Spider Dance: A Novel of Suspense Featuring Irene Adler and Sherlock Holmes (Irene Adler)

Irene Adler, the opera singer turned detective, and her worthy adversary, Sherlock Holmes, are at it again. Readers left in suspense at the conclusion of Femme Fatale (2003) will be thrilled to learn that expatriate Irene remains in the U.S. to solve the perennial mystery of her parentage. Together with her faithful sidekick and chronicler Nell Huxleigh, she embarks on another adventure involving danger, intrigue, and murder. Crossing paths with the indefatigable Holmes hard at work on an interrelated investigation, they are swept up into a case that reaches far back into Irene's own murky past. As with the previous seven entries in this series, the cast of characters is stocked with an irresistible showcase of historic personages, including Nellie Bly, Willie Vanderbilt, Lola Montez, and King Ludwig of Bavaria.

opera Singer. Adventuress. American Abroad. Irene Adler Is All Of This...and Is Also The Only Woman To Ever Have Outwitted The Great Man, Sherlock Holmes.

after Numerous Adventures Irene Has Finally Come Home, Not Out Of Loyalty To Her Native Shores But Because Of A Baffling Puzzle, And The One Thing That Haunts Her. Irene Has No Real Memory Of Her Childhood And Has Spent Most Of Her Life Creating A Persona To Fit Her Passions. When Daredevil Reporter Nelly Bly Lures Irene To America By Hinting That She Knows Of Irene's Parentage, Irene Takes The Bait And In Doing So, Embarks Upon A Pursuit Of The Most Notorious Woman Of The Nineteenth Century.

before The Intrigue-ridden Quest Is Over, Irene Will Uncover Murderous International Political Conspiracies, Lost Treasure, And Finally . . . The Full, Shocking Secret Of Her Birth.

publishers Weekly

the Game's Afoot And Dancing In Douglas's Eighth Historical Thriller Featuring The Dynamic Irene Adler Norton, Her Able Assistant Penelope Nell Huxleigh And That Clever Human Bloodhound, Sherlock Holmes. At The End Of Their Last Adventure (2003's Femme Fatale), Set In New York, Holmes Suggested That Mrs. Eliza Gilbert-a Name On A Tombstone-may Actually Belong To Norton's Mother. While An Elderly Cleric's Brutal Murder At William K. Vanderbilt's Fifth Avenue Mansion Occupies Holmes, Norton Discovers That Gilbert Is Lola Montez, The Fabled Spanish Dancer Whose Ill-fated Romance With King Ludwig Of Bavaria Made Her Fodder For The Gossip Columns In The Pre-civil War Era. When The Two Investigations Intersect, Norton And Holmes Find They Must Cooperate With Each Other. Emotion As Well As Logic Figures In Solving The Dual Mysteries Of The Cleric's Murder And Norton's Birth. Witty, Fast-paced And Meticulously Researched, This Sepia-tinted Victorian Confection Also Reflects A Contemporary Sensibility As It Ponders Religious Fanaticism And The Challenges Of A Female Celebrity Living By Her Own Rules. If Indeed This Is The Last Of The Series, As The Author Has Indicated, It Closes On A Definite High Note. Agent, Howard Morhaim. (dec. 1) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Opera singer. Adventuress. American abroad. Irene Adler is all of this...and is also the only woman to ever have outwitted the great man, Sherlock Holmes. In Carole Nelson Douglas's novel Spider Dance , Irene has finally come home after numerous adventures, not out of loyalty to her native shores but because of a baffling puzzle, and the one thing that haunts her. Irene has no real memory of her childhood and has spent most of her life creating a persona to fit her passions. When Daredevil reporter Nelly Bly lures Irene to America by hinting that she knows of Irene's parentage, Irene takes the bait and in doing so, embarks upon a pursuit of the most notorious woman of the nineteenth century. Before the intrigue-ridden quest is over, Irene will uncover murderous international political conspiracies, lost treasure, and finally . . . the full, shocking secret of her birth. "Irene Adler is the beautiful opera singer who bested the best detective in the world, the only woman to ever outwit Sherlock Holmes. She has spent years in self-imposed exile in Europe, in an attempt to reinvent herself and create a new life, because she cannot remember the old one. But now circumstances have forced this diva-turned-detective to investigate a past she doesn't remember - on her home ground." Irene Adler, accompanied by her faithful chronicler Nell, daredevil reporter Nellie Bly, and master sleuth Sherlock Holmes, works to outmaneuver her enemies and learn the truth about her secret birth.