Customer Reviews

Castle Rouge: A Novel of Suspense featuring Sherlock Holmes, Irene Adler, and Jack the Ripper (Irene Adler Mysteries)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the sequel to Chapel Noir, and I think the two novels are the only ones ever to set women instead of men on the trail of the world's first notorious slayer of women. And what women they are! Douglas revived opera singer Irene Adler from the Sherlock Holmes story (the only woman to outwit him) as an actress/singer moonlighting as a "private inquiry agent" to make ends meet. An ex-Pinkerton agent in the U.S., Irene turned to serious detection when forced out of her performing career. She is up to outwitting Mr. Holmes again . . . and again, and indeed, Holmes and Irene and her allies are pursuing the Ripper by separate paths that are destined to meet.

Irene's allies include her loyal biographer, Nell Huxleigh, a prim Victorian parson's daughter thrown into a world of violent sex crimes with mind-expanding results, and a cheeky American girl found in a Paris brothel when the Ripper seems to have resurfaced in Paris a few months after the Whitechapel atrocities.

This is a whole new arena for the Ripper, and the chase in Castle Rouge leads to points east featured earlier in the series, such as legend-haunted Prague, and even farther east into Transylvania. It's no surprise that Dracula author Bram Stoker is along for the ride as both supporter . . . and suspect.

Not only does the book offer a whole new perspective on the Ripper murders, but a whole new and intriguing (though fictional) look at why Stoker wrote Dracula.

Both old and new characters reveal surprises as they meet challenge after challenge in what becomes, like the end of the novel Dracula itself, a race to rescue some of their own who have fallen into lethal hands. The plot twists and turns, coils and recoils. Quite a ride. Hang on!

This is a much darker, complex, and ambitious set of Adler books than Douglas' excellent earlier entries in the series (one was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year), but it's based on historical fact beneath the fictional embellishments and provides a lot of insight on the thinking and even politics of the times. And even some of the series traditional humor shines through, as the very Victorian Nell encounters the worst of the real world in any age, and learns that she can face up to it. I must admit that she's a favorite character of mine, despite and maybe because of her socially inbred primness, and it's a pleasure to watch her grow. She may even be up to getting it on with dashing spy Quentin in future adventures. . . . Their relationship reminds me of the one between unconventional Victorian explorer/adventurer Richard Burton and his tradtional wife.

Go, girl, go!

`Castle Rouge`, like it's precursor, `Chapel Noir`, is a thorough novel. The upside to such a book being that the reader is treated to intricate details, a strong sense of atmosphere, and dynamic characters. The downside, however, is that it doesn't become necessarily intriguing, or engaging for that matter, until you have passed the three hundred page mark. Having felt this way with `Chapel Noir' as well, I knew that if I were to wait out the novel I would be rewarded with a satisfying reading experience at the end. I was--and was not--correct in my assumption.

As `Chapel Noir's did, `Castle Rouge`s narration takes shape under the watchful eyes of numerous characters. Adler's constant companion, Nell, is back. Pink, an American journalist and temporary (not to mention annoying) sidekick, is also present with her side of the intrigue. The series of entries "found" in a yellow notebook show up again as well. However, new to `Castle Rouge' is Sherlock Holmes' confidante, Watson. His voice is one of the most sustaining aspects of the first half of the novel, which otherwise tends to be a tad slow-going, and the reader feels rather bereft when he no longer takes part in the telling of the story.

The arrival of Quentin Stanhope, around page three hundred and twenty, is when it starts to pick up pace. Irene and company get mobilized and begin to actively track the missing Nell and husband Godfrey. The focus on the Ripper at this time, though, isn't as strong. For that matter, throughout the whole of the novel the focus on the vicious killer becomes skewed. The story becomes more about the relationship between the various players and how they are dealing with whatever particular circumstance they find themselves in. To that end, I enjoyed meeting Godfrey and further found Bram Stoker to be a charming fellow.

However, the crime/mystery aspect seriously started to suffer. I felt that this novel wasn't one that invited the reader to solve the mystery. The yellow notebooks, our only direct clue to aid in answering the question of Jack the Ripper, are, in retrospect, misleading. And, ultimately, the claim made in terms of his identity was implausible to me. I read the afterword, shook my head, and had to read it again to make sure I had read it correctly the first time. Douglas, as far as I'm concerned, went way out on a limb, perhaps a bit too far. In general the actual climax happens too quickly when you think about the time and word count it took to get there and then on top of that the novel ends too abruptly for my taste. I kept searching the cover and author information to see if it mentioned another upcoming title in the series, but met with no such luck.

`Castle Rouge' is not the type of sequel that can be read independently; it relies heavily on occurrences in `Chapel Noir`. (And, as far as I'm concerned, earlier titles in the Irene Adler series as well.) But it is a must read for those that did indeed enjoy `Noir`. It is not as graphic and not quite as believable as the first installment. The character interaction was well-done and since I'm quite curious as to the nature of Quentin and Nell's relationship I will read the first titles in the series when they are re-released. Even though it was disappointing, I am glad to have read it.

This is the sequel to Chapel Noir, and a great book in and of itself. A interesting suspect for the Ripper. It leaves the reader to stare at the man's rather imposing picture and wonder "Could it have been?" Well...

#1 He was alive and kicking during this time period (1888)

#2 He is well-known for his hypnotic power over women

#3 He is also well-known for his religious fanaticism, which would explain why most Ripperologists find religious or occult symbols in the murder patterns

#4 He is now known to have been hopelessly insane

#5 By train, as the map in the book shows, it's not that far from Russia to London

#6 The murders DID NOT end with Mary Kelly, even in London, and it's easy to see a serial killer like the Ripper repeating himself elsewhere. Ted Bundy is a perfect example.

