This is an outstanding, excellently written, well plotted, well-paced mystery populated with equally outstanding characters. This author has taken Sherlock Holmes and turned him inside out and made him her own. I want to tell you everything – because everything is so good – but I also don’t want to spoil the mystery for you. My advice – skip this review, go out and buy it right now and read it immediately – you won’t be sorry. One thing I will suggest though – read the first book first because it explains exactly who Charlotte Holmes is – her history, her family and her beginnings as Sherlock.

This book begins the day after the first book, A Study In Scarlet Women, ends. In that book, Charlotte, along with Lord Ingram Ashburton and Inspector Treadles solved a triple murder. Inspector Treadles of the Criminal Investigation Division of Scotland yard is having a very, very hard time dealing with the fact that Sherlock Holmes, a male, is actually Charlotte Holmes, a female. Turns out Treadles may not be as accepting as he thought himself to be. He’s also learned that his wife has aspirations in addition to just being his wife. He’s begun to separate himself from his wife and has no desire to consult with Sherlock any longer. He’s also being cool toward his esteemed friend Lord Ingram. I have a feeling that Inspector Treadles has a grand epiphany coming up in a future book.

Mrs. John Watson and Charlotte have devised a way for Charlotte to act as Sherlock Holmes, consult with clients and actually make a living from it. It works out wonderfully well and they are off to a really good start with a profitable business. Mrs. Watson has a unique set of household employees and we meet them in this book. We also meet Mrs. Watson’s niece, Penelope Redmayne, and you will love that young lady. I hope she becomes a regular, recurring character.

Charlotte is astonished when she receives an envelope addressed to Sherlock Holmes – and it has been typed on Lord Ingram’s typewriter. Charlotte knows it can’t be from Lord Ingram because he has no reason to request an appointment – he could just come to see her. So, Charlotte deduces that it has to be from Lady Ingram. Uh-Oh. Should Charlotte refuse to see her? Well, to Charlotte’s logical mind, she thinks she should see her and help if she can.

These stories are all fast-paced, exciting and they have a lot going on – so – settle in, put your seatbelt on and prepare for the ride! We learned in the last book that Lord and Lady Ingram share nothing except the same address. In this book, we learn so very much more – and we learn what a perfidious woman Lady Ingram is.

Lady Ingram has a case for Sherlock and it is a doozie. When she was younger, she was desperately in love with a young man her family deemed unsuitable. She was then forced to marry the wealthy lord who had proposed to her. Her parents knew that he loved her so they couldn’t understand what her problem was. She and her young man made a pact that they would never, ever have contact again after she married, but once a year, at an appointed time, they would each walk past the Albert Memorial, just so they could each assure that the other was well. This year, he didn’t show up and she’s frantic with worry for him. Did he lose interest after all these years? Is he hurt or sick? Has he died? She just has to know. The name of this long ago love? Myron Finch. That is also the name of Charlotte’s illegitimate half-brother. – the plot thickens.

Charlotte and Mrs. Watson set about their investigation of the lost love and at the same time, Charlotte is dealing with the second proposal of marriage from Lord Bancroft. He had proposed before and she’d turned him down. This time though, she’ll give it some thought. She’s afraid that she won’t have enough to do to keep her mind occupied if she marries. Bancroft has a solution for that – he starts giving her some very, very difficult ciphers to solve – and some of those lead to even bigger mysteries – such as an address where a murder has just occurred and she encounters a very aloof Inspector Treadles. Is the victim the missing Myron Finch? Then – who is the Moriarty that even Bancroft seems to be wary of? Is either of them – or both – related to the murder victim? Well – you’ll just have to read the book to see.

The end – the wrap-up – of this very creative and exciting book will not only surprise you – it will shock you. I usually have the whole thing figured out very early on, but I sure didn’t see that one coming. Well done Ms. Thomas!

There is a budding romance for Livia and I’m excited to see where that goes. What happens so far is really sweet. There isn’t any ‘advancement’ of the romance between Lord Ingram and Charlotte because – well – he’s married and Lord Ingram is much too honorable to do anything outside the bounds of his vows. We do learn more about him and the relationship that he and Charlotte have. He even encourages her about Bancroft’s proposal – not happily, but he does encourage her.

