Mr. Dickens, book 1: The Detective and Mr. Dickens William J. Palmer1990

In Victorian London, Charles Dickens and his protege, author Wilkie Collins, make the acquaintance of the shrewdest mind either would ever encounter: Inspector William Field of the newly formed Metropolitan Protectives. A gentleman's brutal murder brings the three men together in an extraordinary investigation that leads Dickens to the beautiful young actress Ellen Ternan, who would become the love of his life but who now stands accused of murder.