In the second brilliant, action-packed book in the Charlotte Holmes series, Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes are in a chase across Europe to untangle a web of shocking truths about the Holmes and Moriarty families.Jamie and Charlotte are looking for a winter break reprieve in Sussex after a fall semester that almost got them killed. But nothing about their time off is proving simple, including … proving simple, including Holmes and Watson’s growing feelings for each other.
When Charlotte’s beloved Uncle Leander goes missing from the Holmes estate—after being oddly private about his latest assignment in a German art forgery ring—the game is afoot once again, and Charlotte throws herself into a search for answers.
So begins a dangerous race through the gritty underground scene in Berlin and glittering art houses in Prague, where Holmes and Watson discover that this complicated case might change everything they know about their families, themselves, and each other.
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I’m still mulling over this series. Is it good or bad? I really don’t know. Personally the actual mystery bits are confusing to me, I don’t understand the connections that are made at all, but that might be my reading speed tripping me up. But the good parts were the interpersonal relationships. They’re fascinating to watch develop, especially through characters that have been redone a million times. That’s what this series has going for it, especially as Charlotte’s actions are often hard to understand. I was very excited to read several chapters in her point of view, and it really turned a substandard book into a far more interesting one. Understanding her PTSD, obsessive nature, and how she was raised gives a whole new view on the series.
I know I’m going to read the rest, but I’m so worried it will be a sad ending!
It’s true that after my quick and total infatuation with A Study in Charlotte, it would have been difficult for any sequel to live up to my expectations. I wanted to love this second book in the Charlotte Holmes series just as much – the writing was just as searingly beautiful, the characters just as well-wrought and multi-dimensional, the action just as unending. But something about this sequel didn’t land with me. I found the plot hard to follow, and still couldn’t tell you exactly what happened with the ending. This book was also darker and somehow less believable than book 1 – perhaps due to the European romp of two teenagers who were much more at home in a picturesque boarding school than in the grittiness of Berlin’s nightlife. Either way, it wasn’t enough to deter me from the series – even in it’s imperfection, this is still one of those books you marvel at as you read, if only for the sentences like poetry.
So I accidentally checked out the audio file instead of the kindle file from the library, and my first thought was dang it! And then I decided that I could totally let some actor read me a story while I organized my pinterest boards or something. BEST decision! So the thing about this series is that it has both the best and the most annoying bits of the original series. I love how Charlotte winds Jamie up for the big reveal! It is my favorite part of the process in any of the SH iterations. I will say that the Holmes penchant for substance abuse, self-destruction, and getting people around her hurt or killed is also amplified in this series. Brittany Cavallaro owes me a new heart because she keeps ripping it out of my chest and handing it to me!!! Every time I think I know what dumb/brilliant, self destructive thing Charlotte will do next, I’m wrong. I feel like the baby who keeps sucking on lemons even though it kinda hurts my face! So this series has a higher maturity rating than Doyle’s, but I actually think the language/content suits the subject and isn’t gratuitous for a nice change. Now I’m going to find something happy to read!
Not as great as the first book in the series (A Study in Charlotte had really excellent world building, whereas this just had a lot of questionable characters) and it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I think it’s setting up for a good conclusion.