I love historical mysteries, but, for me, they have to have a wonderful love story included. So, I’ll be interested to see if this author delivers that. If she does, it will be interesting to see how she has non-sentimental, touch-averse, logical Charlotte handle it. We are well aware that Charlotte loves Lord Ingram and that he loves her – the interesting part will be how Charlotte handles anything that happens. If it doesn’t work out for them, I’ll probably soon lose interest in the series no matter how interesting the mysteries are.

This is a very busy book. I believe that is probably a hallmark of this author and her writing style and I really like that about the books. You definitely won’t get bored and start skimming pages because if you do, you’ll miss something really important.

I very highly recommend this book because it is excellently done. I do, however, recommend reading the first book in the series before you read this one.

I read and reviewed the first book in your “Lady Sherlock” series, A Study in Scarlet Women, last year, and gave it a B-. In spite of the middling grade, I was definitely interested in reading this, the second book in the series.

The prologue opens with Inspector Treadles at the scene of a murder. Treadles is the police detective who relied on Holmes in the first book for help with his cases, before discovering to his dismay that Sherlock was actually Charlotte, and a notorious fallen woman to boot. He’s rather traditional in his views on gender roles and he hasn’t gotten over the shock of discovering that the brilliant mind he’d so esteemed belongs to a woman he regards as little better than a whore.

Treadles arrives at the murder scene looking forward to a nice, simple murder solved through old-fashioned detective work; it will provide a soothing contrast to the Sackville case of the first book, whose “taxing irregularities” introduced an unacceptable amount of uncertainty into Treadles’ well-ordered world. So he is disturbed when before he even enters the house where the dead body is lying, a hackney pulls up and out comes his friend Lord Ingram, with Charlotte Holmes herself in tow.

The action then switches to six days earlier, and a round-up of sorts of what the main characters are up to: Livia, Charlotte’s sister, is attempting to write a novel, a thrilling mystery featuring Sherlock Holmes; Charlotte herself, Mrs. Watson, and Mrs. Watson’s niece Penelope are seated around the breakfast table, discussing Sherlock Holmes and the perception of him in the public imagination; Inspector Treadles and his wife Alice are starting the day and also talking about Holmes (Alice admires “him”; Treadles, knowing the truth, is both put off and a bit jealous by Alice’s regard for Holmes).

It’s hard for me to give a very thorough accounting of the plot of A Conspiracy in Belgravia because, as with A Study in Scarlet Women, I found it confusing. The main story points are: Charlotte, in her Sherlock role, is contacted by Lord Ingram’s wife, seeking help finding her lost love (a man who happens to be Charlotte’s illegitimate brother). Livia finds herself encountering an intriguing stranger on several occasions while out and about. Lonely Livia is instantly smitten, but it’s unclear if the fellow has ulterior motives for seeking her out. Someone seems to be watching Mrs. Watson’s house. Lord Ingram’s brother has proposed marriage to Charlotte (though he seems more interested in access to her big juicy brain than romance). As a way of courting her, he gives her some mysteries to solve, including a cipher (this leads to a lot of business with ciphers, which I found extraordinarily confusing). Inspector Treadles is disturbed by his wife’s stirrings toward independence. And then there’s that dead body from the opening.

I was honest about finding the first book in the series confusing and difficult to follow, at least at times. A Conspiracy in Belgravia is no different. At the end, I kind-of-mostly-knew what had happened. But there were points I was fuzzy on and now, a few weeks later, I find it impossible to recreate exactly how some of the pieces fit together (at least from memory; I suppose I could re-read the last quarter of the book).

Surprisingly, perhaps, I would say that this doesn’t affect my enjoyment of the book (or the series so far) much. I really like the writing, characterization, and the world the author builds. I guess I blame myself for needing an explicit expository explanation of what the hell is going on at certain points, though I think I’m not the only one who had trouble with A Study in Scarlet Women. I actually appreciate that the author doesn’t indulge in infodumps or “…as you know, Jim”-type exposition. But I’d probably benefit from either or both, personally.

