USA Today bestselling author Sherry Thomas turns the story of the renowned Sherlock Holmes upside down in the first novel in this Victorian mystery series…. With her inquisitive mind, Charlotte Holmes has never felt comfortable with the demureness expected of the fairer sex in upper class society. But even she never thought that she would become a social pariah, an outcast fending for herself … outcast fending for herself on the mean streets of London.
When the city is struck by a trio of unexpected deaths and suspicion falls on her sister and her father, Charlotte is desperate to find the true culprits and clear the family name. She’ll have help from friends new and old—a kind-hearted widow, a police inspector, and a man who has long loved her.
But in the end, it will be up to Charlotte, under the assumed name Sherlock Holmes, to challenge society’s expectations and match wits against an unseen mastermind.
An NPR Best Book of 2016
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When this book was making all kinds of waves and being talked about, well, everywhere, I didn’t have the time to read it. But when I did, I found myself hooked. This is the sort of read that you want to have all the time you need to settle in and read, because you won’t want to put it down.
A Study in Scarlet Women was a surprise, as was Sherry Thomas’ version of Sherlock Holmes.
The main character is amazing, her story glued me to the page, and I found myself thinking (repeatedly) that THIS is how I want my Holmes if he were a woman. If you are a Holmes fans, read this book.
**If you want to talk to Sherry Thomas, hop over to our Book Worm Café at http://www.kickassheroines.com, where she’ll answer your questions during our upcoming Author Spotlight end of July.
I’m binging this series right now, and highly recommend it to any historical mystery fans. Fascinating characters, twisted plots, and excellent writing.
I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of gender-bending retellings and this is my favorite Sherlock Holmes take yet. Thomas subverts the patriarchy and empowers her Charlotte Holmes, never letting society dictate what Charlotte can do. Turning Watson into a widow gives the series even more room to grow and highlights what’s possible when women take their future into their own hands, even in 1860s England. The mystery was compelling and I remained ever in awe of Charlotte’s intellect, but I was really there for the characters, including police detective Treadles, Charlotte’s sister Olivia, and Lord Ingram.
I’m not much of a mystery reader generally, but I knew I’d be in good hands with Sherry Thomas. Plus, who could resist this gorgeous cover? This is a gender-flipped Sherlock Holmes story and was a page-turner. I finished it in a day. I also liked the promise of romance in future books. If you’re a mystery lover and enjoy a historical setting, this was a fun one.
Everything you love about Sherlock Holmes, plus so much more. Charlotte and her sisters and Mrs. Watson are so well-rounded and the story so detailed and complex. Ms. Thomas’s knowledge of Victorian England makes it come alive on the page. Note: it’s definitely best to read this series in order!
I don’t read a ton of historical mysteries to compare this to, but I highly enjoyed this book. It’s an origin story for Sherlock Holmes where Sherlock is a woman hiding behind the alias to make a living using her powers of observation and deduction. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator brought the characters to life with her voice work.
I am a lifelong Sherlock fan and I had a riot reading this. I enjoyed all the CLEVER details and was inspired by the author’s analysis and description of the woman’s role in turn-of-the-century England–I will be quoting her. I can’t wait for Charlotte Holmes’ next adventure.
So I might be a little biased since Sherlock Holmes-esque reads are comfort reads for me. So it is no surprise that I really liked this twist on Sherlock Holmes. This is a classic woman in Victorian England taking control of her life no matter how society/her family wants to use her for. I live for these types of books.
I liked how the Author swapped the gender of Sherlock but still found a way to incorporate the classic characters that we all associate with Sherlock Holmes stories. They don’t reside in their classic roles which I enjoyed rather than the author trying to force them in there. For example, Charlette has sisters, not a brother named Mycroft, but Mycroft still shows up as he should just in a different place. Yes, I am being purposefully vague so as not to spoil anything. Everyone you need for a classic Holmes esque story comes together nicely.
One of the things that I adored about the character Charlotte was her relationship with her sister Bernadette. Even though she was a classic Holmes character (very offish to everyone) her relationship with her sister Bernadette is a very sweet one. Charlotte seemed to be the only person that understands her and you can tell she truly cares for her.
There is the possibility of a love story brewing and I am curious to see how it plays out. The “love interest” seems to be a man of high morals so I am interested to see how this all plays out in the other books.
I love this series so much. This is an excellent gender-swapped re-telling of classic Sherlock Holmes type stories.
One of the best books I’ve ever read. An original, deeply satisfying read. I couldn’t put it down!
What a great twist on the Sherlock Holmes character. Sherry Thomas created a vivid and clever character
I always enjoy Sherry Thomas’ unique and well-developed characters. Ms. Thomas plucks at the fine line between poignancy and tragedy, allowing her characters to carry on with dignity and grace despite their flaws.
A friend suggested this as a follow up to Andrea Penrose’s Wrexford and Sloane series, which I had loved. I was wary of the premise, and I’m still not quite convinced of its plausibility, but I enjoyed the mystery and the reflective elements from the Doyle story, and I LOVED the characters. Charlotte, in fact, reminds me so much of a dear friend that I keep picturing her as the lead. Will definitely continue the series.
