In this ninth installment of Nancy Springer's Enola Holmes series we find Enola acting alone to solve the disappearance of Rudyard Kipling's friend, Walcott Balestier. Despite the fact that Kipling refused to hire her and instead hired her brother Sherlock Enola is determined to solve the mystery. This was a fun read and as always it was very entertaining to see what disguises and mischief Enola gets up to. This was one of my favorite books in this series so far.

This was my first entry into the world of Enola Holmes after seeing both films on Netflix. I was pleasantly surprised by the novel as it was a nostalgic trip through the middle-grade and younger YA novels I had adored for years. Enola is a wonderful protagonist full of personality and a perfect foil to the uptight Sherlock. The main Mystery of the novel was not my personal favorite. However, I am not the target demographic. Still, there were parts that were predictable. Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to experience the world of Enola Holmes.

Number nine of Nancy Springer’s Enola Holmes series finds Enola on her own, but also on good terms with her prickly brothers. One day Rudyard Kipling bursts outrageously into the office of fictitious Dr. Leslie Ragostin, a.k.a. Enola Holmes, claiming his best friend, Wolcott Balestier, is missing. Kipling quickly, and nasty to boot, refuses to hire Enola and instead goes to Sherlock. That doesn’t stop our heroine from searching for Wolcott anyway.

This is such a fun series to read, regardless of whether you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes. It’s also educational because the author incorporates such details to make the reader feel they are a part of that world. Its essentially a time machine novel. This particular novel takes the audience into the scientific world of rabies and how inoculations began. While not graphic (thank goodness!), it is informative.

Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.

In England in 1890, female teen detective Enola Holmes is finally establishing her independent agency as a “scientific perditorian”—a finder of lost persons. Now that her older brother, Sherlock, has accepted her as a professional, Enola believes it’s only a matter of time before more cases start coming her way. When a young man bursts into her office demanding help to find his dear friend, though, it quickly becomes clear he’s expecting someone much older, more experienced, and most definitely not a young woman.

Despite the man’s rude behavior, Enola finds herself fascinated by the facts he describes. His friend, Wolcott Balestier, works with an American publisher and came to London on business. One evening Wolcott went out for a walk and then disappeared. He hasn’t been seen since.

Just as quickly as he rushes into Enola’s office, he leaves again. Enola—miffed he dismissed her out of hand—follows him. Through her own personal investigations, she discovers the rude man is none other than the upstart young author Rudyard “Ruddy” Kipling, recently returned from India.

Ruddy hires Sherlock to find his friend, but Enola is determined to solve the case herself. After all, Ruddy came to her first. Never mind that he didn’t engage her to find Wolcott. Enola knows she can do it anyway. Her sleuthing leads her to the seedier side of London and into an underground market for cutting-edge technology. Through it all, she’ll rely on her charm, her wits, and that trademark curiosity to help her see the case through.

Author Nancy Springer’s overly simplistic plot doesn’t contain nearly as much intrigue or mystery as the first book of the revived series. Enola points out more than once that her name backwards means “alone.” Earlier Enola lived up to the fact that she didn’t need her famous brother to help her with cases, which made their personal and professional clashes that much more interesting. Here, however, she’s very much the assistant, even if she doesn’t see herself that way.

Much of the information in the novel seems carefully curated to offer target readers historical facts about the time period. They can’t distract from the reality that Enola spends a lot of time chasing down leads she either got from Sherlock or found because of information from him. While it’s fun to see the siblings work together, the playful pluckiness of the first book is definitely missing. It makes Enola seem almost ordinary, which is a shame, because the first book portrayed her as anything but.

I adored this! This was so much fun and combines the intrigue of a good mystery with Enola's classic humor and the backdrop of Victorian England for an exciting read.

Enola is back at it again, and this book's case has her tracking down Rudyard Kipling's missing friend from the publishing industry. Filled with fight scenes, chase sequences, and thrilling discoveries, her investigation here has a focus on vocabulary, historical treatment for rabies, "newfangled" electric lamps and elevators, fashion (always with Enola), and of course Rudyard Kipling! I appreciated Nancy Springer's author note concerning writing about this historical figure who is well-known to have been a misogynist. In the beginning of the book, Kipling underestimates Enola's abilities as a woman, so she wants to get revenge on him by finding his missing friend anyways.

