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Sherlock Holmes and the Hapsburg Tiara

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A fabulous diamond, a vanishing duke, and a murdered servant boy launch an original and ingeniously constructed Holmesian adventure

In a crafty new novel featuring the world's greatest literary detective, Alan Vanneman extends the boundaries of the Sherlock Holmes canon with an investigation that takes the celebrated sleuth and his cohort Dr. Watson far from the cozy Victorian comforts of 221B Baker Street. Indeed, enjoying the luxuries of the Orient Express, they travel the breadth of fin de siecle Europe to exotic Constantinople, though not strictly in pursuit of pleasure. For death, too, is traveling first class.

The mystery begins familiarly enough in London, in the middle of the night. Holmes and Watson are summoned to a crime scene that seems to vanish before their eyes, as they find themselves with neither evidence nor a client. They do not want for opposition, however, not with the governments of three great empires arrayed against them.

As Holmes strives to unmask his most 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 the enchanting Countess D'Espinau and 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.

324 pages, Paperback

First published December 30, 2003

62 people want to read

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Alan Vanneman

12 books1 follower

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5 stars
9 (5%)
4 stars
32 (20%)
3 stars
61 (39%)
2 stars
38 (24%)
1 star
13 (8%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
Profile Image for Annie ⚜️.
604 reviews21 followers
December 21, 2018
I admit I'm not that familiar with Sherlock Holmes stories, the only other one I've read was Hound of the Baskervilles, but I can't imagine they're like this. I know they are told from Watson's point of view but this felt like it was all Watson with a little Sherlock and mystery in the background. Why can't people edit?! An inordinate amount of time is spent on Watson's love life and his foot fetish! God help me. I don't want to hear anymore about the Contessa's toes! Ugh!!!

I admit, I really became enamored with Sherlock after finally giving in and watching the BBC Sherlock. I thought I wouldn't like a modern Sherlock but it was so well done, I loved it.
Profile Image for Denise.
133 reviews2 followers
November 30, 2017
Probably the worst Sherlock Holmes adaptation I've read so far. Watson has been reduced as Holmes's sidekick and is - erm - preoccupied not with the case through most of the novel; Holmes's character is barely believable as logical mastermind and detective extraordinaire and his *new* sidekick is a girl Watson randomly decides to adopt? I just can't.
Profile Image for Rena Sherwood.
Author 2 books49 followers
June 15, 2024
Incredibly disappointing. Watson writing in excruciating detail about his sexual conquests? Watson having a foot fetish? Watson adopting a street urchin for no reason? A case taking over 10 years for Holmes to solve? A book where Holmes is in the background for most of the narration and yet not doing that in order to advance the plot like in The Hound of the Baskervilles?

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No thank you.

And please, someone send Alan Vanneman and/or his publisher to a doctor. They have medicines for these things.

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Profile Image for S.
184 reviews7 followers
October 1, 2019
Could also be called Dr Watson and the Foot Sex Fetish
Profile Image for Patrick.
316 reviews4 followers
October 14, 2017
It was such enjoyable read, but it focused way too much on Dr. Watson's happenings. Including his amorous intentions, which had no bearing in the case.
1,766 reviews16 followers
March 28, 2017
Fun romp in the Sherlockian tradition, nicely performed by Simon Vance
Profile Image for John Sherman.
354 reviews2 followers
June 2, 2012
I liked the introduction of Watson's adopted daughter but not the portrayal of Watson's character & why didn't Mycroft help out
Profile Image for Melet.
105 reviews5 followers
May 13, 2024
This has the makings of a great story. Epic travels across Europe and beyond, winning characters and villains worthy of the name. A grand story that encompasses years and continents, and every bit the puzzle for Sherlock to decipher. The addition of an adopted daughter for Watson is without basis in canon, but entirely appropriate and a charming addition.

But… the completely unnecessary, out of canon, and frankly ludicrous sexual scenes and language describing Dr. Watson’s lecherous and numerous affairs- in particular the lurid descriptions of his time with the Countess- were just gross. Distracting from the excellent plot, they paint Watson as being led around by his genitalia, unable to think coherently or have any intelligent contributions once he meets her. It is in opposition to Watson’s canonical portrayal as a man of honor, kindness, and respectful attitudes towards women.
Profile Image for Somerset County Library.
93 reviews9 followers
February 24, 2023
STAFF PICK 📚🙂

Gabe Stuckey is a Technical Services Librarian for the Somerset County Library. He highly recommends "Sherlock Holmes and the Hapsburg Tiara" by Alan Vanneman.

Alan Vanneman extends the boundaries of the Sherlock Holmes canon with an investigation that takes the celebrated sleuth and his cohort Dr. Watson far from the cozy Victorian comforts of 221B Baker Street. The mystery begins familiarly enough in London, in the middle of the night. Holmes and Watson are summoned to a crime scene that seems to vanish before their eyes! If you enjoy mystery, this is the perfect read for you!

Find this title in our statewide catalog here: https://marina.relais-host.com/user/l......
Profile Image for Eva Seyler.
Author 8 books54 followers
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October 4, 2021
Ok so this book was... weird. It was free on Audible Plus and read by Simon Vance, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

Pros: Simon Vance, decent mimicry of Doyle's flowery prose.

Cons: Lack of a clear arc for anything and anybody. The mystery was clear as the verses of Byron and an awful lot of time was spent on Watson's foot fetish and "amatory debauchery".

