The Art of Theft is the eagerly awaited fourth book in Sherry Thomas’ superb series of historical mysteries starring Charlotte Holmes, a most unusual young woman whose keen, logical mind and incredible deductive skills would have been completely disregarded in Victorian England had she not invented the infirm but brilliant brother Sherlock who is – in name only of course – the greatest detective the nation has ever seen.  While each book in the series has a central mystery that is solved by the end, there are a number of overarching plot-threads and recurring characters which mean it’s probably not the best idea to pick up The Art of Theft without having read the other novels in the series; readers will get much more out of the wonderfully intricate characterisation and the various relationships between the characters by starting at the beginning with book one, A Study in Scarlet Women.   Because of the way the books are interlinked, there will be spoilers for the rest of the series in this review.

The aftermath of the tumultuous events of The Hollow of Fear sees Lord Ingram Ashburton in the country looking after his children, Mrs. Watson in Paris with her niece, Miss Olivia Holmes nearing the completion of her Sherlock Holmes story, and Miss Charlotte Holmes helping to settle her eldest sister, Bernadette, whom she removed from a home, into her new surroundings.  It’s a brief period of quiet that is broken when Charlotte receives a request for help from someone identifying  themselves only as A Traveler from Distant Lands.

Deciding she needs a distraction – from caring for her sister and from pondering the shifting nature of her relationship with her long-time friend (and now, former lover) Lord Ingram - Charlotte arranges to meet this traveler, correctly assuming the request for help to have come from a woman in need.  Her visitor proves to be none other than an Indian maharani, who also turns out to be the first client ever to decline to use Sherlock Holmes’ services.  Charlotte immediately deduces that this is because the maharani needs someone who is able to do more than investigate; and her supposition is borne out not long afterwards when she and Mrs. Watson – who has confessed to Charlotte that she and the maharani had been lovers once upon a time – visit the maharani at her hotel to offer their assistance.

The lady is still resistant, but when Charlotte most ably demonstrates that she does indeed possess the skills the maharani needs to help with her current predicament, she explains that she is being blackmailed, and that she has been given specific instructions as to what to do in order to receive a packet of letters she does not wish seen by unfriendly eyes.  Every yuletide, an exclusive and extravagant art sale is held at Château Vaudrieu, just outside Paris.  The cream of French society flocks there, as do art connoisseurs, manufacturers, millionaires and princes from around the world – and the maharani’s letters are hidden in the back of a painting by Van Dyck.  She needs someone to steal the painting in order to retrieve the letters – and given the château’s location and the amount of security that surrounds the event, it will be no easy task.

Charlotte is certain that the maharani has not told them everything, but even so, she enlists the help of Lord Ingram and Mr. Stephen Marbleton, and soon they, together with Mrs. Watson and Olivia are crossing the channel and travelling to Paris, where they will meet up with one of Lord Ingram’s friends and allies, Lieutenant Attwood.  An initial reconnaissance mission of the château undertaken by Mr. Marbleton and Lord Ingram reveals that there Is much more going on there than preparations for a masquerade ball and grand art sale. Before long our intrepid band is plunged into something  that goes far beyond simple blackmail – and which will once again see them pitting their wits against the mysterious Moriarty, the shadowy criminal mastermind whose very existence has slowly become irrevocably intertwined with that of our protagonists.

If you’ve followed the series – and have followed my reviews of it – you may be asking yourself why I’ve not graded this book quite as highly as the last couple.  I did struggle with the grading because this whole series is more than a head and shoulders above almost every other similar series out there, and Sherry Thomas’ writing is so wonderfully clever and precise.  I liked pretty much everything about the book - the developments in the relationship between Stephen Marbleton and Olivia, which is plagued by seemingly insurmountable difficulties;  the inclusion of a past, lesbian love affair for Mrs. Watson and the subtle discussions of colonialism and the British Raj; and I was pleased to see Charlotte starting to face up to the truth of her feelings for Lord Ingram, and the uncertainty she’s feeling as to how they can return to their old, comfortable association now they’ve been (albeit very briefly) lovers. The mystery is as detailed, complex and well-executed as ever, and I enjoyed the ensemble nature of the story – including the appearance of Lieutenant Leighton Attwood from the author’s My Beautiful Enemy (and a nice nod to that novel’s heroine).  But after the drama of The Hollow of Fear and its late-book revelations about Lord Ingram’s (soon-to-be ex-) wife, his brother’s betrayal, and the steps forward and steps back in the complicated relationship between Lord Ingram and Charlotte, The Art of Theft sometimes felt as though it was treading water somewhat. The characters face physical danger, for sure, but the stakes simply don’t seem as high for them personally as in the previous book and I wasn’t as completely gripped by this story as I was by previous instalments.  I suspect Ms. Thomas is keeping her powder dry, though.  Looking at the bigger picture; with the middle book (The Hollow of Fear) of a five book series reaching a high point in the story arc,  it makes sense that following book (The Art of Theft) would be a kind of ‘interlude’ or transition before heading into the finale, which I am sure is going to be a corker, given the cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter of this one!

