Blend Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes with Dracula lore, toss in a copious complement of czarist Russian history, and the result is Carole Nelson Douglas's Castle Rouge, her grisly but gripping sequel to 2001's Chapel Noir.
Disaster has struck opera diva-turned-detective Irene Adler Norton. The American adventuress who bested Holmes and thereby won his admiration (in "A Scandal in Bohemia") thought she'd cornered the elusive Ripper on the grounds of the 1889 world's fair in Paris, but instead, he fled to Eastern Europe after kidnapping her friend and biographer, Penelope "Nell" Huxleigh. Now, while Irene--assisted by theatrical manager Bram Stoker, daredevil Yankee reporter Nellie "Pink" Bly, and British spy Quentin Stanhope--sets out for Prague, hoping to rescue Nell, and as Holmes and Dr. John Watson revisit Saucy Jack's earlier homicidal activities in London, Nell finds herself imprisoned, together with Irene's barrister husband, in a crumbling Transylvanian castle, under the malevolent scrutiny of a Russian woman agent and a brutish lust-murderer endowed with hypnotic powers.
Douglas builds considerable intrigue on her way to a surprising solution to the Ripper's identity. Yet it's unfortunate that this sixth Irene Adler yarn focuses more on the prudish Nell and her discomforts as a hostage (no proper corsets-- how shocking!) than on its more intrepid chief protagonist, or even on Pink, whose capacity for audacious exploits was better realized in Chapel Noir. Regrettable, too, is the plot's shift from Paris to the eldritch extremes of Bohemia. Stoker points out that "the region reeks with bizarre legend and folktales," yet Castle Rouge's action takes place well apart from the Gypsy villages that might have provided cultural color. --J. Kingston Pierce
From Publishers Weekly
A direct sequel to Chapel Noir (2001), Douglas's exuberant sixth novel to feature the woman who bested Sherlock Holmes offers a novel theory as to the identity of Jack the Ripper that's sure to provoke controversy among those devoted to the study of the most notorious serial killer of all time. The Ripper's bloody killing spree has apparently spread throughout Europe and may be connected with bizarre, violent sexual rituals performed by mysterious cultists. Adler's husband, as well as her closest confidante, Nell Bly, have disappeared, and the story alternates among various perspectives: Dr. Watson's, Nell's and that of an unknown figure whose identity is revealed only at the end. Holmes and Adler pursue separate lines of inquiry, but are off-stage for much of the book, leaving the annoying Nell, a fainting, repressed damsel in distress, as the most dominant voice. The frequent changes in locale from England and France to Bohemia and Transylvania, with each country vividly portrayed, help to speed along the plot. Dracula fans will be pleased to find Bram Stoker playing a role. Clich‚s such as "filthy minions" and a shortage of meaningful detection may put off some readers, but those who relish lots of action, including chases and close calls, will feel amply rewarded. and other titles in her Midnight Louie mystery series.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Irene Adler (Chapel Noir), who seems to know everyone of importance, wants to help Sherlock Holmes reinvestigate the Jack the Ripper murders in London after a likely suspect escapes from the police. Her husband and her friend, Nell, have also disappeared, though, drawing Irene to Paris and grisly points beyond. For all collections.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Opera-diva-turned-detective Irene Adler, the only woman ever to have outsmarted Sherlock Holmes, returns in a thrilling new clifflhanger. After seeming to unmask the elusive Jack the Ripper in Chapel Noir (2001), Irene has no time to rest on her laurels. The recently escaped Ripper suspect has kidnapped her sidekick-biographer Nell Huxleigh, and her husband, Godfrey, has mysteriously disappeared in Eastern Europe. With the able assistance of theatrical manager Bram Stoker, Nell travels to Bohemia to track down the Ripper and liberate her loved ones. The tension escalates as Irene prepares to confront her nemesis in a remote Transylvanian castle. Douglas expertly mingles historical and fictional characters into another perilous adventure featuring plenty of intrigue and suspense. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
“Irene Adler is a swashbuckling heroine who smokes cigars, carries a pistol and disguises herself in men’s clothing... A colorful character.”--New York Times Book Review
“Carole Nelson Douglas's vivid descriptions of people, places and events weaves a splendidly crafted tale of mystery and murder, horror, and humor.”--Anne Perry
“Castle Rouge is a breathtaking work of depth and quality. Never has Irene been so fascinating or determined... This is a sumptuous read.”—Romantic Times (4 stars, Top Pick)
