OCTOBER 2022 - AudioFile
Listening to a rollicking adventure mystery narrated well is a delight, and that’s the case with this newest installment in the Enola Holmes series. Narrator Tamaryn Payne brings Enola, Sherlock’s younger sister, and her crew to life. Now living independently in Victorian London, Enola once again comes to the aid of her friend, Lady Cecily. With brief appearances by her famous brother, the story allows Payne to showcase her talent for depicting a variety of characters of different genders with various English accents. Payne brings the wry humor, boisterous personality, and incomparable wit of Enola to life so well that listeners will wish they could join her for tea. C.F. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
OCTOBER 2022 - AudioFile
Listening to a rollicking adventure mystery narrated well is a delight, and that’s the case with this newest installment in the Enola Holmes series. Narrator Tamaryn Payne brings Enola, Sherlock’s younger sister, and her crew to life. Now living independently in Victorian London, Enola once again comes to the aid of her friend, Lady Cecily. With brief appearances by her famous brother, the story allows Payne to showcase her talent for depicting a variety of characters of different genders with various English accents. Payne brings the wry humor, boisterous personality, and incomparable wit of Enola to life so well that listeners will wish they could join her for tea. C.F. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2022-06-08
Scientific Perditorian Holmes returns to crack her eighth case.
Enola Holmes, a clever sesquipedalian sleuth (and younger sister to Sherlock and Mycroft), is terribly worried about her friend Lady Cecily Alistair. Life in 19th-century London affords 17-year-old Lady Cecily little autonomy, and she suffers under the hand of her abusive, social-climbing father, Lord Eustace, who left her with aunts who starve her and cut her off from all she loves. As Enola enlists to help Cecily, she realizes that Lord Eustace’s mistreatment has had a terrible impact on her friend’s psyche. In Cecily’s fragile state, she goes missing: Will Enola be able to not only find Cecily, but also free her from her overbearing father? Those familiar with the series should be at home here with the fiercely feminist and sartorially inclined detective, and those new to her adventures are provided enough backstory to follow and enjoy her exploits. This installment, however, does not quite come together as a mystery. The plotting feels rushed and a bit underdeveloped; the characters, by contrast, are well fleshed out, making this feel more like a character study than a traditional whodunit. All quibbles aside, Enola is a wholly likable character, and more time with her is always welcome. All characters default to White.
A cozy installment best suited to established series devotees. (Mystery. 12-18)