Still, with all that said, The Art of Theft is a cracking tale, a sophisticated, fantastically well-conceived mystery featuring richly-detailed settings and fully rounded, multi-faceted characters whose relationship are drawn with considerable skill and insight. It may not be my favourite of the series, but it’s still a terrific read, and one I’m more than happy to recommend.

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As usual, Thomas manages to keep me involved though wonderful mystery and intrigue. This novel follows the similar themes of her other books in this series. There is a challenge for Holmes to solve, and this time it is not for profit but for Mrs. Watson. The reader sees a bit more humanity and emotions in Holmes this time around. However, I feel that all the build up between Holmes and her childhood friend is a bit of let down after the previous novel. Imogen and Holmes seem to take a step back and I was so looking forward to see how they would move forward!

There's a good amount of hand waving around some of the "deductive" leaps that Charlotte takes in this entry of the series, but I didn't find myself caring particularly. It's enough that this is another fun, fast-paced story that adds a further bit of depth to these already compelling characters. I'm always interested to see where Thomas will take this crew next.

I absolutely love this series. I am not sure this book is as sharp as the others, but it is still good. The characters are really great and I am looking forward to where she is going to take some characters in the next book.

The Art of Theft was completely delightful. For those who haven't read the series before, it's the fourth entry in the Lady Sherlock series. "Sherlock" is a persona created by Charlotte Holmes, a young woman cast out of society after a shocking incident. Charlotte's intelligence is to be expected, but her sister Livia got a chance to shine in this book as well.

Charlotte, Livia, and Mrs. Watson (with whom Charlotte lives), as well as Charlotte's friend Lord Ingram and Livia's friend Mr. Marbleton all head to France, to undertake a heist in order to help an old friend of Mrs. Watson's. Highly recommended!

I truly adore this series. This one ended up in a very different place than I thought it would, and I enjoyed every minute. Art theft! A masked ball! A mysterious estate! As soon as I finished I was upset I couldn't immediately dive into the next one. It probably isn't necessary to read the others in the series first - there are a few mild spoilers you'd pick up from starting with this book, but you wouldn't be totally lost. But why deprive yourself?

Sherry Thomas continues her Lady Sherlock series with The Art of Theft.

from decription: Charlotte Holmes, Lady Sherlock, is back solving new cases in the Victorian-set mystery series from the USA Today bestselling author of The Hollow of Fear.

And off we go in another adventure with Charlotte Holmes, Lord Ingram, Mrs. Watson, Livia, and other familiar characters.

It is unusual that a prospective client has an interview with Charlotte, and then decides not to engage the services of Sherlock Holmes, but the beautiful Indian woman who requested the interview doesn't believe "Sherlock Holmes" is suitable for the job she requires.

It turns out, however, that Mrs. Watson is an old friend of the mysterious woman, so Charlotte and friends end up in France in a dangerous escapade that turns out to be more than they bargained for.

The plot is concluded, but a twist at the end sets up the next installment. This is the 4th book in the series, and if you are looking for a good binge, start with the first one A Study in Scarlet Women.

Read in June; blog review scheduled for Sept. 19, 2019

NetGalley/Berkley Publishing
Historical Mystery. Oct. 15, 2019. Print length: 336 pages.

Sherry Thomas has created a version of Holmes that is so vibrant and real. I can relate to her even though I will never be as smart as she is. She's intelligent and knows her worth and helps other female characters see and appreciate their own worth. I love the relationship between Ash and Holmes. He appreciates her for who she is and finds her attractive even at Maximum Tolerable Chins. Each of Thomas's installments in this series has twists and turns I don't see coming and this installment was no different. Holmes may have gotten aleg up on Moriarty this time but it's short lived. I'm interested in seeing how or if Moriarty plays into the next book in the series with Inspector Treadles arrested on suspicion of murder. Treadles and his wife were sorely missed in this book, so I'm glad to see they will be back for the next. Highly recommend. I can't put this series down.

As soon as I began this book, I realized I must have missed a book in the series and had to pause to catch up. Once I had, I thought this book was thoroughly enjoyable. I thought this one was written much more clearly than some of the previous ones. I had no problems following the plot, twists, and red herrings. There were several surprises towards the end of the book that upped the tension without being totally unbelievable. All in all, a very enjoyable read.

I tried to read this book yesterday, but for some reason I couldn't get the print to show up dark enough for me to read on my Kindle. I tried adjusting my settings and still was unable to read it. I'm so bummed out about it, as i was really looking forward to this one. I will definitely be reading it when it comes out in Oct.

I have read quite a few contemporary novels reprising the Sherlock Holmes character---this was by far my favorite. I loved the feminist approach to "Sherlock" and Mrs Watson's character also had a fascinating "back story."

My only criticism of the book is that the reader who has not experienced other books in the "Lady Sherlock" series is disadvantaged. The characters are complex and multi-dimensional and I would have enjoyed their interplay more if I'd been exposed to their backgrounds in other books, or in a more substantive introduction to them in this book.

But, the plot was fun, the language lively and I will definitely look forward to reading another book in this series.
NetGalley provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an engaging story. The plot was exciting, and the characters were interesting. Having not read the prior books in the series, there were elements of the story that went beyond me, but overall, it was an exciting and enjoyable mystery.