Review
“Irene Adler is a swashbuckling heroine who smokes cigars, carries a pistol and disguises herself in men’s clothing... A colorful character.”--New York Times Book Review
“Carole Nelson Douglas's vivid descriptions of people, places and events weaves a splendidly crafted tale of mystery and murder, horror, and humor.”--Anne Perry
“Castle Rouge is a breathtaking work of depth and quality. Never has Irene been so fascinating or determined... This is a sumptuous read.”—Romantic Times (4 stars, Top Pick)
Review
“Irene Adler is a swashbuckling heroine who smokes cigars, carries a pistol and disguises herself in men’s clothing... A colorful character.”--New York Times Book Review
“Carole Nelson Douglas's vivid descriptions of people, places and events weaves a splendidly crafted tale of mystery and murder, horror, and humor.”--Anne Perry
“Castle Rouge is a breathtaking work of depth and quality. Never has Irene been so fascinating or determined... This is a sumptuous read.”—Romantic Times (4 stars, Top Pick)
Book Description
Irene Adler is the only woman ever to have outwitted Sherlock Holmes in A Scandal in Bohemia; she is as much at home with a spyglass and revolver than with haute couture and gala balls. Her adventures are the stuff of legend, for she has faced down sinister spies, thwarted plots against nations, and led an unlikely group, including the bachelor of Baker Street and his faithful cohort Watson, through the cellars and catacombs of 1889 Paris to capture Jack the Ripper. But disaster scattered those allies and the Ripper has escaped...
With the help of an unreliable prostitute named Pink, and theatrical manager Bram Stoker, who would later pen Dracula, Irene follows the clues that lead back to Bohemia, and on to new and bloodier atrocities. And when pursuers and prey reunite at a remote castle in Transylvania, the Ripper is cornered and fully unveiled at last...
From the Back Cover
A Novel of Suspense Featuring Irene Adler and Sherlock Holmes
“Irene Adler is a swashbuckling heroine who smokes cigars, carries a pistol and disguises herself in men’s clothing... A colorful character.”--New York Times Book Review
“Carole Nelson Douglas's vivid descriptions of people, places and events weaves a splendidly crafted tale of mystery and murder, horror, and humor.”--Anne Perry
Irene Adler is the only woman ever to have outwitted Sherlock Holmes in A Scandal in Bohemia; she is as much at home with a spyglass and revolver than with haute couture and gala balls. Her adventures are the stuff of legend, for she has faced down sinister spies, thwarted plots against nations, and led an unlikely group, including the bachelor of Baker Street and his faithful cohort Watson, through the cellars and catacombs of 1889 Paris to capture Jack the Ripper. But disaster scattered those allies and the Ripper has escaped...
With the help of an unreliable prostitute named Pink, and theatrical manager Bram Stoker, who would later pen Dracula, Irene follows the clues that lead back to Bohemia, and on to new and bloodier atrocities. And when pursuers and prey reunite at a remote castle in Transylvania, the Ripper is cornered and fully unveiled at last...
“Castle Rouge is a breathtaking work of depth and quality. Never has Irene been so fascinating or determined... This is a sumptuous read.”—Romantic Times (4 stars, Top Pick)
About the Author
Castle Rouge is the companion volume to Chapel Noir, chronicling Irene Adler’s Ripper case. The first book in Carole Nelson Douglas’s Irene Adler series, Good Night, Mr. Holmes was a New York Times Notable Book of the year, won an American Mystery Award for Best Novel of Romantic Suspense, and a Romantic Times Best Historical Romantic Mystery Award. In addition to the Irene Adler series, Carole Nelson Douglas is the author of the best-selling contemporary Midnight Louie mystery series. She lives in Fort Worth, Texas.
Castle Rouge FROM THE PUBLISHER
Before Caleb Carr, Anne Perry, and Laurie R. King, Carole Nelson Douglas gave readers a delightful look into Victoriana with Irene Adler, the only woman ever to have outwitted Sherlock Holmes, in "A Scandal in Bohemia." A charismatic performer and the intellectual equal to the men she encounters, Irene Adler is as much at home with a spyglass and revolver as with haute couture and gala balls. She has thwarted plots against nations, spurned a monarch, and lived to reap a sweet revenge. Now Irene is on the hunt for one of the true monsters of all time -- Jack the Ripper. It was she who led the search, with a most unlikely group of allies, through the catacombs of 1889 Paris, to capture the suspect at a horrific secret-cult ceremony held beneath the city. But disaster has scattered those allies and the Ripper has again escaped. Sherlock Holmes has returned to London, and Watson, to reinvestigate the Whitechapel murders of the previous fall from an entirely new angle.