It doesn’t help that my memory of the first book is pretty muddled on some points – for instance, I don’t remember Moriarty even being introduced, but he’s mentioned here in a way that suggests that he *was* in the first book; also, there are two siblings that I vaguely remember from that book (one of whom makes several key appearances, but how he fit into the main plot is one of those things I can’t quite grasp).

I had hoped after reading A Study in Scarlet Women that the characters would be better developed going forward; Charlotte particularly felt a little unformed to me. Happily, Charlotte’s personality, and her relationships, were both refined in this book. Livia also grew and changed in A Conspiracy in Belgravia; in some ways I feel like Livia is a secondary heroine, relatable to the reader in a way that Charlotte isn’t capable of, given her emotional limitations. The secondary characters are all interesting and mostly sympathetic (Treadles’ chauvinism is unappealing but true to the time, and I did feel for him a little bit in his uncertainty and unease over his wife’s interest in pursuing her family’s business).

A Conspiracy in Belgravia was a B+ for me. I’m eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

Charlotte Holmes considers a marriage proposal while looking for a missing old flame of a client, who just happens to be her half brother. Another slow beginning but otherwise a nice mystery.
Goodreads

Thomas has hit her stride with this series. I loved the development if Charlotte as well as that of Livia. This is a nice twisty thriller, character driven with great historic details. I really enjoyed the entrée of Moriarty at the edges.

I requested this not realizing it was the second book in a series that needed to be read in chronological order, so I started reading the first book, and then found myself not connecting with the characters. So, since I did not finish the first, I will not be reading the second. My bad.

What Did I Think of A Study In Scarlet Women and A Conspiracy In Belgravia?
I feel like at this point in my life, I am very loyal to certain authors and the books that they write. Like, if I know I LOVED a series by an author, I usually will want to read everything else by that author. So, Sherry Thomas wrote this amazing YA trilogy (starting with The Perilous Sea) and I KNEW I wanted to give her other books a shot. Before delving into her romance books -- those are next -- I thought I'd dive right on in to her mystery books.

A Study In Scarlet Women and the sequel A Conspiracy In Belgravia are the first two books in Thomas's series about this gender bending Sherlock Holmes. So, you know, I AM HERE FOR IT. I love when books take classics and flip them on their heads a little bit. In Thomas's version, Sherlock is actually Charlotte Holmes. Charlotte is an upper class woman who has dealt with some scandal. There are some deaths and suspicision lands on her family. So it is up to Charlotte who is wicked smart to figure out what exactly is going on and to clear her family name. She does so and begins her investigations under the name Sherlock Holmes (I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE SHERRY THOMAS -- actually,we all saw). And oh, these books get good.

Charlotte is an interesting character. She is different. Yet, she also clearly cares about her family members. I could relate to that. She doesn't really care all that much about society but she just wants to clear the good name of her family. The next book takes on Charlotte not really being involved with society but still solving mysteries. She's got to find her half brother to help one of her clients. There's also a body in the second book too. Charlotte continues to grow as a character and I just really loved her.

How's The Narration?
I listened to both A Study In Scarlet Women and A Conspiracy In Belgravia through the Hoopla app. Both books are narrated by Kate Reading. Her narration is measured and dignified. She nails how I imagine Charlotte sounding. These audios are great if you like books that are both mysteries but also historical fiction with a tiny flavor of romance in there too. Also, I think that Reading has a very soothing voice.

Though I liked the book, I made the decision when I finished not to review it on my site because it didn't fit into my editorial schedule. I am planning on doing a full series (to date) post in October 2018 with the newest release in the series.

I read the first book in this series, A Study in Scarlet Women, earlier this summer and absolutely loved it. (In this post, I compared it to another popular mystery series.) I got a lot of feedback from readers who said they also loved the first in this series, so I couldn't wait to share more about this one with you. As with the first, the thing that I loved most about this book was how it pulled me in. By the end of the first chapter, I was fully immersed in Victorian London and steeped in the drama of Charlotte's exile from proper society and the suspense of her newest mystery to solve. With so many of my recent reads falling into heavier categories, this was the perfect escapist book for me!