Enola Holmes books are always so much fun to read, and after having read about her relationship developing with Sherlock in previous books, I love how she works with him in this one. Enola has undergone a lot of character growth when it comes to working with and relying on others, both friends and her brother. A highlight for me here was seeing more of Enola's cabby Harold and discovering that she has a reputation among cab-drivers for being eccentric. And as per usual, I adored the witty narration and Enola's strong-willed, stubborn, and cunning mindset. Overall, this was a great addition to the Enola Holmes series, and I can't wait to read about what she gets up to next!



One thing to note: I was a bit thrown off by a couple references made in the book that allude to the fact that Enola is writing (specifically typing) the book itself as an accounting of events after they have happened. I didn't mind these references, but they took me out of the story since I've never noticed this in previous books in the series, so they did not seem to be contributing to a larger framing device or anything.

This was a fun, swash-buckling mystery. It was great how the author took a famous, but notoriously misogynist, author and forced him to interact with her fiercely feminist main character. Prior to this book, I'd only seen the Enola flix but I may be going back to catch up with the back catalogue.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. I'm really enjoying this series and I need to go add a few I missed to my to-read list. I would suggest not starting with this one.

Date reflects the review, not the reading date.

I enjoyed the other books in this series but as I read them in graphic novel format, that might be more of my style. Enola is at it again but with a missing man who might or might not have rabies, a famous author wanting answers and her older brother Sherlock on the other side of the case well this is a puzzle.

I enjoyed this book but at the same time it was hard for me to finish. I did finish but it wasn't my cup of tea.

I love the Enola Holmes series especially when she teams up with Sherlock. After watching the Enola Holmes movies (which I also love!)I will forevermore picture Enola and Sherlock as Millie Bobbie Brown and Henry Cavil which makes these stories that much more fun for me. This was an entertaining read-I enjoyed seeing real life people showing up as characters in this story and the mystery was as usual very good and quite intriguing. Already looking forward to Enola’s(and hopefully Sherlock) next adventure!

Enola Holmes has finally convinced her older brothers Sherlock and Mycroft that she is capable of independent living. Continuing her studies she also tries to keep her hand in as a finder of missing persons. When Rudyard Kipling's friend Wolcott goes missing he bursts into her office but is dismayed to find a young woman. After a heated exchange he later engages Sherlock. Miffed and insulted, Enola sets out to prove her abilities. i have been a "Sherlockian" from an early age and find these adventures of the young Enola delightful and they hold up well in comparison to the canon. In this outing Enola's audacity and rash determination leave even her big brother in awe. The author deftly sprinkles the narrative with interesting tidbits of the time period's culture, politics and new developments in medicine and industry. In this outing Enola discovers the wonders of electric lighting and Dr. Lister's development of rabies innoculation. Each time Enola describes her toilette and the fashions she dons I am again thankful to live in today's time. Enola, although somewhat larger than life, is an engaging protagonist and her dogged investigations take the reader on a tour through Victorian London from the ragpickers of the slums to the fine mansions of Hyde Park. Recurring characters make appearances and we are introduced to historical personages such as Oscar Wilde and others. A delightful YA historical mystery series that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

Enola Holmes and the whole series are just amazing! The story is so captivating and really takes you back to the time of Sherlock Holmes, it's like you're in the late 19th century yourself. Enola is totally awesome, she doesn't let anyone tell her what to do just because she's a girl. She's super smart and brave, just like her famous bro!

In the latest book, Enola goes on this crazy adventure to find a missing man. It's so intense because his life is in danger and there's this disease going around too. Enola is so clever, she blends in with her surroundings and takes on different identities to solve the mystery. She's got some cool friends helping her out too. You never know what's going to happen next, she's always on the move and it's super exciting!