And Pink did turn out to be someone you could rely on in a pinch, n'est c'est pas? Quoth the Raven...

The sequel to Chapel Noir, which I bought instantly upon finishing the first is terriffic! What a twist on the Ripper! And to all of you nay-sayers out there, The Raven has some history.

#1. I TOLD you Pink was famous under a pseudonym. She was the perfect companion for Irene in the race to save Nell.

#2. This Ripper suspect was definately alive during said time period and proved himself to be both hopelessly insane and perverted sexually, as well as a religious fanatic. It would explain the Chi-Rho patterns that Irene makes of the murders, non? Or other authors of Ripperology's "Masonic Symbols".

#3. It would explain where Bram Stoker got the setting and background for "Dracula".

#4. Are you so foolish as to think that a serial killer like Jack-the-Ripper having got away with it once wouldn't do it again? Or even that Mary Kelly was his LAST victim? If so, you need to do some research.

I liked these volumes so well, I bought the others I didn't have. So, Carole Douglas, my compliments. Quoth the Raven...

"Castle Rouge" is the second half of a very, very long novel that begins in "Chapel Noir." You can't read these separately. Just the same, if you're an Irene Adler fan, or are interested in who might really be Jack the Ripper, this two-book novel is one you don't want to miss. See review of "Chapel Noir."

I picked this book up at the library one day while I was passing time waiting on my children. The word Castle caught my eye, and the Jack the Ripper plot idea intrigued me. Always searching for(and all too rarely finding) a good writer, I was immediately delighted with the quality of Ms. Douglas' writing. In classic Dickensian style she weilds words in unexpected ways as to be sometimes powerful, sometimes subtle, sometimes shocking, but never ordinary.

The story and characters are in themselves intriguing. By assembling in one story Jack the Ripper, Bram Stoker (author of Dracula) Sherlock Holmes, Nelly Bly, the Prince of Wales, Baron de Rothschild along with other sordid characters, both fictional and non, you have the soup into which Ms. Douglas tosses the reader to stew. We watch as Irene Adler solves both the Jack the Ripper case once and for all, and reveals the source of Bram Stroker's inspiration. Along the way we get to explore the seedy underbelly of late 19th century London, Paris, Prague and Transalvania. It's a scandolusly delicious romp!

If you like historical fiction or mystery, and value skillful writing, I commend you to Ms. Douglas.

Irene Adler is a character created by Arthur Conan Doyle and the only woman who ever outsmarted his famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. Carole Nelson Douglas has taken Irene and turned her into a detective with her own series of mystery novels. In this book, Castle Rouge, the action picks up from the previous volume Chapel Noir, with Irene seeking out the person or people who have perpetrated Jack the Ripper like murders in Paris a year after the Whitechapel murders in London. She is in desperate pursuit because it appears that her colleague Nell Huxleigh and her husband have been taken by the same culprits. But who are they? In this second volume Irene leaves Paris first for Prague and then a castle in Romania. Who is responsible for this international crime spree? Don't read the Selected Bibliography at the end of the book until you have finished it. You may find a spoiler of a clue there,
A long tale that stretches across two large volumes, but the excitement never flags. Highly recommended - a feminist point of view on the Victorian era.

A delightful lady introduced to me by a dear actress friend who would love to play Irene Adler in film. This is a neat series, well worth investing in.

This is the second half of the story begun in Chapel Noir, and I liked it both more and less than part one.

Of necessity, this contains some details that are mild spoilers for Chapel Noir, so if you're a spoiler-purist, read no further. And while you're at it, read about Chapel Noir so I don't have to repeat the series background.


Castle Rouge begins with both Nell and Godfrey both missing, and Irene joining forces with a reluctant Pink to find them and capture Jack the Ripper, who's apparently resurfaced in Paris. Reports of the renewed appearance of the Golem (from Another Scandal in Bohemia) in Prague, where Godfrey was last seen, make them think he's been there as well.

By this second volume, I was used to, and even enjoyed, the chapters from Pink's POV. She's just as unreliable a narrator as Nell, but her biases are different, and her voice is hers alone. This book also has a fourth first-person narrator in Dr. Watson, who's back in London with Sherlock Holmes, investigating Jack the Ripper from that direction. I'm still not convinced, however, that the chapters from the Yellow Journal POV were necessary. Even though I was more used to the POV switches and the different voices in this second book, there were just too many of them. And I rarely like getting an anonymous villain's POV. I'm not sure why. I'll have to think about that.

Much time was spent on the patterns the attacks made on the maps of London, Paris, and Prague--so much so that I got bored with it. Although I enjoy the mental puzzle aspect of a physical pattern to the killings, it didn't make sense. It's explained later, but the explanation raised other slight objections, and I had trouble buying the ultimate villain's motive.

However, the characters were, as always, stellar, the atmosphere intense, and the suspense dramatic. I won't be forgetting about this series again.

This heartstopping end to the two book story about Jack the Ripper written by Ms. Douglas has heart-stopping action from the beginning to the end. The book continues the story of Irene Adler's search for her missing husband and her missing companion. The book flips back and forth from Irene and her group and to Nell and Godfrey who are being held captive in a decaying castle in Transylvania. This is a much darker story than Chapel Noir, but the plot is gripping, and as always, Ms. Douglas' period detail is wonderful. I know that I couldn't put the book down. There's not much mystery in this one though, but the theories that are put forth as to the identity of Jack the Ripper are intriguing. This is a wonderful series and Irene Adler is a great character.