Nancy Springer

On the one hand, I really enjoy how Springer brings Victorian London alive -- how cool to spend some time learning about Rudyard Kipling as a phenomenon, the terrors of rabies before treatment, the flower vendors of the city and how they lived, the oddity of people dressing up as Oscar Wilde. It's nice to see Enola and Sherlock's relationship growing. I enjoyed Enola's bloody-minded response to Ruddy's behavior. I loved the women's club and how that works as a place of refuge for Enola. On the other hand, this was a little slow moving and more convoluted than it needed to be. Sometimes I really enjoy this, but not at present -- I may be outgrowing Enola, for all I have very much enjoyed the series until now.

Advanced Readers' Copy provided by Edelweiss.… (plus d'informations)

This is book 7 of the Enola Holmes Mysteries series.
Enola is a precocious and intelligent girl who cringes at the typical expectations of women in her social status. Enola Holmes doesn’t like living in the secluded mansion after her mother leaves on her 14th birthday. Enola is the much younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes. Her name spelled backwards is “alone” which is how she prefers to live to avoid boarding school. She is just as unconventional as her mother not wanting to succumb to the Victorian traditions. Not wanting to be sent to boarding school, she slips out and finds clever ways to disguise herself. Enola finds unique ways of taking care of herself with her many disguises which allows her to help solve mysteries for people. She often finds herself involved in the same cases as her brother Sherlock.

In 1889, Dr Watson seeks Enola's assistance when Sherlock becomes depressed, and lacking interest in working his cases. When a woman arrives for help from Sherlock, Enola meets with Miss Letitia Glover who is concerned about her twin sister Felicity "Flossie" who married 2 years ago to Earl of Dunhench. He had proposed to 18-year-old Flossie when she worked as a governess to his 2 children. Letitia hasn't heard from her sister until she receives an odd letter from Cadogan Butt Rudcliff II (Caddie). There was a suspicious story about her sister dying suddenly from a virulent disease and he had her body cremated. Enola is soon on the case with the help of Sherlock who determines that the cremated remains are that of an animal and not a person. Well, Enola goes to extreme measures, as usual, to solve the mystery of Letitia's missing sister.… (plus d'informations)