Irene at Large

by Carole Nelson Douglas

Book Overview

In Douglas's third Irene Adler mystery, Irene observes a stranger in Oriental garb fall poisoned at the feet of Nell Huxliegh, Irene's very proper friend and narrator. Despite his garb, he is an Englishman, and reveals as he recovers that he has returned after years in Afghanistan in order to warn Dr. Watson that his life is in danger. The mystery soon leads Irene to 221 B Baker St.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312852231
• ISBN13: 9780312852238
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 381 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 5.9" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

An intertaining read

I have enjoyed these books except for the narrator, Nell. At first her prissy parson's daughter persona was mildly amusing but I did expect her to become more understanding of those with a different background and outlook. So far she's just as self-righteous and judgmental as she was in the beginning. Irene is an enjoyable character and the plots are well constructed. I'm looking forward to more.

Reissue of Irene At Large

I loved this book, but just wanted to warn you that this is a reissue of the book "Irene At Large" with a different title. I bought it under both titles before I realized it was the same book.

Fun mysteries

I really liked this series of books. Sherlock Holmes has always annoyed me a bit, and I like the idea of a woman outwitting him. Irene Alder is a strong heroine and is easy to like. Penelope Huxleigh, the narrator, is not as easy to sympathize with, but she can be funny. The mysteries are interesting, exciting, and, for the most part, believable.

An evocative mixture of fantasy and reality

I've read 5 of the 8 books in this series as of 2005, and I love every word and can hardly wait to read more. Carole Nelson Douglas uses language lightly and carefully to evoke the slightly archaic setting. She translates the prose style of Arthur Conan Doyle's day into the modern era with as much elegance as found in the BBC productions of Sherlock Holmes starring Jeremy Brett. I hear Jeremy Brett in every word of Holmes dialogue in these novels. As the fans of a television show will detail events going on offstage during an episode, Douglas shows us details of Holmes' investigations that would not have seemed pertinent to Conan Doyle as he wrote -- but he might well have been thinking of them. She twangs every Holmsian heartstring with her deft expansion of the Doyle tales. There is one difference though. Douglas shows us a 21st Century woman in Irene Adler, a woman truly with A Soul of Steel (as this novel will be retitled in its December 2005 release,) a woman Doyle could never have written. Adler's biography makes her attitude plausible, and we can easily believe she bested Sherlock Holmes more than once. Even if you've never read any Sherlock Holmes -- read these books.

Nell finally finds someone

Since I began reading this series, I had occasionally wondered if Penelope "Nell" Huxleigh, sensible parson's daughter and friend to the great Irene Adler, would ever find a special "someone" of her own. Irene, after all, has been happily married to Godfrey since the end of "Good Night, Mr. Holmes" (no spoiler there, as this is revealed in the Holmes version of the tale). I was pleasantly surprised with the nature of the match the author chose to make-- fitting with Nell's background, yet appropriate to her present and future. Quentin is simultaneously able to hold Nell up as an icon of respectability, yet admire her for her present adventures (much as she denies them). And in doing this, he encourages her to see herself more as we, the readers, have come to see her-- competent, practical, and intelligent.The period references to the "Great Game"-- the ongoing struggle for domination between England and Russia, the two major world powers of the day-- were also detailed and well-written, and added a satisfying texture to Watson's past, as well as adding suspense to the plot. (Those who liked this aspect of the story might also like Margaret Ball's "Flameweaver" and "Changeweaver" novels, though these are historical fantasy rather than mystery.)Oh, and the mystery itself was pretty good too. :)

The Embroidered Canon

I find this book, as others in the series, a delightful addition to the Sherlockian canon. The adventures of Irene Adler loop in and around the known timeline of Sherlock's exploits, and the few tantalizing glimpses we have of the Great Detective keep him very definitely in character, unlike many ham-handed attempts by other authors. I highly recommend the entire series, and can't wait until it moves into the mysterious 2-year hiatus so unsatisfactorily explained by Mr. Holmes after his supposed death.