I was given a free e-copy of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
Enola Holmes, the much younger sister of Sherlock, is now living independently in London and working as a scientific perditorian (a finder of persons and things). But that is not the normal lot of young women in Victorian England. They are under the near absolute control of their nearest male relative until adulthood. Such is the case of Enola's friend, Lady Cecily Alastair. Twice before Enola has rescued Lady Cecily from unpleasant designs of her caddish father, Sir Eustace Alastair, Baronet. And when Enola is brusquely turned away at the door of the Alastair home it soons becomes apparent that Lady Cecily once again needs her help.
Affecting a bold escape, Enola takes Lady Cecily to her secret office only to be quickly found by the person hired by Lady Cecily's mother to find the missing girl—Sherlock Holmes himself. But the girl has already disappeared again, now loose on her own in the unforgiving city of London.
Even worse, Lady Cecily has a secret that few know. She has dual personalities—one, which is left-handed, is independent and competent; the other, which is right-handed is meek and mild. Now Enola must find Lady Cecily again—before one of her personalities gets her into more trouble than she can handle and before Sherlock can find her and return her to her father. Once again, for Enola, the game is afoot.
I have read all of the Enola Holmes series. I enjoyed them so much that I gifted them to my teenage niece who also likes them. However, my only criticism of this book is that Enola must come to Lady Cecilia’s help. Enola sees Cecily as a sister, and while the ending made sense, it equally broke my heart for Enola.
I enjoyed the additional character of Lady Vienna Steadwell, and how she can relate to Lady Cecilia’s left-handed situation. I like how Vienna stated she conquered her left hand, but it caused her rebelliousness. The author writes these women being strong within their circumstances. While they may occasionally push the boundaries, and make names for themselves, they know not to do too much or it would cause more problems in the long run.
I was torn between hoping that Enola and Sherlock would investigate together, and knowing that Enola would continue to honor her name. I believe the series can improve if the author expands upon the relationship Enola has with her two brothers. Mycroft doesn’t appear in this novel, but maybe something in further novels that requires all 3 of the Holmes siblings wouldn’t be impossible.
Overall I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.
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