Castle Rouge: A Novel of Suspense Featuring Sherlock Holmes, Irene Adler, and Jack the Ripper (Irene Adler Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

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!

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.

#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...