Book reviews

The Canary Trainer
Nicholas Meyer Book Review

Read a book review online (click here to search reviews)
Books Movies  
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mystery/Thriller Literature Romance Biography History
Nicholas Meyer Books
New book search
Nicholas Meyer Message Board
Get more information about this book
Plot Summary of The Canary Trainer
"


For Sherlock Holmes fans, any revival of “the master's” stories at least arouse some
curiosity. In “The Canary Trainer,” Nicholas Meyer in this sequel to the popular “Seven-
Per-Cent Solution,” reveals that Holmes is currently in Paris, the capital of the world in
this year of 1891. And we are in for a set of surprises! Holmes' great love has suddenly
appeared (she is a famous opera singer from New Jersey!)! Also, there is rumor that
the “Opera Ghost” is on a rampage. This foe to Holmes is considered “more than equal to
Holmes”! The chase is on, the hounds are loose, the game is afoot! Holmes is hired to
protect a beautiful soprano and from this point on, action is a-plenty! Meyer does an
admirable job in continuing the Doyle legend (Meyer writes in the introduction that this is
a newly-found account by Dr. Watson!). Sherlock fans shouldn't be disappointed.

"

Bill Hobbs, Resident Scholar

"Meyer continues his wonderful extension of the Sherlock Holmes story with this imagination of Holmes' "Lost Years," when he was supposedly murdered by Prof. Moriarty. It offers Meyer's usual mix of fictional and historical figures, including the author of "The Phantom of the Opera," who looms large in this book. Watson is not present for much of it, and the book does suffer for that. But the mystery: who is killing those associated with the opera where Holmes has gotten himself a job as a violinist, is engrossing and worthy of Doyle."
Jeffrey Cohen, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of The Canary Trainer
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 50%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%




Tone of story - very upbeat
How difficult to spot villain? - Moderately Challenging
Time/era of story: - 1900-1920's
Spying/Terrorism Thriller Yes
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 70% - nearly 100%
Special suspect? - chronically deranged person
Murder of certain profession? - musicians
Misc. Murder Plotlets - local police w/ IQ of a houseplant
Kind of investigator - british mystery (I say!)
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - life in that culture
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes
General Crime (including known murderer) Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here? - finding a known killer

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - private investigator
Age: - 40's-50's
Has special powers? Yes
How much violence does he/she use? - none
Ethnicity/Race - British
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters - Genius (really!)
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - accused criminal
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount - an average amount
Motive of antagonist - insanity
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - very athletic - average physique

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - France

Style
Part of a series? Yes
Person - mostly 1st - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths? - 1 - 3-4
Unusual forms of death - dropped from large heights
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to The Canary Trainer
A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King
The Winter Garden Mystery by Carola Dunn
The Last Kashmiri Rose by Barbara Cleverly
Requiem for a Mezzo by Carola Dunn
A Letter of Mary by Laurie R. King


Click here for more information about this book


Nicholas Meyer Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
David Fletcher  

SCHOLARS:


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Three ways to search for Thriller/Action books!

1) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot or subplot below!

Big vehicle disaster?

Crime Thriller

Disaster, natural or nuclear

Exploring into the wild

Horror Story?

Legal Thriller

Medical Thriller

Religious overtones?

Spying/Terrorism Thriller

War Thriller

Water adventure

Western



or 2) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
3) Even more search options available with a Detailed Booksearch (click here)

Use our site!
Feedback
About us
Bribe your congressman!
Rudy Giuliani



Most recent discussions:

General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
Online Dating Advice
Erin Hunters 5:44:58 AM
Judith McNaught 5:06:54 AM
Ray Bradbury 12:56:20 AM
Gary Paulsen 12:31:20 AM
Annette Curtis Klause 10:46:22 PM
Herman Melville 10:11:58 PM
Mary Stewart 10:05:17 PM
George W. Bush 9:24:15 PM
Suzanne Collins 8:54:37 PM
James Patterson 7:47:37 PM
Kara Dalkey 5:37:03 PM
Teri Woods 4:55:49 PM
Southampton Row 4:05:35 PM
V.C. Andrews 3:51:51 PM
Jeanette Walls 2:50:57 PM
General Discussion (All Topics) 1:22:33 PM
Ruth Minsky Sender 12:31:59 PM
Lilian Jackson Braun 10:25:33 AM
Deric Longden 7:40:15 AM
Robin Jenkins 4:55:32 AM

More message boards