In A Conspiracy in Belgravia, Charlotte Holmes is still living in London and running her consulting detective business -- though she's still working behind the curtain with her ailing brother as a cover. Things get complicated, though, when she receives a client request from a lady in her former social circle -- and who wouldn't be pleased to find out that Sherlock is really Charlotte. For fear of spoiling one or more of the wonderfully plotted twists in this story, I can't say more here. I can tell you, however, that the ending of this novel left me stunned. After reading the first book, I raved a lot about my love for the characters and the way that Sherry Thomas plays with the Holmes canon, and while those opinions still stand (and are even strengthened) with this second installment, I loved this one even more for the plot. And as in the first book, the tensions between Charlotte and her dashing, devoted but complicated love interest only grow. I cannot wait to follow this series in the future.

This is probably my favorite book in the series, compared to the first book. Charlotte Holmes under the identity of Sherlock Holmes is requested by a to look for a lover that is deemed missing. The indivudal that requests Sherlock's services is none other than Lady Ingram, Lord Ingram's wife. Charlotte takes on the case, despite the connection or Mrs. Watson's objections. Later on, the story eases in a dead body, missing? brother, romantic tension, a handsome stalker and other fanciful/ unfanciful happenings. Oh My! This book was great for a rainy night! Sherry Thomas spurned a great visual environment with her words. I loved the ending, we find a secret that Charlotte discovered and I hope Sherry expands on it in the *fingers crossed* next book.

It's been a full year of delicious anticipation, this waiting for the second volume in Sherry Thomas' delightful Lady Sherlock series. I thoroughly enjoyed A Study in Scarlet Women last year, and I had just a really good gut feeling about where the sequel would take my favorite characters—from the absolutely flawlessly rendered Charlotte Holmes and the impenetrable Lord Ingram, to Mrs. Watson, Livia and Bernadine Holmes, and poor, beleaguered Inspector Treadles. I was so pleased to be back in their company once more when I finally cracked open my copy of A Conspiracy in Belgravia and commenced reading.

It took her awhile, but now Charlotte is living in something more akin to the manner she would prefer. Together with her companion Mrs. Watson (and Mrs. Watson's irrepressible niece and aspiring physician Miss Redmayne), Charlotte is becoming extremely well-versed in the solving of all things mysterious around London. The only black marks on her new life are the distance she is forced to maintain from her sisters Livia and Bernadine and the mutual distance she and Lord Ingram force themselves to maintain from each other. The entire delicate balance is thoroughly upended, however, when none other than Lady Ingram herself requests a consultation with the increasingly infamous Sherlock Holmes. It is a matter of some delicacy, according to Lady Ingram, concerning a young man she once loved. A man she passes once every year at an agreed upon time and place to assure one another of the other's continued safety and devotion from afar. But the man missed their silent rendezvous this year, and Lady Ingram will know the reason why. And so Charlotte finds herself in the most untenable position of investigating on behalf of her oldest and dearest friend's estranged wife, and doing so behind his back. And just when she thinks this case cannot possibly get more personal, it does, and there is absolutely no hope of turning back.

"Charlotte rarely resorted to imagination—observation yielded far better results. And while the world was made up of innumerable moving parts, in her own personal life she saw no reason why decisions shouldn't be simple, especially since most choices were binary: more butter on the muffin or not, run away from home or not, accept a man's offer of marriage or not."

