Good Night, Mr. Holmes: An Irene Adler Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Carole Nelson Douglas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 1991

Winner of the American Mystery Award for Best Novel of Romantic Suspense, and the Romantic Times BookClub Award for Best Historical MysteryMiss Irene Adler, the beautiful American opera singer who once outwitted Sherlock Holmes, is here given an unexpected talent: she is a superb detective, as Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker can attest. Even Holmes himself must admit--albeit grudgingly--that she acquits herself competently. But in matters of the heart she encounters difficulty. The Crown Prince of Bohemia--tall, blonde, and handsome--proves to be a cad. Will dashing barrister Godfrey Norton be able to convince Irene that not all handsome men are cut from the same broadcloth?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Setting herself the task of creating a heroine worthy of Sherlock Holmes, Douglas, a Texas writer of science fiction ( Counterprobe ), succeeds smashingly. In providing an inventive, believable past for Irene Adler, the one woman (and an American at that) who ever duped Holmes, Douglas writes in a voice that resonates of Dr. Watson's (or Conan Doyle's) when appropriate, and links Adler's adventures with information offered about her in Doyle's "A Scandal in Bohemia." Narrated with credible Victorian style and sensibility by Penelope "Nell" Huxleigh, a parson's daughter, this lively caper establishes Adler's sleuthing skills as she solves cases that involve Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker, among others. The novel has more going for it than the usual Holmesian pastiche, presenting a truly original perspective of the one whom the great detective himself dubbed "the woman." She's a superior woman at that: readers will doff their deerstalkers.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-- Irene Adler was the only woman that Sherlock Holmes admired. They met in Scandal in Bohemia --she outwitted the great detective and she was never heard from again. Who was she? What was her background? What happened to her? This fascinating book answers these questions and many more. Adler's adventures as an opera singer to those of a detective from London to Prague to Paris are chronicled by her own "Dr. Watson" in the personage of her friend Penelope Huxleigh. Douglas also presents a portrait of women in late Victorian society from a woman's point of view. This book will encourage YAs to read the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and other literature from that era.
- Roberta Lisker, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (June 15, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812514300
• ISBN-13: 978-0812514308
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,760,794 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great start to a refreshing series, October 4, 2002

By 

Kait Rankins (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Good Night, Mr. Holmes: An Irene Adler Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

Whoever thought that Irene Adler, subject of only one Holmesian short story, would cause such a stir among fans? Now Carole Nelson Douglas at last brings to life a character that had only been mentioned save for her one famous line in "A Scandal in Bohemia": "Good night, Mr Holmes." From the inspiration of _the_ woman comes this fantastic first in a series that gets better and better. Not only are the books exciting, but they're refreshingly _funny_, filled with subtle wit and humor. Appearances by famed historical personages (Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, and later on the Divine Sarah Bernhardt) and famed fictional personages, Holmes and Watson themselves, make this series both realistic and amusing to read.

The characters in the Irene Adler series are complex: after reading the first three books, I still can't figure out whether or not I love or hate the character of Irene herself. Irene is the ultimate diva-detective, solving mysteries for the sake of curing her own boredom, and approaches everything with an impish enthusiasm. Impossibly radiant and beautiful, she eclipses the series' true heroine, the "Watson" to Irene, Penelope Huxleigh: a plain and proper parson's daughter who gets mixed up in Irene's life by mistake, in a very similar way that Watson met Holmes. Nell is the most intriguing character in the series, and easiest to identify with, even if she comes off as a prude at times. Anyone who has felt a "third wheel," or has been left in the shadows because of a more attractive friend, will relate to Nell. Barrister Godfrey Norton makes up the third of this main-character trio, who is astonishingly likeable - he adds a definite spark to the series that would surely be lost without him.

_Good Night, Mr. Holmes_ and the books that follow it (two or three of which are out of print and hard to find at present) will probably best liked by women, because it very accurately (and bemusedly) presents a female version of the Victorian era - one from a "modern" woman and one more subdued and conformist, and two different feminine views (from Irene and Nell) of Sherlock Holmes himself. It's very interesting to see Holmes as a minor character and adversary - and don't worry, Holmes fans: Nelson writes Holmes and Watson well.

I strongly recommend reading "A Scandal in Bohemia" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (found in _The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes_) before turning to the Irene Adler series, in order to get acquainted with the characters and see the Watsonian point of view on the case portrayed in _Good Night, Mr. Holmes_.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly polished writing, January 25, 2003

By 

William L. Gilstrap - See all my reviews

This review is from: Good Night, Mr. Holmes: An Irene Adler Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

Ms. Douglas is a talented and practiced writer. This book and the others of this series show how well she has honed her craft.

This is a deeper look at Irene Adler who was a character in Doyle's, "A Scandal in Bohemia". She was one of the few people and the only woman to outwit Sherlock Holmes. The book retells the story from Adler's viewpoint and goes on to solve some other puzzles. Irene Adler, as she appears in the Douglas books, is truly an amazing woman. One would be hard pressed not to have admiration for her and her enormous abilities. She is shown as a virtuous, honest, married woman in this book instead of the "fallen woman" she is portrayed to be in the Doyle book.
All the narrative is done from the supposed diary of Penelope Huxley (Adler's Doctor Watson). Ms. Huxley is a dedicated spinster who apparently is meant to be the conscience of Victorian London. Some of her straight laced, over done morals are a bit trying but she is probably representative of the outlook of "proper" Victorian England. Penelope is a whiz at taking notes, much as Archie Goodwin is a supposed human tape recorder (Nero Wolfe series). It's very convenient to have someone on hand to do nothing but observe and record, thereby giving more credence to the story. There is much name dropping in this and all the other books of the series. Famous characters appear here and there for no apparent reason except to give added spice to the book. I think anyone who likes the Holmes series or who likes to boost the status of women in general will enjoy this book and the ones following it.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The Woman" is indeed Holmes' equal .....almost!, February 18, 2000

By 

Janet H. (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Good Night, Mr. Holmes: An Irene Adler Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

If you are a fan of Holmes and know the story of Irene Adler and the "Scandal in Bohemia", this book will whet your Sherlockian appetite for more. Douglas writes in a style quite similar to Conan Doyle and makes Adler come alive as an irresistable heroine and a formidable sleuth as well. Unlike other Conan Doyle copycats, Douglas shows respect for the canon and a true knowledge of Holmesian lore. Can't wait for the next book in the series.