Summary:

Enola Holmes has begun to make a bit of a reputation for herself. Her name may not be as well known as her brothers, but she's solved more than her fair share of mysteries. She's also made friends along the way—friends who may just be in danger.

Lady Cecily Alastair is a client-turned-friend. She was in danger previously, thanks to her dastardly father, and it seems like she has fallen under his care once again. It is up to Enola to step in and save the day, as the law is, unfortunately, on the father's side.

Review:

This is the second Enola Holmes novel I've read (yes, I haven't been reading in order, bad me!), and I am utterly charmed. Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade is another fun addition to the series. Best of all, even though it clearly involves characters previously introduced, it is easy to jump on in and enjoy.

I love how independent young Enola Holmes is. It must be SO hard to grow up in the shadows of her brothers, but she's doing more than making the best of it. She's making a name for herself – and doing it despite their best efforts to stop her.

As one might expect, Enola is sharp, quippy, and brilliant. She's a fun character to read, and her adventures are perfect for readers of all ages (love that). This latest mystery felt even more Victorian than the last, as it is a poignant reminder of how much time can change our views.

Highlights:
Enola Holmes Mystery
Historical Fiction
Mystery (All Ages)

This was a very fast, entertaining read. I love that it started with a quick synopsis of the last one, because I need the recap. I love that we had a show on Netflix and, in my head, that is still my Sherlock and my Enola.

We are back with Cecily in this one. I liked the twists and turns. I didn't anticipate how they would get things done. I loved the idea of playing in the laundry shoot and how dirty Enola was after the coal crawl.

Entertaining and still full of two characters I love. I can't wait to read the next one!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

This is the 8th book in the Enola Holmes series.
Enola is the much younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes. Her name spelled backwards is “alone” which is how she prefers to live to avoid boarding school. Enola is a precocious and intelligent girl who cringes at the typical expectations of women in her social status. She doesn’t like living in the secluded mansion after her mother leaves on her 14th birthday. She is just as unconventional as her mother not wanting to succumb to the Victorian traditions. To avoid being sent to boarding school, she slips out and finds clever ways to avoid her brothers. Enola finds unique ways of taking care of herself with her many disguises which allows her to help solve mysteries for people. She often finds herself involved in the same cases as her brother Sherlock.

This story finds Enola coming to the rescue of her friend Lady Cecily Alistair who is locked in her room by her father, Sir Eustace Alastair. Of course, this is another case where Enola and Sherlock find themselves working on the same case but from different angles. Catching up to Lady Cecily proves challenging when they learn she has dual personalities: one that is mild and mild while the other independent and in charge. The escapade ensues where Enola and Sherlock look for the elusive Lady Cecily as she tries to make her way alone in London.

Lady Cecily Alastair is locked away in her house by her father, her mother like wise kept out of the way, and no one the wiser until Enola stumbles into the situation. It is a problem indeed needing a "elegant escapade". With Cecily's daring and Enola's determination, they make their way to safety - but when confronting Sherlock means meeting Cecily's father empty handed, sending her home is something Cecily rebels against.

She flees to the London streets and for the sake of her sisterly friendship, Enola must work out a way to control Cecily's father and get her safely home. I greatly enjoyed Enola working out a problem for her friend, relying on other women at least as much as Sherlock.

I hope Lady Vienna will meet with Enola again, I enjoyed her and I would like a "aunt" in Enola's life.

4 stars!

I absolutely adore the Netflix series based on this series and I was happy to find out I enjoy the book series as well. Enola makes for such a fun heroine to follow. This book went fast, I was really excited by the mystery, and I like the Victorian era it is set in. I will definitely go back and read the other books in this series because I love it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I loved the first Enola Holmes books when they came out and was disappointed when there weren't new ones. But this one is a wonderful addition to the series! I love the characters and the premise. I was hesitant to read at first because of the change with Sherlock knowing about her business, but that fact only enhanced the story and helped it move along! I would whole heartedly recommend this book for mystery fans!

This is #8 in the Enola Holmes series and another great read. Enola (alone spelled backwards) is an interesting character, quite contrary to the other young women of the Victorian Era. She is a perfect foil for her brother Sherlock Holmes. Nancy Springer has done a great job building an alternate world that sits nicely alongside Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's canon of Sherlock stories. Keep a dictionary handy when reading Springer's work, as the books teach quite a bit of vocabulary along with a very good mystery series. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, along with the others in the series.

Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade by Nancy Springer is an intriguing addition to the Enola Holmes series, bringing back Sherlock's spirited younger sister for another thrilling adventure. Set in late 19th century London, this teen/young adult historical mystery captures the essence of the era while delivering an engaging and suspenseful story.

Springer skillfully weaves a tale of mystery, deception, and personal growth, taking readers on a captivating journey through the streets of Victorian London. Enola's expertise in disguises adds an element of excitement, as she navigates the city, constantly on the lookout for her elusive friend. The author strikes a balance between Enola's resourcefulness and Sherlock's guidance, ensuring that Enola remains the central character driving the plot.

Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade can be enjoyed as a standalone novel, making it accessible even to readers unfamiliar with the series. It evokes a sense of nostalgia for fans of classic mysteries, reminiscent of the Nancy Drew books from the past. Nancy Springer has crafted a delightful tale that combines historical elements, mystery, and the empowering journey of a young heroine.

Overall, Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade is a compelling read for both young adult and adult audiences, offering a well-crafted blend of historical fiction and mystery. Nancy Springer's writing captures the spirit of the time period while delivering an entertaining and suspenseful narrative. Whether you are a fan of Enola Holmes or simply enjoy engaging mysteries set in the past, this book is sure to captivate your imagination from beginning to end.

I love these Enola Holmes books! They are always well-plotted, rather humorous, suspenseful, and fun! (I should admit I have always been a big Sherlock Holmes fan as well).
I trust that there will be many more to come! I do share them with my teen age daughter, too.

The characters of Enola Holmes and Sherlock Holmes are so well known by present day readers, that little needs to be said about the environment of these character's worlds. Nancy Springer brings Enola to life one more time in The Elegant Escapade and follows a true to form writing style similar to that of Arthur Conan Doyle.

In this novel Enola is trying to help her friend, Lady Cecily Alistair, run away from her overbearing and sometimes bullish father. Lady Alistair's secret however is that she is of split personality. One side is meek and quiet, while the other personality is quite independent and brash. This challenge leave Enola to quite the chase through the streets of London.

Overall I find these Enola Holmes novels enjoyable and I would recommend them to any middle schooler or high schooler who is interested in expanding their knowledge and enjoyment of the sleuthing ways of the Holmes family.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel.

3.5 stars!

There’s nothing more that I love in these books (and films) than Enola’s spirit, wit and cleverness! Yet again it’s all there, along with her relationship with her brother; while he tends to always give her a hard time and hide the fact that he knows she’s brilliant, the subtle love and pride he has for her brains and investigative skills is there.

The case wasn’t my favorite storyline per se. It ended nicely but wasn’t as fun and didn’t require quite as much discovery and mischief as others have with Enola. I still did enjoy it though and would definitely read another.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

One could say that I am enamored of Enola Holmes and her escapades. Nancy Springer has written eight books starring the feisty, whip-smart Enola Holmes, Sherlock and Mycroft’s much younger sister. I just finished the most recent book in the series: Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade. By now, Enola has reconciled with her famous brothers, and they are content to allow her to live her own life. Sherlock interacts with Enola on a much more frequent basis than does Mycroft.

Enola continues her quest as a “scientific perditorian,” someone who finds people and things.  In this recent episode, Enola again connects with Lady Cecily Alastair, whom Enola has rescued previously. In fact, Enola has rescued Lady Cecily twice already. Once again, Lady Cecily’s hateful father, Sir Eustace Alastair, has locked his daughter in her room without books, paper, or pencils, and only her nightclothes. He has also locked his wife in her room with her maid. He doesn’t know his wife has some means of escape if she chooses.

Enola helps Lady Cecily escape, although that is not her first intention. Enola intends only to find out if Cecily is all right, but Enola discovers that Cecily is locked away. However, once Cecily is out of the locked room, the plot thickens. What can Enola do to keep Cecily safe until she can figure out a way to help Cecily and her mother. What dirt can Enola find on Sir Eustace to persuade him to allow his wife and daughters to live in peace?