Basically I didn't see a lot of POINT to this story. It was mildly entertaining and I kept hoping for it to improve, because it had a lot of potential with the various settings, but in the end it failed to deliver IMO.
Profile Image for Trevor W..
11 reviews1 follower
December 17, 2022
Enjoyed this immensely — except for all the gratuitous sex scenes involving John H. Watson. I would prefer never to have encountered a timeline where Watson’s foot fetish was a thing. That this case spanned almost a decade was a unique twist, which worked. This pre-WWI time period is a great canvass on which to paint a Holmes story. Youngish Winston Churchill is irascible and arrogant and perfect.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Julie.
124 reviews2 followers
July 25, 2025
Fans of the original Sherlock Holmes will enjoy this book's masterful recreation of Doyle's writing voice and style. Told, as always, from Watson's point of view, this story actually leaves very little room for Holmes, giving us a view of Watson as a worldly man with adventures of his own. The plot could have used some tightening up, and the ending felt rather abrupt after 300 pages, but I found it as enjoyable as a visit from an old friend.
Profile Image for Amy.
1,006 reviews53 followers
Read
November 18, 2021
I got halfway through this book and wasn't particularly into it. I would have finished it just because, but then we got a rather detailed delve in Dr. Watson's foot fetish (for a suspected murderess who might be trying to kill them *facepalm*) and I was just done. Nope, no more, not sorry; I've got stuff to read that isn't as glacierlike or wackily out of character as this. DNF.
- November 2021
Profile Image for Ryan Rauber.
886 reviews4 followers
May 24, 2022
A decent Sherlock Holmes story which takes him and Doctor Watson on the Orient Express to Istanbul to investigate the theft of a fabulous set of diamonds. The story dragged at times, but I enjoyed the character of Jenny, Watson’s adopted daughter. I’d only recommend this to diehard fans of Holmes mysteries.
Profile Image for Kathleen.
315 reviews16 followers
January 2, 2021
Another pretty fun adaptation of Holmes and Watson. The "love" scenes cross the border into ridiculous, but if you can live with that and enjoy this kind of mystery, this is a nice little Audible freebie.
Profile Image for Dana.
1,235 reviews33 followers
April 20, 2021
I made it through most of this book - probably about 75%. It bores me. It is much more focused on John Watson than Sherlock Holmes which I didn't have an issue with in theory but the story just isn't interesting to me.
Profile Image for Thia.
81 reviews3 followers
September 6, 2022
Not badly written or narrated (audio version) but the author brought way too many modern cultural themes into this world for my taste. Add to that a perpetually horny for every woman and girl in the book Dr. Watson and I’ll pass. This Dr. Watson is creepy, lecherous, and just gross.
Profile Image for Mark Stratton.
Author 7 books31 followers
February 13, 2018
The Horn Dog Watson and his burgeoning foot fetish aside, it was an interesting book. I did like the addition of Jenny, and would be interested in seeing what happens with her.
Profile Image for Christopher.
56 reviews8 followers
April 14, 2021
Started out strong but never really got into a stride. Took too long to find a voice and focused too much on watsons weird idiosyncrasies
Profile Image for Stasia Higgins.
207 reviews1 follower
March 28, 2023
I liked Jenny, but the overall story was convoluted and hard to follow, and I was really weirded out by all of Watson’s talk of the Countess’s “delicate toes.”
150 reviews
February 2, 2025
Not a bad story. Not a Sherlock Holmes story by any stretch of the imagination, but not a bad story.
Profile Image for Jeff Summers.
1 review
March 26, 2015
The story takes too long, has very little of Holmes (and what we get isn't "really Holmes"), and is more about Watson's infatuations than anything else.

Any generic detective could have been inserted in Holmes' place; there wasn't any of that marvelous deduction shown on display as in Doyle's original works or other excellent Holmes stories (a much better option is Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson by Lyndsay Faye).
Profile Image for Bernadette.
427 reviews5 followers
May 7, 2013
While I generally enjoyed the book overall, I found it to be more of a Dr. Watson novel than of Sherlock Holmes. And the addition of Dr. Watson's adoptive daughter, Jenny, was as unwelcome as the introduction of precocious youth tends to be (see Scrappy Doo). Still I would consider reading a sequel.
Profile Image for Patrice Fischer.
349 reviews4 followers
June 7, 2013
I enjoyed this addition to the Sherlock Homes oeuvre, especially the addition of Jenny, the teenager that Watson begins overseeing. She brings freshness and delight. Once again, as in the Jason Goodwin 'Yashim' series, the background of Istanbul brings an added dimension to the setting.

I wish there was another by this same author!
Profile Image for Betty.
18 reviews2 followers
April 18, 2007
One of my first few Sherlock Holmes books. I found it very interesting. The relationship between Holmes and Watson is very familial. The quest to find diamonds and return it to its righful owner sends the two on a dangerous excursion halfway around the world.
Profile Image for Rich.
306 reviews1 follower
August 16, 2013
While it is rather slow at times and features more Watson than Holmes, it is nonetheless a decent mystery with our old friends and featuring Watson's new adopted daughter. While I've read better, overall I enjoyed it.
126 reviews15 followers
February 9, 2010
A nice diversion - Vanneman captures the energy of Holmes that sometimes even Doyle lacked in his later years.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews

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