By Sherry Thomas
Release Date: October 18, 2016
Source: Publisher
When the city is struck by a trio of unexpected deaths and suspicion falls on her sister and her father, Charlotte is desperate to find the true culprits and clear the family name. She’ll have help from friends new and old—a kind-hearted widow, a police inspector, and a man who has long loved her. But in the end, it will be up to Charlotte, under the assumed name Sherlock Holmes, to challenge society’s expectations and match wits against an unseen mastermind.
When I first read the synopsis of this book, I was very intrigued. I absolutely love the show Sherlock and haven't been reading any historical books lately, so I was very excited to pick up A Study in Scarlet Women.
Charlotte Holmes has always been a little different, especially since she can see a lot about a person from just one look. Charlotte also wants more from life than being someone's wife, so she ensures she takes that option away from herself in society so that she can obtain a job and support herself. When three random deaths occur and Charlotte's sister is a suspect in one of the deaths, Charlotte knows she must find the killers to clear her sister's name. The more she looks into the deaths, Charlotte discovers that they may not be as random and accidental as they seemed. Under the name Sherlock Holmes, Charlotte sets out to uncover who was behind the murders and finally clear her sister's name.
I've got to say, I love the idea of a gender-bent Sherlock Holmes. Not only was Sherlock actually Charlotte Holmes assuming a male name to be more accepted in society, but her sidekick ended up begin Mrs. Watson. Charlotte's character was so fun and I loved how much she hated being restricted by society because she was a woman. She was a woman who was going to live her own life and do anything in order to make that happen. And her special ability to observe, just like the original Sherlock Holmes, was perfect for her personality and I loved how much she could discover about a person from just looking at them. While I wasn't as big of a fan of Mrs. Watson's character, I did enjoy the other people involved in Charlotte's life and how much they all really cared for her.
I've got to say, though, that this book was very hard to get into in the beginning. The timeline is a bit jumpy and we start in the future, then go back to discover why the event that we started out with had happened. Also, the vocabulary and language used in this book were very sophisticated and took some getting used to. I noticed tons of vocabulary words that I teach my 10th grade honors students, so the words used in this book were not ones you see everyday. I did really enjoy the world and mystery the author created, it just took a bit to really get into the story.
Overall, I enjoyed this story about Charlotte Holmes and her determination to uncover a killer. The story was a little confusing in the beginning and a little slow at times, but it was fun seeing the world through Charlotte's eyes and finally discovering if the deaths were linked and who was the culprit behind the crimes.
Charlotte Holmes has always been a little different, especially since she can see a lot about a person from just one look. Charlotte also wants more from life than being someone's wife, so she ensures she takes that option away from herself in society so that she can obtain a job and support herself. When three random deaths occur and Charlotte's sister is a suspect in one of the deaths, Charlotte knows she must find the killers to clear her sister's name. The more she looks into the deaths, Charlotte discovers that they may not be as random and accidental as they seemed. Under the name Sherlock Holmes, Charlotte sets out to uncover who was behind the murders and finally clear her sister's name.
I've got to say, I love the idea of a gender-bent Sherlock Holmes. Not only was Sherlock actually Charlotte Holmes assuming a male name to be more accepted in society, but her sidekick ended up begin Mrs. Watson. Charlotte's character was so fun and I loved how much she hated being restricted by society because she was a woman. She was a woman who was going to live her own life and do anything in order to make that happen. And her special ability to observe, just like the original Sherlock Holmes, was perfect for her personality and I loved how much she could discover about a person from just looking at them. While I wasn't as big of a fan of Mrs. Watson's character, I did enjoy the other people involved in Charlotte's life and how much they all really cared for her.
I've got to say, though, that this book was very hard to get into in the beginning. The timeline is a bit jumpy and we start in the future, then go back to discover why the event that we started out with had happened. Also, the vocabulary and language used in this book were very sophisticated and took some getting used to. I noticed tons of vocabulary words that I teach my 10th grade honors students, so the words used in this book were not ones you see everyday. I did really enjoy the world and mystery the author created, it just took a bit to really get into the story.
Overall, I enjoyed this story about Charlotte Holmes and her determination to uncover a killer. The story was a little confusing in the beginning and a little slow at times, but it was fun seeing the world through Charlotte's eyes and finally discovering if the deaths were linked and who was the culprit behind the crimes.
aw.. too bad it's hard to follow, it seems pretty interesting to read though
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