Monday, November 14, 2016

Book Review: A Study In Scarlet Women

A Study in Scarlet Women (Lady Sherlock, #1)Author: Sherry Thomas
Publication Date: October 18, 2016
Publisher: Berkley
Series: Lady Sherlock # 1


USA Today bestselling author Sherry Thomas turns the story of the renowned Sherlock Holmes upside down…
 
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 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.


“She had very much looked forward to a word in private with him. But she forgot, as she usually did, the silence that always came between them in these latter years, whenever they found themselves alone.

The queer sensation in her chest, however, was all too familiar, that mix of pleasure and pain, never one without the other.

She could have done without those feelings. She would have happily gone her entire life never experiencing the pangs of longing and the futility of regret. He made her human—or as human as she was capable of being. And being human was possibly her least favorite aspect of life.”

Sherlock Holmes is really a lady?! I am so thrilled that I stumbled upon this brand new series. I was so excited for it because of my love for all things Sherlock. I had this book on my most anticipated list for this year, and I must admit that I was not at all disappointed. Of course my favorite part of this book was the fact that our bold, brave Lady Sherlock defies many gender roles for women in her time and era. I loved Charlotte Holmes – she is so clever and just absolutely brilliant! I look forward to following her character most of all. The mystery was my second favorite thing about this new series. There were quite a few things happening at once, but it was all done remarkably well.

I love the historical fiction aspect of this book and also the fact that the plot focused so much more on the mystery than any romance. I’ve read a lot of reviews that complain about the slow and boring pace, but I really loved the background information and the buildup. This book was the first in a new series, so I expected the author to frontload some of the character’s background and the stories that connect the secondary characters. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Victorian historical fiction or Sherlock Holmes, of course!


***A free copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at Berkley in exchange for my honest review***