I love Charlotte a little beyond reason. She is everything I could have wanted in a female incarnation of the inimitable Holmes. As a matter of face, every single character was in fine form in this their second adventure together, particularly Livia—who is an absolute treasure. Her relationship with Charlotte, the ways in which they are each hobbled by the most personal and daunting aspects of their lives, and the ways in which they quietly reach out to each other as sisters were extremely affecting. The longing and the loyalty between these two sisters who have dealt with their nightmarish parents in such drastically different ways played out in beautiful contrast. And, okay, while we're on the subject of longing, can I just say that I thought the quiet moments between Charlotte and Lord Ingram in the first book were exquisite. The scenes between them in this one sent me careening over the emotional edge. Just one of the impossibly poignant interactions between Charlotte and Lord Ingram:

***

Soundlessly his fingers tapped the crest rail on which they rested, each one by turn. "Years ago, you said something to me. I don't remember it word for word, but in essence, you told me that men, even otherwise sensible men, fall under the illusion that they will be able to find a perfect woman. That the problem lies not in the search so much as in the definition of perfection, which is a beautiful female who will integrate seamlessly into a man's life, bringing with her exactly the right amount of intelligence, wit, and interests to align with his, in order to brighten every aspect of his existence."

She remembered that conversation, one of the most disharmonious they had ever held, on the subject of the future Lady Ingram.

"You warned me against believing in the illusion—and I was highly displeased. I didn't say so at the time, but as we parted, I thought that you'd certainly never be mistaken for a perfect woman. It was beyond evident you'd never fit readily into any man's life, and no one could possibly think that the purpose of your life was to be anything other than who you were. At the time, those were not kind thoughts. They flew about my head with a great deal of scorn—venom, even. My opinion of you hasn't changed, by the way. But nowadays I think those same thoughts with much resignation but even more admiration." Their eyes met again. His were still the same mysterious green, but now there was a warmth to them, a deep affection tinged, as he said, with much resignation but even more admiration. "I'm sure I'll fly off the handle and accuse you of all kinds of perfidy once I learn what you've been up to, but let it not be said that I don't know who I'm dealing with. We disagree often, and that is a fact of our friendship.

***

I could have cried at them, you guys. Over and over again, I could have. But I chose to wait until this small moment to actually let the tears slip out:

***

"Thank you for listening to me, by the way," she said, "when you didn't wish to hear a single word."

He would always listen, when she had something to say. That he did not voice aloud, because she already knew.

***

I feel compelled to note just how emotionally astute this novel is. It is one of its most important qualities. The ring of quiet truth kept rolling over me in waves throughout my reading experience. And, yes, much of it Charlotte's undeniable acumen. But much of it is Ms. Thomas' ability to let a scene unfold in its own time. No moments are rushed. No dialogue is off in the slightest. As Charlotte notes at a certain point, "The old silence threatened to descend." An ever-present sense of the weight of one's personal history, of the quiet, but inexorable accumulation of a life's worth of decisions, their provenance, and their consequences, pervades this story in achingly beautiful ways. The different levels of haunting are delicately explored, in both the coils of the investigation and the ties that bind each character together. I so appreciated this book's subtlety and its increasingly nuanced ruminations on what it means to know someone and to be known by them, to see as we are seen. Sherry Thomas carries the whole thing off just splendidly. This is a sequel to behold. A sequel for the books, as it were. Never think of missing it.

I really adore the character of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes, and with the same feeling I approach the novels placed in Victorian England. To all of you who have read my previous reviews, it is certainly clear I pay my respect to the powerful women and I do not miss the opportunity to highlight their importance and value in the literary world. Taking all this into account, it is clear that I thought the lady Sherlock series would be a hit.

First of all, I must mention that I did not read the first book from the series, named "A Study in Scarlet Women" and only read a second book - "A Conspiracy in Belgravia". And although the author really tried to introduce us to the characters and clarify the relationships between them to the new readers, I have to admit that to the very end I did not figure out the essence of turning Sherlock into a woman.

I agree that there is no reason why a woman could not possess such a powerful mind, but I also believe that the effect of such a concept would be much stronger if that character would not be equated or even hidden under the name of Sherlock Holmes. This way, Charlotte Holmes is depicted as an amazing woman whose brilliant mind is guided by the strong passion for cakes and pastries. Besides, the public continues to consider her a man, or an assistant of an ill (and made up) brother named Sherlock. Personally, in all of this, I do not see any extraordinary novelty or a particularly valuable departure from the original story.

