The Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer

 

I want to preface by saying I love the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  I read The Hound of the Baskervilles when I was in High School and was fortunate enough to read a version that included the original illustrations from The Strand Magazine. I was hooked!  I proceeded to read A Study In Scarlet, The Sign of the Four, The Valley of Fear, and all 58 of the short stories that Conan Doyle penned. I have read and re-read these stories numerous times.  Further, I have read a lot of Sherlock Holmes pastiche. Pastiche is an artistic work that imitates another work, artist, or period.  In writing, it’s generally professional, published writers that seem to write pastiches, as opposed to fan fiction, which is similar, but seems to be written by mostly novice writers and non-professional writers.

With this unasked-for information, my latest Mystery Book Club book was the first book in the "Enola Holmes" series by Nancy Springer, The Case of the Missing Marquess. I devoured this book.  It is quite short, more a novella than a full novel, but that’s beside the point.  If it had been uninteresting to me, it would have languished on a shelf, partly read. Instead, I listened to the audio of the first book, then checked out from the library the second book as an eBook, and then bought the initial 6 books in the series, because there was a wait list at the library for the rest of the series. I couldn’t put these books down. I read them all in less than a week and was very satisfied with the entire 6 book story arc.  I also purchased books 7 and 8 and can’t wait to read them.

Why do I love these books?  Well, the first thing that I love about this series is that it is very clear that Ms. Springer did her research regarding Victorian England and the lives of women during this time. She is very knowledgeable about appropriate customs and etiquette, which I find less and less in modern books written about that era. I think it’s important to not insert modernity into the Victorian world. What I mean by this statement is that I often find both modern language and sensibilities, in terms of socializing, in books written about this time-period.  However, men and women lived very separate lives in many ways during this era, and women had absolutely no rights. It is quite infuriating to read about, but really important to understand, so that we do not repeat such restrictive laws and practices directed at an entire group of people.

I also love the overall plots of all the Enola Holmes books.  They are well written, and I think Ms. Springer captures the essence of both Sherlock, Mycroft, and this new addition of their sister Enola, quite well. I was completely immersed in this world, the adventures, the characters, and the mysteries that need to be solved. I also liked how all the books ended.  I believe that the ending of a story is just as important as the overall content. I was not disappointed with any of these books.

I bought the series because I think my daughter may really enjoy these books when she gets older, and I foresee myself rereading the series at some point as well.  This is a highly recommended unasked for book review.  I hope, if you read this, you check this series out and enjoy it.