Charlotte Holmes as
Lady Sherlock solves crimes with the aid of her friend Mrs. Watson.
She has invented Sherlock the detective as her ailing brother, but
she and Mrs. Watson are the brains behind the detective work. In this
case, a woman comes for a consultation. She listens to Charlotte’s
explanation that her brother is listening in the next room, but
leaves without engaging her services.
It transpires that
the client, the Maharani of Ajmer, is an old friend of Mrs. Watson.
She’s in need of help to retrieve letters that could cause much
embarrassment which are hidden behind a Van Dyck painting in
Vaudrieu, a French chateau. Stealing paintings is not really
Charlotte’s line, but she with her friends Lord Ingram, Livia, her
sister, and Mr. Marbleton, Livia’s beau, agrees to help and plans to
infiltrate the house during a ball, presenting challenge and danger
to the friends.
This series is a
clever take-off on the original Sherlock Holmes stories. Although I
found it amusing, it was hard to get into at first. This in not the
first book in the series, so if you’re reading the series for the
first time, it takes some thought to untangle the characters and
background. Charlotte is an interesting character. She reflects on
her life and friends and how she got to this place. I was hoping to
see more of a romance with Lord Ingram, but they have both pulled
back and seem to be evaluating where they want to go with their
relationship.
The Victorian
background is well done. It highlights the restrictions placed on
women trying to pursue a career. If you enjoy historical mysteries
with a strong female protagonist, this is a good book.
I received this book
from Net Galley for this review.
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