After all, the final conclusion of the novel is just a faint imitation of those incredible conclusions made by the brilliant mind of the famous detective Holmes. Thanks to all this, there was a big gap between the expectation and the final impression of this novel. For me, Sherlock deserves a lot better! If he is a lady, it would be truly spectacular if she wouldn't be hidden by that male public appearance and when she could be appreciated for the power of her mind, regardless of the expectations and convictions of the Victorian society.

I am a big fan of Ms. Thomas' writing, and this is no exception. I am very happy she decided to continue the Charlotte Holmes series, as I love the concept and the characters. I would say that I don't believe this plot is quite as interesting as the first book, but the ending twist makes up a bit for that! The romance angle was not as much a part of the story here, which I missed, but it is obvious these characters will continue, and I am looking forward to more about all the continuing and new characters introduced here.

First: if you plan to read this series start with the first book A Study in Scarlet Woman. This is not a series that can be read out of order. I was puzzled during the first chapters because I took all the mysterious hints for allusions to the events that were to come in that book but at least some of them were allusions to things that happened in the previous books.
Second: The even more sensible choice would be to not read this series at all and instead re-read A Scandal in Bohemia. Or The Adventure of Solitary Cyclist. Or one of Lyndsay Faye’s pastiches. Anything that is actually good instead of this mess. The book tries to be a crime novel that is also a Holmes-pastiche/meta and an examination of Victorian morals/hypocrisy/the role of women/the treatment of anybody who doesn’t fit in but fails spectacularly on every count.

Charlotte was involved in a scandal and is therefore not welcome in polite society (or her family) anymore. That’s not a problem for her though. She has benefactors who make sure that she has a place to live and enough money to buy French pastries. She even still gets a marriage proposal. Not for love, more as a marriage of convenience that would also make it possible to help her sisters (who are still stuck with their hypocritical parents). That gives Charlotte ample reason to explain that love-marriages are a stupid idea anyway because love is a fickle thing…and postpone her answer to the proposal over and over again…
The possibility that her parents could abduct her and lock her up somewhere to lessen the ‘shame’ she has brought over her family is brought up but thanks to her oh so superior intellect that means she can foresee anything she is never in any danger of that.

The people who are suffering because of Charlotte’s actions are her sisters who are still stuck with her parents. Livia, who is also clever but less confident and who misses Charlotte but can only exchange occasional letters with her. And Bernadette who has an unspecified mental disability and who after having lost Charlotte as attachment figure has gotten worse. (The danger that their Dickens-caricature-horrible parents would lock her up in an asylum is conveniently non-existent). But we see Charlotte barely bothered by any of this. Emotions are for other people.

As Holmes pastiche, it also doesn’t work. I need a proper ‘Watson’ as narrator for that but A Conspiracy in Belgravia jumps from one 3rd person narrator to another. Including an inspector that ends up doing nothing to solve the case. But even if you’re less pedantic about that: the few deductions Charlotte makes are ridiculously far-fetched. (And yes, I’m aware that this is also an issue in the original stories, but they still look tame compared to what Charlotte figures out). The case gets solved through a series of the most convenient coincidences.

Which brings me to my final complaint: the mystery is also shit. You can play any of the following drinking games and always end up completely wasted before the book is over:

- convenient coincidence that helps bring the investigation along
- a chapter ends with an ominous cliffhanger that later gets resolved in two lines
- weird time-jumps for no reason
- current POV narrator keeping information about things happening in front of them from the reader

I would not advice combining two or more of these unless you want to end up with alcohol poisoning. But then I would not advise reading this book at all.