Readers will enjoy the sparring between Enola and the famous Sherlock. They work well together despite Sherlock’s initial misgivings. Enola finds another ally in Lady Vienna Steadwell, who also lives in the genteel boarding house for women where Enola now resides. I did find one interesting slip in the book which I am still uncertain about whether it is a slip or deliberate. Lady Steadwell and Enola go to Sir Eustace’s home with Enola posing as Lady Steadwell’s niece the Honourable Aubergina Steadwell. A few pages later, Lady Vienna calls Enola “the Honourable Aubergina Treadwell.” Did she do that on purpose?

Nancy Springer has created a delightful character in Enola. I enjoy watching her develop Enola more fully with each escapade.

Although this story has nothing to do with Enola, I feel compelled to tell it now. When I was finishing graduate school, I wrote letters of application for jobs teaching English. My name is Caldwell, and I lived on Treadwell Street in Fayetteville, AR. I received one rejection letter addressed to Ms. Treadwell. I thought that’s probably not a good fit for me anyway if someone in the English department can’t even get my name right!

I do love Enola Holmes, Sherlock's plucky, daring, and brilliant younger sister. I was a bit confused, however, starting this book immediately after the previous one in the series, to find Sherlock and Enola's relationship had regressed. Indeed I started second-guessing myself and thinking that this book came before the Black Barouche, as it almost makes more sense that way.

Aside from that perplexing bit, the story was fun and ridiculous as always, with Enola dashing about and running circles around everyone else. I did enjoy the way she and Sherlock were able to get along after the stiff beginning, but that stiff beginning still puzzles me. They collaborated and got along so well in the previous book?

The audiobook narrator did an excellent job bringing the characters and story to life with a variety of voices. I enjoyed the listening experience greatly.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing an early copy for review.

I loved it. It removed the issues I had with the premise and the character while providing an inspiring adventure.

Lady Cecily Alistair, who has appeared in two of the previous books, is once again being held captive. As this volume begins, Enola has reconciled with her brothers Sherlock and Mycroft. She is living on her own, with their knowledge, at a women’s club. She has also found out what happened to her mother. I won’t spoil it, but having that plot point resolved addresses the biggest issue that got in my way when I tried to read this series. It’s hard for me, as an adult, to enjoy “young woman on her own” adventures when she’s both so upset by her mother’s sudden disappearance and yet manages to forget all about it to have those adventures. We’re told her mother is impressive for training her to be so independent, yet that same woman deserted her without warning. I was always vaguely distracted by that conflict, so I’m glad that distraction has been removed.

Without those forced obstacles, I found this mystery much more enjoyable. Enola is getting to know Sherlock better (Mycroft doesn’t make an appearance) and taking classes while still being curious about life. She stands up for herself and has friends and colleagues to help her, in addition to her famous brother.

Events move quickly once Enola discovers Cecily’s imprisonment and determines to do something about it. Sherlock has been brought into the case, as well, as he’s been hired by her family to find their missing daughter. The result is an energetic, action-packed adventure where the two siblings manage to work together while remaining themselves, with their own opinions and methods. It’s a fun, spirited read. It also, based on my experience, can be enjoyed without knowing much about the previous books.

I adore this series. Enola is such a fantastic character who is easy to root for. Her voice and fierceness shines throughout. Nancy Springer delivers another fun mystery full of surprise twists and turns. Highly recommend for fans of the Netflix adaptations, historical mysteries, and classic Holmes fans.

I love Enola Holmes!! My son and I read these books together and they are always delightful.

I love the predicaments Enola finds herself in and the pursuits her brothers give to keep her in check.

I highly recommend this series especially if you have tweens/teens that love good mysteries.

Once again Enola Holmes is up to her eyeballs in mystery, mayhem and mischief. A truely delightful young woman who’s extremely talented, astute and for whom ‘the game’ is always on.
Enola is now living in London. Brother Sherlock occasionally helping her endeavors.
Still this latest case has them pitted against each other. Enola is helping her friend Lady Cecile Alastair flee her controlling father, when Cecily disappears.
Meanwhile Sherlocke has been tasked by Cecile’s mother to find her.
Who will find Cecily first?
Another super Victorian mystery featuring Enola!

