Femme Fatale

Review 1: This is the seventh book by Ms. Douglas' on Irene Adler Norton and is one of the best yet in the series. After the paired Chapel Noir and Castle Rouge, in which Irene and her crew chased Jack the Ripper, Femme Fatale is almost a light-hearted romp of a Viennese Operetta. It is certainly fast moving and active.

Irene and her companion, Penelope Huxleigh, are called to New York by their acquaintence from the Ripper case, Nelly Bly, or 'Pink', to investigate multiple murders that she claims involve Irene's mother. The pair quickly immersed in events from Irene's murky past. We are reminded that William Cody recognised Irene as "Merlinda the Mermaid" and other of her various preforming identities are related. Her amazing childhood and career on stage are, finally, shown to be intimately involved in a series of bizare murders.

In addition, "that Man" is called in by Nelly Bly and entangled in the confusion. Several other reporters, a Pinkerton agent, society ladies and a mishmash of novelty performers are also dragged in. The book follows multiple themes with gusto and humor. The dark world of abortion and illegal adoption services shares the limelight with the freak and novelty performers of the time and the cause of women's rights is always part of the background.

Penelope Huxleigh's detestation of Holmes and, indeed anything not conventionaly English, is brought to a climax and then mollified. Ms. Huxleigh finishes the book as a more tolerant and human character than she was in the past. Irene recaptures lost pieces of her past and meets again with forgotten childhood companions to better understand herself and the development of her many talents.

Mr. Holmes is more directly involved in this book than in earlier volumes in the series and the author seems to do a better job at capturing his essence. Holmes' admiration of Irene is exposed for what it is, not love or sexual attraction, but professional esteem and appreciation, items much more appropriate to the characters involved. Both Holmes and Irene learn something about themselves and about each other in this book and that touch brings it above the level of other books in the series.

The minor characters are really the gems in this book. I won't take away the novelty of their lives and styles by describing them here. Ms. Douglas has done an excellent job of that and it should be left to her. But readers should pay attention to them, they are very well drawn and most amazing bits of real life caught by an author with an eye.

Reviewed by: Philip K. Jones, October 2003

Review 2: Femme Fatale is the seventh in the "Irene Adler" series by Carole Nelson Douglas. The primary characters in this book are Irene Adler and her companion Penelope Huxleigh. Sherlock Holmes appears only briefly and plays little role in the overall story.

Irene Adler's origins have always been cloaked in mystery. In the original Conan Doyle tale, we are only told that she was born in 1858 in New Jersey. Douglas provides an interesting background for Adler while continuing her series of adventures.

Irene is summoned to New York by Nellie Bly, a muckraking reporter, to prevent the murder of Adler's mother. Since Irene doesn't know who her mother is, she is forced to revisit memories and people from her traumatic childhood. These include a number of exotic vaudeville performers. She soon discovers that someone is trying to keep her past a secret and is murdering her old comrades.

While this book continues from the events in Castle Rouge, it is reasonably self-contained. Readers of any of the prior books will benefit from the additional character background but it is not necessary to read the other volumes in order to enjoy this book.

Douglas does a nice job of conveying the historical setting and creating exotic characters. However, Holmes fans should be warned that it really is an Irene Adler story and that the mystery and its solution are a little thin. That said, this is a better and more entertaining book than her prior two Adler stories of Chapel Noir and Castle Rouge. Fans of her previous works will enjoy this one, as will new readers looking for historical romance with a bit of mystery and detection.

Reviewed by: Randall Stock, April 2005