Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche

I actually never read the previous books in this series but had fun watching the movie. So when I got the email if I was interested in this book, I immediately took the chance. And this turned out to be fun.

If you checkout my earliest posts on this blog a few years ago, you'll know that I'm a huge Sherlock fan. So even if this is the story of his sister, just having him tangentially in the story is enough of a draw for me. Firstly, I have to appreciate the author for giving a good recap of everything that's happened before, I so wish all authors would do that for their sequels. And this was such a quick read - I finished it in just a couple of hours and was quite entertained throughout, though I have to say that I found some of the vocabulary tough to follow. But that's probably because I don't read a lot of historical fiction.

The mystery was interesting but a tad bit predictable - it wasn't at all hard to guess what had happened to the missing young woman. But I think it was the characters who made up for any shortcomings in the plot. Enola is a fun, eccentric and impulsive young girl who is way too different and independent for her times. But she didn't lack courage or creative ideas on how to solve the questions troubling her. I thought she got great company in Tish who was quite ready to go along with these crazy ideas, if only to save her sister. It was nice to see some female bonding. Sherlock seemed like a reluctant participant in his sister's activities, but he can never let a mystery go unsolved and I loved how supportive he was of the girl's plans.

To conclude, I'm glad I got to read this book. It probably fills a hole in my heart left by all the Sherlock books I've read many many times. However, it wasn't too special and I think my enjoyment was very much related to the nostalgia factor. But I probably will continue the series because why not.