Sherry Thomas offers a whole new
take on the Sherlock Holmes stories we know and love. Charlotte Holmes (“Lady
Sherlock”) is a female detective in Victorian England, a time that doesn’t
approve of ladies getting their hands dirty, especially a member of the upper class.
Lady Sherlock’s answer to the situation is to create a fictional brother named Sherlock
whom she consults with on all her cases.
To advance the charade, Sherlock
is always behind a closed door listening to each client’s story and although the
investigation is conducted by Charlotte it is at Sherlock’s direction. The role
of Dr. Watson is assumed by Mrs. Watson who is Lady Sherlock’s benefactor and assists
Charlotte with her caseload. There are also a variety of secondary characters who
move from novel to novel. There’s even a role for Moriarty to play.
Murder on Cold Street focuses
on Inspector Treadles, Charlotte Holmes’s friend and Scotland Yard detective.
He has been found locked in a room with two dead men, both of whom worked with
his wife at a manufacturing enterprise she has recently inherited. The game is
afoot to find the real murderer.
Descriptions in the book can be lengthy;
the author does love her adjectives and the more the merrier. Murder on Cold Street is not a fast read, but
enjoyable none the less. Although each novel in the series can stand on its
own, it would be helpful to read them in order to keep up with the backstories
of the various characters. There are many references to events from past books
that I would have liked to know more about.
A
Study in Scarlet Women (2016)
A
Conspiracy in Belgravia (2017)
The
Hollow of Fear (2018)
The
Art of Theft (2019)
Murder
on Cold Street (2020)
Miss
Moriarty, I Presume?
is due out in November.
4.22 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon
None of the Lady Sherlock books are available at EPL. Ask any of the
reference librarians to get the book(s) for you from an area library.
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