This is one of the smartest books I’ve read in a long time. Ms Thomas’s use of English is sublime, and the story is such an innovative twist on the Sherlock Holmes tales. I haven’t enjoyed a book like this in a long time.
What an idiot I am! I am not normally a fan of ‘take off’ books, so I had totally skipped reading this series until a friend whose opinion I value, highly recommended it. I am totally, and completely blown away! This isn’t a ‘take off’ of Sherlock Holmes – this is a total reimagining – flip it on its head and make it the author’s own book. I haven’t ever read anything by this author, but that is quickly changing – I have already bought all of the published books in this series and plan to read them in rapid order and then wait, impatiently, for each new release.
Charlotte Holmes is the youngest of four daughters. Her parents are of the aristocratic poor variety. Her older sister is married and the next older one will never be able to care for herself because of mental impairments. That just leaves Charlotte and her older sister Livia living at home. The whole family is very eccentric, but Charlotte is definitely the most eccentric of the lot. She didn’t speak until she was four because she didn’t have anything important to say and her first words were to solve a puzzle the rest of her family was looking at and trying to figure out. Everyone was astonished and when asked why she hadn’t spoken before, she told them that she hadn’t had anything important to say before then. Charlotte isn’t a fan of touching, hugging or talking, so she’s a bit hard to deal with, but to Livia, she is wonderful.
Charlotte is also her father’s pet and he spoils her rotten. He was vastly amused by her combination of great intelligence, great oddity, and great silence. On the other hand, her mother was overbearing, imperious, and cold. Neither parent really loves their children as they should – it is all about what those children can do to benefit the parents. Charlotte’s mother despairs of her ever becoming a proper young lady who is acceptable to society.
I’ll not tell you all about Charlotte because this review would get much too long – and – besides – you need to read the book to find out all of the details about her – especially when she was a young child. This book takes a fair and appropriate amount of time to show you who Charlotte is and her development from a mute 4-year-old to being renowned as one of the best minds of a generation.
While Charlotte is extremely brilliant, her judgment isn’t necessarily always brilliant. She is a very young woman with no world experience at all. She’s made it plain to her family – all of her life – that she has no intentions of marrying. So, her father makes a pact with her – learn to be a young lady, participate in the Season and if, by the age of twenty-five she still hasn’t found someone she wishes to marry, he’ll send her to school to prepare her for her chosen field. Livia has told her all along that her father will not honor that promise – and Charlotte knows that is a probability – but when the actuality of it presents itself, Charlotte makes a grievous error. Then she is ruined – and she is on the street and on her own.
As Charlotte searches for lodging and employment, she learns some real truths about living on her own. It doesn’t deter her, but she gets smarter about things. Then she meets Mrs. Watson who offers Charlotte employment as her paid companion, Charlotte immediately accepts. Mrs. Watson is a wonderful character and is so much fun to read. Together, she and Charlotte come up with a way that Charlotte can earn money by helping to solve ‘mysteries’ for people without them realizing it is a female doing it.
While all of that is going on, the mother of the man who ruined Charlotte is found dead. Just before that death, the woman her father had once proposed to also dies – but they seem like natural deaths. When Charlotte notices the third death in the paper, her encyclopedic memory cycles through all of the connections of the ton and realizes that the three are probably not natural and are all related. She writes a letter (as Sherlock Holmes) to the coroner of the latest death connecting the three and asking them not to declare it a natural death.
Inspector Treadles from Scotland Yard is dispatched to begin the investigation. The investigation is slow going and the deadline for providing the evidence is looming. Can Treadles put it all together? He hates to continue to consult with Sherlock (in writing), but he needs Sherlock’s unique insights.
I haven’t mentioned Lord Ingram yet. He and Charlotte have been friends since they were children and they have a really unique relationship. They love each other and probably have since they were children – but they came to know that too late. Lord Ingram is married – unhappily, but married none-the-less. He is very, very proper and would never act on his love for Charlotte (even though she tries to seduce him), but he will do his very best to protect her. ** I just know that in some future book, the wife will be gone and Charlotte and Lord Ingram will be together **
There is a lot more happening during this investigation and lots of wonderful supporting characters are either introduced or mentioned. I’ve mentioned Livia and Mrs. Watson, but we also get Lord Bancroft (a play on Mycroft?) who is Lord Ingram’s brother and also the head of the spy agency for England. We hear mention of Moriarty, but don’t see him and we meet the Marbletons.
This is a wonderful book. The characters are unique, likable, and engaging. The mystery is well done, the pacing is excellent and I love the ‘nods’ to the original Sherlock. For instance, I wonder how long it took her to rearrange the letters in LeStrade to get Treadles. Then there is the Bancroft/Mycroft thing, etc.
I highly recommend this series!
Love the concept of Lady Sherlock, and really enjoy Thomas’s voice. This was one of the best books I read last year.
This book was so delightful. Every turn made me think of Sherlock Holmes and women differently. I highly recommend it!
Fantastic new series by the talented Sherry Thomas. I have loved her historical romances, but this first book in her new series is one of the best books I’ve ever read. Highly recommend!
Addicting series, Charlotte Holmes will definitely capture your attention.