Customer Reviews

Another Scandal in Bohemia: A Novel of Suspense Featuring Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler

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This book is actually a reprint of a book under a different title. The original title was Irene's Last Waltz, and it is the 4th in the series. In it, Irene Adler Norton, whom we first met in Arthur Conan Doyle's short story, "A Scandal in Bohemia," returns to Bohemia to discover that an impostor has been put in the place of the real king and that a nocturnal monster is stalking the capital city.

Before reading this one, you may wish to read the previous books in the series in this order: Good Night, Mr. Holmes; Good Morning, Irene; and Irene At Large. (As far as I have been able to determine these have not been reissued under different titles but may be in the future). After this book, there are two more books: Chapel Noir and Castle Rouge.

Add another point if you're a Sherlockian, two if you're a fan of Irene. Irene Adler, "the woman" to Sherlock Holmes, is the heroine of this tale, which is written as if narrated by her friend Penelope. A fun romp through 19th-century Europe, involving Irene's erstwhile suitor, the King of Bohemia, and a dastardly Russian plot. Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson have a few cameos, including one great one at the end that made the book for me.

My main criticism is that it's a little heavy-handed on the name- dropping side; Irene is acquainted with scads of famous historical personages. This actually makes it harder to suspend disbelief and accept that both Holmes and Irene were historical personages, as the book attempts to convey. Well worth reading, more than once for some.

Other books in the series (in order; this is the fourth):
Good Night, Mr. Holmes; Good Morning, Irene; Irene At Large

Originally titled Irene's Last Waltz, Another Scandal in Bohemia is the 4th in a series of historic mysteries based on a character from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes story, A Scandal In Bohemia. Carole Nelson Douglas takes this character, Irene Adler, the only woman to catch Holmes' romantic interests, and has her go on to pursue her own career as an investigating detective. With Penelope Huxley, a country parson's daughter, as her Dr. Watson to write down her exploits, Adler has married and lives in Paris.

In this novel Irene returns to Prague to once again help the Bohemian royal family with a vexing problem - the king has not consumated his marriage of 9 months. Also the legendary Golum is once again walking the streets of this ancient city. Along the way she becomes involved with the historic and literary personages of Charles Frederick Worth (the founder of Haute Couture), Sherlock Holmes, and Baron Alphonse de Rothschild (international financier).

Carole Nelson Douglas fills this series with wonderful historic detail - especially about the wardrobes of Irene and Penelope. She also livesn up the narrative by opposing the personalities her two main characters, the flamboyant and independent Irene and the fastidious and proper Penelope.

In this book she looks at the working conditions of young women in Paris and the position of Jews in late 19th century Europe. A wonderful volume in the series.

I have read all four of the Irene books - twice. I am anxiously awaiting for the next book to appear - please don't let me down.

This is a very good IRENE ADLER book. Maybe a bit predictable, but a fun read. However, I was disappointed to learn that it was really only a re-named re-issue of IRENE's LAST WALTZ, not a new book. I haven't cared for the two newest Carole Nelson Douglass Irene books, Chapel Noir and Castle Rouge, much too gruesome. But, I do hope she goes back to writing this type of book.

I am not going to address the "reissue" debate.

And to the person that said that the last two were too gruesome. Well, they dealt with Jack the Ripper...I would expect them to be gruesome.

Who would like this book? Anyone that loves Victoriana, 19th century history, mysteries, Sherlock Holmes (especially us Sherlockians, I have to say), and/or romance novels. Douglas' "Irene Adler series" has all of these elements and more. It is extremely well written. I consider myself to be extraordinarily literate and I still have to look up some of the terms in this series on occasion. I learn, but I am also entertained. I highly recommend this book as well as all of the Irene Adler series.

love this whole series!! i wish she had written more!! as a collector of all thing Sherlockian, you cant go wrong with this series either!! Irene is large and in charge in an era when she was not suppose to be!! Go head Irene!!

I know I've read this one before, but I honestly didn't remember anything about it. It's been a long time, and there've been a lot of books in the interim.

This is the 4th book in the Irene Adler series, based on the character from the Sherlock Holmes story "A Scandal in Bohemia." Irene, her husband Godfrey, and friend Nell are bored in Paris after their last case. Exiled from England and Irene from the stage because of their "deaths," they're unable to pursue their normal occupations, and Irene turns to shopping, getting a much-coveted appointment with the House of Worth, where she and Nell have three startling experiences: 1) Charles Worth himself asks Irene to be a living advertisement for his gowns; 2) the Queen of Bohemia, Irene's erstwhile rival, confides that her husband of several months has yet to visit her bed, and asks for help; 3) a bead-girl is found murdered in the Worth dress factory.

Godfrey, meanwhile, has had a request of his own, for the three of them to visit Baron Alphonse de Rothschild, the international financier, who offers each one of them the perfect price to return to Bohemia and spy for him.

Of course, when Irene and Nell left Bohemia, it was in fear for their lives, so the expedition is not without risk.

There's international intrigue, fashion, romantic entanglement, the supernatural in the form of the Golem (which made me think of Pratchett) that's reportedly menacing Prague, the position of Jews and working women in late 19th-century Europe, and an overlap with a Holmes case, which for the life of me I can't identify, and which may not actually exist.

It's complex and filled with realism, and the characters just grab me. Nell's relative innocence, honesty, and narrow-mindedness contrast well with Irene's worldliness and other-worldliness, and Godfrey's sincerity and pragmatism.

The Irene Adler series is a winner. Ms. Douglas manages to weave her stories around actual events and people. Her heroine Irene Adler is one of the saviest Victorian sleuths you'll find. Ms. Douglas also brings in Sherlock Holmes in "cameo" roles, where he helps in the unveiling of the mystery. This book is set in Prague in 1889. A lot of political machinations were occurring in the fight for the small nation of Bohemia, and Irene, her husband Godfrey and indomitable Nell are sent to Prague to look after the Rothschilds' interests. Irene cannot resist the challenge of going back to the city where she and Nell fled from almost two years ago, and of course, being Irene, she'll go in disguise. These books are a lot of fun filled with great period detail.

Carole Nelson Douglas gives us wonderful entertainment in the latest Irene Adler romp, told by her "Watson", Penelope Huxleigh. The weaving of historical figures and Sherlock Holmes among several mystery plot lines makes for a delightful read. Be sure to read all four Irene stories!