Spider Dance - (Irene Adler) by Carole Nelson Douglas (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Irene Adler is the beautiful opera singer who bested the best detective in the world, the only woman to ever outwit Sherlock Holmes. She has spent years in self-imposed exile in Europe, in an attempt to reinvent herself and create a new life, because she cannot remember the old one. But now circumstances have forced this diva-turned-detective to investigate a past she doesn't remember--on her home ground.

Daredevil reporter Nelly Bly has lured Irene, her faithful chronicler and British parson's daughter Nell Huxleigh, and Holmes himself to America, offering information regarding Irene's parentage. New York City in 1889 proved to be both fascinating and perilous for Irene, and Nelly Bly's information was more harmful than helpful. Because now Irene and her allies--and enemies--must race to follow a deadly trail of hidden personal and political history back in time to the days of the California gold rush, thirty years earlier.

They are pursuing the complex and contradictory life story of one of the most notorious women of the nineteenth century, and before the intrigue-ridden quest is over, Irene and Nell will uncover murderous international political conspiracies, lost treasure, and finally... the full, shocking secret of Irene's birth.

Review Quotes

"To do justice to this remarkable heroine and her keen perspective on the male society in which she must make her independent way, the author adopts a saucy style and a delicious sense of humor." --The New York Times on Good Night, Mr. Holmes

"As a Sherlockian and a Ripperologist, I found Chapel Noir as stimulating and satisfying as whiskey-and-soda and three pipes of shag on a foggy night. Brava!" --Loren D. Estleman

"Carole Nelson Douglas gives us a chilling crime perfectly suited to the unique talents of her inspired heroine." --Jayne Ann Krentz on Chapel Noir

"A story of spine-tingling suspense and dark intrigue... Just take my advice, and read it with all the lights on." --Kay Hooper on Chapel Noir

"With Chapel Noir, Carole Nelson Douglas proves she's a master of the historical detective novel." --Gayle Lynds

"This is a sumptuous read." --Romantic Times (4 1/2 stars, Top Pick) on Castle Rouge

"Ms. Douglas's plot ingenuity remains fresh and amusing, and for all its fanciful turns, the action never loses its jaunty, high-heeled pace." --The New York Times on Irene at Large

About the Author

Carole Nelson Douglas is the author of the historical suspense series featuring Irene Adler, the only woman to ever outwit Sherlock Holmes. She is also the author of the best-selling and much loved contemporary Midnight Louie Mysteries, which are set in Las Vegas. She lives in Texas with her husband.