Charlotte is back with a new mystery that hits very close to home. This time Charlotte is helping Lady Ingram the wife of Lord Ingram, her close friend, find her first love. She and the man meet yearly and this year, he has failed to show up. If it wasn't tricky enough to help the wife of a close friend find her first love, the man in question is Charlotte's half-brother!
I enjoyed the installment quite a bit. More than the first one which I liked, but didn't love. I really liked Mrs. Watson in this one, getting her POV was great. I also continue to love Lord Ingram but my major complaint about this book is that I want the romance between he and Charlotte to develop more. I'm hopeful that will happen as the series develops and maybe several books from now I'll be glad for a slow burn kind of romance but right now it is frustrating. Overall this was a solid historical mystery and I will definitely be looking forward to the next book.
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An amazing reimagining of the Sherlock Holmes story, this second novel in the series featuring Charlotte Holmes was as riveting as the first, A Study in Scarlett Women. Eschewing the trappings and traditions of 19th century London society, both Miss Holmes and Mrs. Watson are fierce characters in their own right while still adhering loosely to the archetypes of their Holmesian characters. Beyond the well-formed characters, the plot is also delightfully thick with missing first loves, unidentified dead bodies, mysterious gentlemen romancing younger sisters, and illegitimate brothers. Our consulting detective stays quite busy in this delightful novel.

I love this series! I honestly think I liked this second book even better than the first because all of the characters and backstory were set up in the first book, so you can jump right into new mysteries! I also enjoyed how Thomas wove the main case from the first book into the story of this book, tying them together even more than I had anticipated. This book was thoroughly readable and had me turning pages late into the night. I love the Sherlock mysteries and this new spin on them is simply wonderful. I will be waiting impatiently for the next one!

I read the second book before the first Lady Sherlock book, A Study in Scarlet Women. That is because I missed the first one on netgalley, and found the second one there, and saw a Sherlock-related book, and could not resist reading it.

I enjoyed the original Sherlock Holmes stories, and like to read those books written in the same style, or inspired by Holmes, or even different stories about alternate Sherlock types. And even though I have read this series out of order, I still absolutely love it so far, and am heading on to the first book now.

The series is very intoxicating. Highly Recommended.

Following the fantastic debut A STUDY IN SCARLET WOMEN, that felt both refreshingly new and cozily familiar to a long Sherlock Holmes fan, I was on pins and needles to see if the second installment, A CONSPIRACY IN BELGRAVIA, would live up to its predecessor, A Study in Scarlet Women, or not.

I am pleased to relieve your minds quickly. It was another solid, engaging story. It lost nothing by not being the stunning surprise of the first book when the eccentric and compelling Charlotte Holmes was introduced. Charlotte’s appeal stayed strong and the sequel delved further into her character and that of others revealing a depth that fascinated and left me curious for what further revelations would come.

I should pause here and say that, for those not in the know, the Lady Sherlock series is a gender bender that cleverly gives us a female pair of Holmes and Watson, but also a whole new cast of regulars around them. This Sherlock, who can and does possess the observation and deduction powers of the original, walks away from family and societal expectation to carve her own path and it is far from easy nor is it accepted save by a few. There is a hint of unrequited love and missed opportunities, but it is very complicated and not getting resolved anytime soon. The focus is on the immediate situations though the reader is always aware of the tangled undercurrents.

This is a continuation and not a good place to begin the Lady Sherlock series. Yes, Charlotte and the others made it through their first big case, but they are not sitting back on their laurels. What laurels? As the author realistically makes clear (loved how she stays true to societal norms of the day and other nifty historical authentic tidbits), not much has changed save Charlotte’s gift has been vindicated and her parents are not up for murder- though maybe Charlotte or her sisters will be the way her thankless parents are annoyingly going about things.

Like the first book, the author does a fabulous job of setting up a series of seeming unrelated problems and cases to tease Charlotte and her friends while not neglecting the internal stories of equally fascinating characters she created. The new challenges are an intriguing case presented to Sherlock Holmes by none other than Lord Ingram’s estranged wife, the unidentified body, Charlotte’s missing brother, her sister Livia’s odd behavior, and Charlotte receiving a marriage proposal that she discovers must be taken seriously. The book balances the mystery activities with the character plotting. I can’t decide which delighted me more. Oh, and Lord Ingram’s brother getting more page time in all his clever eccentricity showing himself Charlotte’s intellectual equal, was a great addition.

I was deeply enthralled with A CONSPIRACY IN BELGRAVIA. I groaned aloud when I read the last page and realized that I would have to wait to find out what comes next. For you see, A CONSPIRACY IN BELGRAVIA does provide an immediate solution to the mysteries, but there are some tantalizing overarching series threads that are left teasingly open. Dangerous times are ahead for the lady detective and her friends and I for one, need to be there for what is to come.

