After his weak debut, Sherlock Holmes and the Giant Rat of Sumatra (2002), which pitted the master sleuth against a race of intelligent rat-men, Vanneman provides a more convincing adventure for Holmes and Watson-a swashbuckling tale of international intrigue centered on a valuable diamond and mysterious Austrian nobles who may be involved in multiple murders. As before, however, the book goes on too long. When Winston Churchill enlists the aid of the Baker Street duo in tracing a man posing as an archduke, Cecil Rhodes summarily dismisses them from the case. Rhodes proceeds to fix a coroner's inquest, thus thwarting them from independently pursuing justice. Years later, the pair resumes the now-cold trail across Europe, accompanied by a reformed street urchin who's been adopted by the good doctor. Offstage much of the time, Holmes employs his spying and burglary skills more than his deductive abilities. Though the author ingeniously adds to the canon by having Watson serve, like Conan Doyle, as a field surgeon during the Boer War, he undermines this plausible twist by once again spending many pages detailing Watson's amorous pursuits ("she grasped me by the most shameless of handles"), a far cry from Doyle's Victorian reticence and a pattern that won't endear his pastiches to proper Sherlockians. (Feb. 2) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Alan Vanneman extends the boundaries of the Sherlock Holmes canon in this crafty new novel featuring the world's greatest literary detective.
A late-night summons takes Holmes and Dr. Watson from the cozy Victorian comforts of Baker Street on to the Orient Express, where they travel the breadth of Europe to exotic Constantinople. But danger's afoot, for death, too, is traveling first class.
As Holmes strives to unmask his most cunning, ruthless, and elusive foe, he is transported into a world of high finance rife with intrigue and crime. With a cast of characters that includes historical greats like Winston Churchill as well as a beggar girl whom Watson adopts, Holmes follows a trail that leads ultimately and unpredictably to the fabled and fabulous lost Hapsburg Tiara.
Alan Vanneman extends the boundaries of the Sherlock Holmes canon in this crafty new novel featuring the world's greatest literary detective.
A late-night summons takes Holmes and Dr. Watson from the cozy Victorian comforts of Baker Street on to the Orient Express, where they travel the breadth of Europe to exotic Constantinople. But danger's afoot, for death, too, is traveling first class.
As Holmes strives to unmask his most cunning, ruthless, and elusive foe, he is transported into a world of high finance rife with intrigue and crime. With a cast of characters that includes historical greats like Winston Churchill as well as a beggar girl whom Watson adopts, Holmes follows a trail that leads ultimately and unpredictably to the fabled and fabulous lost Hapsburg Tiara.
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940169894967 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Blackstone Audio, Inc. |
| Publication date: | 06/25/2005 |
| Series: | Sherlock Holmes |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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