bell’s involvement in the search for Jack the Ripper. Fitzharris also considers how Bell’s attention to minute clues—such as scratches, cigar ash, and a person’s gait—helped shape modern ideas about forensic investigation, bodily evidence, and justice.
When: Tuesday, December 1, 2026
Showtime: 7:00 p.m.
Venue: Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine Street, between 19th and 20th Streets on the Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1189
Tickets: $5.00
Format: Author Events Series presentation featuring Lindsey Fitzharris in conversation with Nicole Angemi
Featured speaker: Lindsey Fitzharris is a New York Times bestselling author of *The Butchering Art* and *The Facemaker*. She holds a PhD in the history of science and medicine from the University of Oxford and has also written children’s nonfiction with her husband, Adrian Teal, including *Dead Ends!* and *Plague-Busters!*
Moderator: Nicole Angemi, MS, PA (ASCP), is a pathologists’ assistant with more than 20 years of experience in pathology, anatomy, and forensics. She wrote *Nicole Angemi’s Anatomy* and founded an educational platform with a community of more than two million followers.
Ages: Adult
Books: Books by the speakers will be available for purchase at the library on the evening of the event.
Accessibility: ADA-accessible seating is available. Guests who need wheelchair seating or other accommodations should contact authorevents@freelibrary.org in advance.
Ticket policy: Tickets are non-refundable.
Contact: 215-567-4341