Irene fears the Ripper will strike again and is eager to hunt this monster down. But terror has struck a little too close to home, for her own nearest and dearest are mysteriously missing -- her companion/biographer, Nell Huxleigh, abducted in Paris, and her barrister husband, Godfrey Norton, vanished in the wilds of Bohemia. Where should Irene search first? Though Irene has many highly placed friends, the Baron de Rothschild, Sarah Bernhardt, and the Prince of Wales can offer only money and good will. Irene must rely on an unreliable cohort: the American prostitute named Pink, who has proven to be someone with her own agenda, and Bram Stoker, the theatrical manager who will later pen Dracula. The trail will lead back to Bohemia, and on to new and bloodier atrocities, before pursuers and prey reunite at a remote castle in Transylvania, where the Ripper is cornered and fully unveiled, at last to answer the question the world is asking: Who is Jack the Ripper?
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
A direct sequel to Chapel Noir (2001), Douglas's exuberant sixth novel to feature the woman who bested Sherlock Holmes offers a novel theory as to the identity of Jack the Ripper that's sure to provoke controversy among those devoted to the study of the most notorious serial killer of all time. The Ripper's bloody killing spree has apparently spread throughout Europe and may be connected with bizarre, violent sexual rituals performed by mysterious cultists. Adler's husband, as well as her closest confidante, Nell Bly, have disappeared, and the story alternates among various perspectives: Dr. Watson's, Nell's and that of an unknown figure whose identity is revealed only at the end. Holmes and Adler pursue separate lines of inquiry, but are off-stage for much of the book, leaving the annoying Nell, a fainting, repressed damsel in distress, as the most dominant voice. The frequent changes in locale from England and France to Bohemia and Transylvania, with each country vividly portrayed, help to speed along the plot. Dracula fans will be pleased to find Bram Stoker playing a role. Clich s such as "filthy minions" and a shortage of meaningful detection may put off some readers, but those who relish lots of action, including chases and close calls, will feel amply rewarded. (Nov. 28) FYI: Douglas is also the author of Cat in a Midnight Choir (Forecasts, Apr. 22) and other titles in her Midnight Louie mystery series. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
Irene Adler (Chapel Noir), who seems to know everyone of importance, wants to help Sherlock Holmes reinvestigate the Jack the Ripper murders in London after a likely suspect escapes from the police. Her husband and her friend, Nell, have also disappeared, though, drawing Irene to Paris and grisly points beyond. For all collections. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Plying the Sherlockian canon once again (Chapel Noir, 2001, etc.), Douglas sets The Woman, Irene Adler, to solve the case that is most baffling to Holmes: Who is Jack the Ripper? Moreover, is this fiend also responsible for the disappearance of Irene's husband, barrister Godfrey Norton, last seen entering a Transylvanian castle on a mission for Baron Rothschild, and the abduction from the Paris streets of her secretary, the prim Penelope Huxleigh, as well? Nellie "Pink" Bly, intrepid girl reporter, and Quentin Stanhope, dashing secret service agent, will follow along as Irene links up the Whitechapel murders to similar outrages in Paris and Prague and tracks the whereabouts of demented upholsterer James Kelly, the most likely suspect-although Bram Stoker also comes under scrutiny until he too winds up tethered in that Transylvanian castle, where Holmes's old nemesis Colonel Moran and his minions, including a young Rasputin, are conducting arcane and licentious religious rites in the dungeon. It will be up to a violin-playing gypsy (Guess Who in disguise) to effect a rescue, although it is Irene who spots the relevance of the bloody Chi-Rho symbol strewn about and concludes the Ripper case with an a capella rendition of "Amazing Grace." A bit too much relish in relating the anti-Semitism of the day, and a few too many bit actors (those Bohemian royals, Wild Bill, etc., etc.), but Prague is a captivating city and it's fun to watch the very Victorian Miss Huxleigh finally let her hair down.
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