The Canary Trainer: From the Memoirs of John H. Watson, M.D. (The Journals of John H. Watson, M.D.)

"Holmes enthusiasts will again find a story that is true to their hero. . . .Readers who just enjoy a good mystery thriller will appreciate the terse narrative and fast moving action.” —Lawrence J. Goodrich, Christian Science Monitor Located by a computer in the bowels of a major university where it had collected dust for over half a century, this missing manuscript by the biographer of Sherlock Holmes reveals for the first time a hitherto unknown episode in the life of the Great Detective. Holmes, master sleuth, was also an accomplished violinist. Following his discharge from therapy with Sigmund Freud (see The Seven-Per-Cent Solution), we now learn that he journeyed to Paris and there found employment as a pit musician at the Paris Opera. The year is 1891, Paris is the capital of the western world, and its opera house is full of surprises. First and by no means least is the sudden reappearance of the great love of Holmes's life, an accomplished singer from Hoboken, New Jersey. Second is the series of seemingly bizarre accidents—each more sinister than the last—allegedly arranged by the "Opera Ghost, " an opponent who goes by many names and is more than equal to Holmes. Alone in a strange and spectacular city, with none of his normal resources, Holmes is commissioned to protect a vulnerable young soprano, whose beautiful voice obsesses a creature no one believes is real, but whose jealousy is lethal. In this dazzling, long-awaited sequel to The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, the detective pits wits against a musical maniac, and we are treated to an adventure unlike any other in the archives of Sherlock Holmes.

located By A Computer In The Bowels Of A Major University, This Missing Manuscript By Dr. Watson, Sherlock Holmes's Biographer And Friend, Reveals Hitherto Unknown Adventures Of The Great Detectivewhile He Was Employed, Incognito, As A Violinist In The Paris Opera.

as The Detective Matches Wits With A Musical Maniacthe Phantom Of The Operain A Death Struggle For The Body And Soul Of Christine Daae, The Miraculous Soprano For Whom The Ghost Serves As A Mesmeric Canary Trainer, We Are Treated To An Adventure Unlike Any Other In The Holmes Archive.

nicholas Meyer Also Edited The Two-million-copy Bestseller The Seven-per-cent Solution And The West End Horror, Both Of Which Are Available In Paperback From Norton. Meyer Is A Novelist, Screenwriter, And Director As Well As A Holmes Scholar.

publishers Weekly

the Third Of The Versatile Meyer's Canny Conan Doyle Pastiches (following The Bestselling Seven-per-cent Solution And The West End Horror ) Takes Sherlock Holmes Into New And Fanciful Terrain With An Elaborate Romp That Embroils Him With Gaston Leroux's Phantom Of The Opera. Moonlighting Incognito As A Violinist With The Paris Opera, Holmes Again Encounters American Singer Irene Adler, The Only Woman Who Ever Outwitted Him. She Enlists His Aid To Protect A Young Soprano From The Mysterious And Increasingly Macabre Shenanigans Around Her--and The Game's Afoot. Purists May Balk At Meyer's Rather Voluble, Emotional Sherlock, But Adepts And Novices Alike Will Relish The Author's Adroit Mimicry Of The Narrative Conventions Of Victorian Melodrama And His Eye For Period Detail, Including His Trademark Conceit Of Slipping Historical Figures--here Degas, Freud And Leroux Himself, Among Others--into The Margins Of His Tale. Doyle's Austere Detective Sometimes Seems A Little At Sea Amidst The Florid Atmospherics Of Fin De Siecle Paris, And Meyer's Casual Plotting (piggybacking On The Over-familiar Phantom Outline) Sinks On Occasion Into Travelogue And Affords Holmes Little Opportunity To Flex His Deductive Muscles. But Overall, Meyer Treats His Readers To A Lively And Entertaining, If Undemanding Ride. 50,000 First Printing; Major Ad/promo. (sept.)

"Holmes enthusiasts will again find a story that is true to their hero...Readers who just enjoy a good mystery thriller will appreciate the terse narrative and fast moving action." —Lawrence J. Goodrich, Christian Science Monitor Located by a computer in the bowels of a major university, this missing manuscript by Dr. John Watson, the biographer of Sherlock Holmes, reveals for the first time a hitherto unknown episode in the life of the Great Detective. The year is 1891, Paris is the capital of the western world, and its opera house is full of surprises. First and by no means least is the sudden reappearance of the great love of Holmes's life, an accomplished singer from Hoboken, New Jersey. Second is the series of seemingly bizarre accidents—each more sinister than the last—allegedly arranged by the "Opera Ghost," an opponent who goes by many names and is more than equal to Holmes. Alone in a strange and spectacular city, with none of his normal resources, Holmes is commissioned to protect a vulnerable young soprano, whose beautiful voice obsesses a creature no one believes is real, but whose jealousy is lethal. In this dazzling sequel to The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, the detective pits wits against a musical maniac, and we are treated to an adventure unlike any other in the archives of Sherlock Holmes. Located by a computer in the bowels of a major university, this missing manuscript by Dr. John Watson, the biographer of Sherlock Holmes, reveals for the first time a hitherto unknown episode in the life of the Great Detective. The year is 1891, Paris is the capital of the western world, and its opera house is full of surprises. First and by no means the least is the sudden reappearance of the great love of Holmes's life, an accomplished singer from Hoboken, New Jersey. Second is the series of seemingly bizarre accidents -- each more sinister than the last -- allegedly arranged by the "Opera Ghost", an opponent who goes by many names and is more than equal to Holmes. Alone in a strange and spectacular city, with none of his resources, Holmes is commissioned to protect a vulnerable young soprano, whose beautiful voice obsesses a creature no one believes is real, but whose jealousy is lethal. In this dazzling, long-awaited sequel to The Seven-Per-Cent Solution , the detective pits wits against a musical maniac, and we are treated to an adventure unlike any other in the archives of Sherlock Holmes. "Holmes enthusiasts will again find a story that is true to their hero. . . .Readers who just enjoy a good mystery thriller will appreciate the terse narrative and fast moving action." —Lawrence J. Goodrich, __Christian Science Monitor__Located by a computer in the bowels of a major university where it had collected dust for over half a century, this missing manuscript by the biographer of Sherlock Holmes reveals for the first time a hitherto unknown episode in the life of the Great Detective. Holmes, master sleuth, was also an accomplished violinist. Following his discharge from therapy with Sigmund Freud (see The Seven-Per-Cent Solution), we now learn that he journeyed to Paris and there found employment as a pit musician at the Paris Opera. The year is 1891, Paris is the capital of the western world, and its opera house is full of surprises. First and by no means least is the sudden reappearance of the great love of Holmes's life, an accomplished singer from... "The year is 1891, Paris is the capital of the western world, and its opera house is full of surprises. First and by no means least is the sudden reappearance of the great love of Holmes's life, an accomplished singer from Hoboken, New Jersey. Second is the series of seemingly bizarre accidents--each more sinister than the last--allegedly arranged by the 'Opera Ghost,' an opponent who goes by many names and is more than equal to Holmes. Alone in a strange and spectacular city, with none of his normal resources, Holmes is commissioned to protect a vulnerable young soprano, whose beautiful voice obsesses a creature no one believes is real, but whose jealousy is lethal."-- provided by publisher The great detective Sherlock Holmes goes to Paris and becomes employed as a pit musician in the Paris Opera. While there, he solves a series of bizarre accidents, allegedly caused by the Opera Ghost