There's also some really interesting stuff in there about medical research from back in the day. It's not usually my thing but it was really cool to read about and made me think about how things have changed since then.

So yeah, if you're into adventure stories and love a strong female lead, you gotta read Enola Holmes! Plus, it's got some historical fiction vibes too. Definitely recommend it!

These titles are incredibly popular with our teens who love mysteries and/or historical fiction. It's a great mix of both genres, and also has an appropriate, loveable, strong, intelligent female main character for them to idolize.
I will definitely be purchasing this title for our library when it's released in September.

Enola Holmes is back for the third installment in her second series.

The thing I love most about these books is the continuity. Even though each book is a self contained mystery, characters from previous books regularly make cameos.

In The Mark of the Mongoose, Enola is searching for a missing man. At the request of none other than Rudyard Kipling. Well, actually Kipling hired her brother, but when has that ever stopped Enola from working a case?

As always Enola's adventure highlights a little publicized area of Victorian life. In this book, that aspect is the very real threat of rabies. Before antibiotics and inoculations, getting bit by a rabid animal was a death sentence...but maybe not the kind you think.

I really loved the story in this book. The mystery seemed simple on the surface but turned out deliciously complex. And while I normally frown on fictional stories featuring real people from history, this novel handled it well and included an afterword that answered most of my concerns.

My biggest critique is that the mark in the book is never called the mark of the Mongoose. It is a word that is much harder to pronounce but still means mongoose. I suspect that this might be a publisher choice, because astute readers will know that Enola Holmes has a vast vocabulary.

*Thank you to Net Galley for giving me an advanced reader copy to review. The above review is my honest opinion of the provided book.*

Nancy Springer’s Enola Holmes series continues delightfully apace with her heroine’s ninth mystery, Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose. Young readers who jumped into her adventures thanks to the Netflix movies will find their footing easily enough, and Springer’s spry sense of humor and nose for action scenes remain as strong as ever.

We’ve officially hit 1890, and Enola is nearing her sixteenth birthday. She continues to live independently from her brothers Mycroft and Sherlock, at a women’s club where she’s found friendship among her peers. She’s also going to school while balancing her social life and her work as a scientific perditorian.

Enola’s next case bursts through the door in the form of famous author Rudyard Kipling, whose friend, Wolcott Balestier, has been kidnapped. When he realises not only that Enola is female, but she’s also very young, he decides to turn to Sherlock to recover his friend before something terrible happens to Balestier.

Enola is understandably outraged, and decides to investigate the case on her own. She learns that literary agent Balestier was in England to sign some famous British authors in the hope of convincing them to publish their work in America. That, understandably, has brought him into contact with some very angry people. Enola soon realizes she and Sherlock must work together to bring Balestier home safe, but can the stubborn siblings manage to get along?

Every single Enola Holmes mystery is a privilege to read, and The Mark of the Mongoose is no exception to that rule. Enola is a pleasure to be around, funny, sly, active, and wonderfully flawed. As she’s grown and her world has expanded, Springer has deepened the reader’s knowledge of what Victorian London really was like for teenagers in Enola’s position, so we get to learn a lot about the universe surrounding her. It’s fun and educational at the same time. And yes, Enola’s penchant for disguises and hand-to-hand combat return in this volume.

It's also always a privilege to spend time with Springer’s version of Sherlock, and the sibling relationship between Enola and her older brother remains quite delightful. They love one another, but their investigative minds continue to put them at loggerheads. Yet in the end, they pull it together and work side-by-side. As always, the mystery is entertaining and high-stakes and Springer does not skimp on the twists and turns.

What more can I say? Springer delights and Enola remains a wonderful character. I loved everything about Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose, and teenagers (and adults) everywhere are bound to love it, too.

Quite thrilled to have been granted an ARC of this book from Netgalley. So, I'd like to thank them and state all of the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

The ninth book in this series brings us further along in Enola's growth as a character. Less frequently are we hit with the idea that she is meant to be alone, a solitary sleuth solving crimes. No longer solely instructed by her mother, she is exposed to a world where she learns that perhaps she is better suited to the company of others working as a team.

