Chapel Noir: A Novel of Suspense Featuring Sherlock Holmes, Irene Adler, and Jack the Ripper [Mass Market Paperback]

No, I do not mind that the book is darker than the previous ones in the series. It fits the story. I love the growth and development of the characteters, so no complaints there. I can even handle a cliffhanger as much as I personally detest them. I hate waiting at least a year for a resolution in books I read primarily for entertainment.

What I didn't like was the constant change of narrator in the book. Yes, I understand it was necessary, considering the inevitable cliffhanger. Yes, I even like Pink (or whatever you want to call her). But although she is vastly different in personality from Nell, her narrative voice is not sufficiently different. I kept having to keep the narrative clues straight as to who was speaking, since the voices were all too similar. It's not that I was confused, but I had to work too hard to read the book just to keep the narrators straight, let alone the clues and story developments. It was horrific when I had to put the book down for a break and come back and figure out who was speaking before I could become immersed in the story. The narrative clues are dense, actually, and also slowed the flow of the story. It was as if the editor knew the voices were not different enough so we were peppered with narrative clues, not mystery clues, since the conceit had to be maintained to obtain the ending.

Still, Irene is back, and so is Nell. If you love them, reread the other books and venture onto this one. If you haven't read the former books, please start with them. Nell is a jewel, a Dr. Watson and an Archie Goodwin rolled all into a Victorian woman. Don't miss her. I love her. I just wish the book had been more about her again than Irene. Irene is wonderful, but Nell is the true heroine. Nell humanizes Irene's perfections.

If you also enjoy Holmes tempered with a strong female character, I highly recommend Laurie R. King's "The Beekeeper's Apprentice."

I have been converted. This past week, I picked up Chapel Noir planning to quickly flip through the pages searching for Holmes. Boy, was I in for a pleasant surprise! The riveting plot: it would appear that Jack the Ripper is in Paris, and seems to have picked up where he left off back in Whitechapel. Irene and her Watsonian sidekick Nell are summoned in the middle of the night to investigate the crime. Famous personages pop up throughout the book a la any historical mystery, but rather than crowding up the storyline, they simply make their appearance and exit stage left.

By the way, for all you Sherlockians, there is enough Sherlock Holmes here for your enjoyment, but what caught my attention is that Douglas' pen seems to have found new life in this series. This book is far darker and more complex than its predecessors, but it sure makes for a far more engrossing read.

Sherlock Holmes stays for a bit longer in this book than he does in all the previous Irene Adler books combined (which is a plus!). The interplay between the two are especially fun to read, and Huxleigh's observations of them are just flat-out hilarious!

Chapel Noir, the latest and in my humble opinion, the greatest installment in this series, is a must-read mystery novel! And oh, the ending! Talk about a cliffhanger! I can hardly wait for the the sequel to come out in August 2002!