A NetGalley ARC

Enola Holmes currently has it all. She no longer has to sklunk about in the shadows as a perditorian hoping that her famous brothers won't catch her and send her off to a finishing school when all she wants to do is make a name for herself as a finder of the lost. She has her place in the world, a safe roof over her head at the Professional Women's Club, and the chance of an education at the London Women's Academy. But she is a rare case. Most women in Victorian London are nothing more than chattel to their male relatives, be they fathers, or as was the case for Enola, brothers. By showing Sherlock and Mycroft what she is capable of she broke out of the cage her contemporaries live in. But a girl whom Enola has viewed as a dear friend from the first moment they met is trapped in this cage. Lady Cecily Alastair hasn't had the best of luck. First she was hypnotized and abducted, then because of her abduction her family, in particular her father, Sir Eustace Alastair, viewed her as spoiled goods and tried to force her into an arranged marriage. Both times Enola saved Cecily. And now Cecily needs saving again. Sir Eustace has locked Cecily in her room making her a literal prisoner. Enola hears about this and rushes to Cecily's aid, breaking her out of her prison cell and secreting her away. The only problem is Cecily's family hires Sherlock to find her. Things have been going so well between Enola and Sherlock and it hurts her to have to lie to him to protect her friend, but he just doesn't know what it's like to be a woman. Thankfully Cecily isn't as helpless as she seems, at least some of the time, fleeing Enola's office before Sherlock discovers her hide-hole. The danger is Cecily's upbringing has split her personality between the left-handed and her right-handed selves. Her right-handed is the woman her father and society wants her to be, her left-handed is her true self, brave, resilient, and capable. The only problem is who knows when she will be which. And when Cecily fled Enola's protection because she worried that Sherlock would discover her will she thrive or will she barely survive? One thing is clear, Cecily needs Enola and now Enola is working against the clock and her own brother. Again.

The world that Nancy Springer has created with Enola Holmes is just a pure delight with her innovative use of language and worldbuilding. I could read a further eight volumes and never grow tired of Enola's adventures, though perhaps poor Cecily is tired... That poor girl deserves a break. And while yes, this book is an escapade from beginning to end I have questions. Now these questions are spoilers, so look away if you haven't read about Enola's elegant escapade yet. OK you have been warned and if you are still reading this I assume that you know what happens or are willing to be spoiled. So the "big reveal" that frees Cecily from the clutches of her father's machinations is that he has made his fortune as a resurrection man. Well a more refined resurrection man in that he's only selling off the corpses of his dead employees. And I have so many questions. Mainly, how does he have so many dead employees? I mean it's heavily implied they have all died of natural causes so he's not doing a Burke and Hare, so how can this be a guaranteed income? At the time this book takes place it was basically a dead end job, pun fully intended. Cecily's father would have actually made more money selling off the hair and teeth separately. But would this have been enough to support a family with eight kids in luxury? I think not! This story, more than any of the others, relies on a heavy suspension of disbelief, at least from my point of view. The crime that Sir Eustace Alastair commits is so horrific that you are meant to recoil at the crime and not question it. Not question the economic logistics. But I did. Burke and Hare made about £8 a corpse in 1828 and that was in Edinburgh where corpses were in high demand because it was the center of medical study and research when they committed their crimes. This book takes place in 1889 and the pounds purchasing power had declined so if the price of a corpse stayed the same he'd only be making £6.77. And it's not mentioned if he had a lucrative side business in articulated skeletons like H.H. Holmes did. To be middle class, which a Baronet definitely is above, he'd have to make more than about £150 per year. So a middle class person would have to sell twenty-two plus corpses a year if that was there job. How the hell could he get that many? What's more that doesn't take into account the Anatomy Act of 1832 which came about as a result of the London Burkers. It made it easier to obtain corpses for medical research due to the strictures of medical cadavers only being criminals being lifted and licensing of teachers. So we're to believe that fifty-seven years later a Baronet is making his fortune doing this? As Conan Doyle himself said; "When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." And the truth is that this twist doesn't work.

I'm a huge Sherlock fan. I have seen the two ENOLA HOLMES films and thought it'd be interesting to read one of the books. Although this is the 8th (I think?) book in the series I could follow it because I'd seen the film versions. It's a rollicking adventure with a solid story and a decent mystery. I enjoyed the setting, the characters, the quick pace, and spending time with Enola, her daring escapes and her amazing disguises, and of course with Sherlock Holmes--my favorite scenes. A fun read.

I ended up dnfing this at 34% I didnt care about anything that was happening in this or what happened to the characters.