Her relationship with Sherlock continues to progress, and it's really delightful. (To be honest, I prefer him in this series because he is humanized by the presence of someone to care for who isn't Watson.) They have started a pseudo-partnership that I hope continues in future books.

I also enjoy how she has found others to help her as she continues on her exploits - from a milkmaid who works with a doctor to make a vaccine to a household of ladies who help her without question because they are staunch allies.

This book is yet solid addition to the series. I also feel as if we haven't seen the last of our main villain yet. (Albeit, I am not sure that the villain's reasons for their actions was ever truly resolved, which I would have liked.)

Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose finds Enola edging out Sherlock once again at that which she excels at, missing persons. Ruddy, better known as Rudyard Kipling, is inconsolable after the best friend he’s ever had disappears. Wolcott Balestier works for an American publisher trying to purchase English authors’ works. The last time Wolcott was seen was after he took on a rabid dog. Enola and Sherlock race the clock to find a missing man and save him from rabies. Enola uncovers a secret society and the only scientist in all of England to treat rabies in a witty case. Fast paced and entertaining, Enola does what she does best while proving that what boys can do girls can do better. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

I had NO IDEA there was an Enola Holmes series out there, so I was very excited to be approved for this read. Without having the context of the earlier books in the series, I do think this one stands on its own just fine.

For an avid Holmes fan, I had this one figured out at almost every step, BUT I think that the average YA reader would find a lot of enjoyment in working through the story. The historical fiction additions may not be familiar to them, so it could be a door-opening experience to read more about Kipling and Balestier.

Enola shines in her characteristic way, wily and witty; she accepts her awkwardness and her nonconformity as badges of honor; and she is well-meaning, but impulsive--all of which align with who she's always been in the books.

The story really focuses on the mystery and has a nice dose of science mixed in. Sherlock has clearly modeled the importance of observation that Eudoria first embedded in Enola's mind, and it's fun to see that play out throughout the story.

Overall: 4 stars

I'll tell my students about: death

**Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the free DRC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘.
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I recently read Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose by Nancy Springer. This books is about Enola Holmes who is finally on her own and, no longer hiding from her older brothers Sherlock and Mycroft, attending classes and occasionally pursuing her chosen profession as a scientific perditorian, a finder of lost things and people.
Wolcott Balestier, the representative of an American book publisher, arrived in London on a singular mission - to contract with English authors for their latest works. When Balestier disappears on the streets of London one day, his great friend - Rudyard Kipling - bursts into Enola's office looking for help in finding him. Brash and unwilling to hire a young woman, instead he turns to Sherlock Holmes. But Enola is not one to accept defeat, especially not to her brother, and sets off on her own - determined to learn the truth behind the disappearance of the young American.
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I absolutely enjoyed this book! This felt like a different Enola Holmes book in a good way! I liked to see her relationship with Sherlock develop. I also enjoyed her standing up for herself and trying to prove she was a capable perditorian. This one was quite an adventurous tale and I really do hope Nancy Springer writes more!

What do a missing American writer, Rudyard Kipling and rabies have in common? Enola Holmes connects the dots, working investigative circles around her big brother Sherlock in this new addition to the series.

This installment is focused on the mystery more so than Enola's personal growth. Enola is on her own gathering helpers along the way as needed to get answers and save lives. Neither Tewkesbury nor any of her other friends from previous books are included.

It was a quick read and not my favorite of the series. I'm hoping Enola will get a romantic interest in the book series as compelling as Tewkesbury is in the Netflix films.

This latest Enola Holmes book was as charming as the previous ones. Enola is a thoroughly engaging character—smart, brave, and quirky. This series is definitely a welcome addition to the Sherlock Holmes lore, although I’m not sure how Conan Doyle would have felt about a competent woman, though! This chapter in the series had an extra dash of interest by adding some real people. I’d love to gift this book series to a teen girl, although it’s enjoyable for all ages. It’s a quick read and can be read out of order with the other books.