Incidentally, for fans of the series, if you sign up for the author’s newsletter through Penguin, there is a Lady Sherlock short story gift.

I do not just merely recommend this series. If you are a historical mystery, or particularly a Holmes fan, do yourself a solid and get started while the series is still young.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele

A Conspiracy in Belgravia, the second book in the brilliant Lady Sherlock Mystery series, is even better than its predecessor, A Study in Scarlet Women. Sherry Thomas masterfully brings a fresh Sherlock Holmes incarnate for the twenty-first century.

Sometimes my favorite books are those I have the hardest time reviewing. As is the case here, I want to excitedly tell you everything, but then that would spoil the experience of each unfolding element of the story. And that is the best part of books that stay with you, discovering the beauty in each page. Thomas pens a tightly constructed, complex mystery and doles out clues one at a time so that you think you know what is going on only to have the next clue tear your theories to shreds. The plot is so well conceived and executed that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would himself be proud.

After Charlotte Holmes’s self-orchestrated fall from respectable society, she finds herself living with former actress and war widow Mrs. John Watson. Together they have set up the elaborate ruse of an extremely ill and bedridden Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective. Since Sherlock cannot leave his sickbed, his “sister” Charlotte meets as a go-between with clients and, occasionally, the police. Only a handful of people know Sherlock’s true identity, including her oldest (only) friend and benefactor Lord Ingram, Ingram’s brother Lord Bancroft, her sister Livia, and Inspector Treadle. Charlotte finds herself in a bit of a pickle when her new client is none other than Lord Ingram’s wife who wants Sherlock to find out what happened to the man she loved before she married since he did not appear at their planned annual rendezvous. Charlotte is torn by her loyalty to Lord Ingram but decides to carry out the investigation. To make matters worse, Lady Ingram’s love is Myron Finch – Charlotte’s illegitimate half brother. And with that, the game is afoot. Throw in a another client who is confident her father’s housekeeper is trying to poison her, a marriage proposal that has no basis in love, an almost uncrackable cipher that leads to a murdered man, and criminal mastermind Moriarty, and Charlotte has plenty to keep her brilliant mind occupied.

The characters are all meticulously drawn and fascinating. There is enough reminiscent to Doyle’s iconic personas for Thomas’s characters to be familiar, yet she gives them quirks of their own. Charlotte is indeed exceedingly clever, logical, and eccentric, but the addition of her sisters, one of whom has taken the mantle of writing about Sherlock’s adventures, and her conflicted feelings for Lord Ingram make her more than an intellect. Lord Ingram is an honorable gentleman with feelings of his own for Charlotte, but he trapped in a farce of a marriage. He and his brother Lord Bancroft do the “Crown’s business”, all very cloak and dagger. Mrs. Watson makes a formidable sidekick for Charlotte, and Inspector Treadle’s inability to come to terms with Sherlock being a woman and his wife’s own aspirations represents the strongly held beliefs that women were far inferior to men in the Victorian era.

A Conspiracy in Belgravia is among my top reads of 2017, and I impatiently await the next installment in the series. Highly recommended!

Light on romance but loaded with suspense, Sherry Thomas' A Conspiracy In Belgravia is a riveting and absorbing read. It's the second book in her Lady Sherlock series, which imagines that Sherlock Holmes is actually Miss Charlotte Holmes, a "fallen" woman with a brilliant mind and penchant for eating desserts (which Thomas describes deliciously).

The story begins with a not unappealing proposal of marriage from Lord Bancroft, brother to Lord Ingram, with whom Charlotte has something of a romantic past. Matters are complicated when Lord Ingram's wife comes to Sherlock Holmes with a mystery about an old lover who happens to be Charlotte's missing half brother, and an unidentified dead body appears that may or may not be connected. While probably best enjoyed after reading the first book in the series, A Conspiracy in Belgravia is a beautifully written novel; you'll savor the unraveling of the mystery and the brilliance of its heroine just as Miss Holmes savors all those desserts.