In August 18899 at the Green-wood cemetery in Brooklyn, Irene Adler Norton and her companion Nell Huxleigh look at the gravesite that might be the last resting place of Adler's mother. Out of nowhere, Sherlock Holmes appears and directs them to the grave of Eliza Gilbert. Both females assume that Gilbert is most likely Irene's biological mother who gave her up at birth. Further research reveals that Gilbert was Lola Montez, an adventuress who was a mistress of King Ludwig of Bavaria.
When a dead man is found on his table, Willie Vanderbilt hires Holmes to investigate who killed the man, who is sending him threatening letters involving gold and jewels, and what is the link between the two. Irene recognizes the corpse as the priest who was giving Lola comfort when she was dying. As their cases interconnect, Holmes finds himself with a new partner, whom he admires for her intelligence, until Irene abruptly vanishes with Vanderbilt's child Consuelo.
Carole Nelson Douglas has written an historical mystery showcasing the only person to ever outwit the great Holmes, who plays a key supportive role. Told in rotating first person narratives, readers know what thoughts are going through the minds of the protagonists which in turn enable the audience to fully follow the two separate inquiries and know what the intersection means before the two great sleuths do.
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book descript. of violence and chases - 10% Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40% How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
- 19th century
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 60%
Kind of investigator
- hard boiled/private eye
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- searching for $$$/treasure
Crime Thriller
Yes
Crime plotlets:
- search for gems/treasure/money
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- private investigator
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
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
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- an organization
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 2
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
