Sherlock Holmes and the Hapsburg Tiara
UNABRIDGED
by Alan Vanneman
Narrated by Simon Vance
Length: 9 hrs 44 mins

Publisher's Summary
In a crafty new novel featuring the world's greatest literary detective, Alan Vanneman extends the boundaries of the Sherlock Holmes canon with this novel.

A late-night summons takes Holmes and Dr. Watson from the cozy Victorian comforts of Baker Street to the Orient Express, where they travel the breadth of Europe to exotic Constantinople. But danger's afoot, for death, too, is traveling first class.

As Holmes strives to unmask his most cunning, ruthless, and elusive foe, he is transported into a world of high finance rife with intrigue and crime. With a cast of characters that includes historical greats like Winston Churchill as well as a beggar girl whom Watson adopts, Holmes follows a trail that leads ultimately and unpredictably to the fabled and fabulous lost Hapsburg Tiara.

What the Critics Say
"Narrator Simon Vance adopts the dry, literary tones of a classic Holmes radio drama, imparting wry humor detectable only to listeners paying close attention to the plot....Winston Churchill sounds just like a recording of the man himself."

Reviewer's Comments:
Having listened to myriad narrations of, and watched probably all movies of, the tales of Sherlock Holmes, as written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, I was quite impressed by Vanneman's tale, Vance's narration, and how closely they adhered to the 'classic' Sherlock Holmes (with just one somewhat shocking exception.)

The tale's plot, characters, and setting could easily be mistaken as the fruit of Doyle's own pen, which he plausibly would have written a decade before his death in 1930. Vanneman's thorough and insightful descriptions of places and people in the tale are 'first rate'! The plot has copious twists and turns Doyle would have approved of (and NEVER assume you've heard the last twist!)

A warning though; Vanneman went FAR beyond Doyle with some explicit details of how Watson was the lady's man, so if you listen to this tale with an elder parent or young child, save yourself some embarassement by being ready to sensor a bit of this story. All told, this listen will take many a Holmes-fan to that place Doyle was so adept at sending us. 


Enjoy and Seed!!