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srivalli's review
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
3.0
3 Stars
One Liner: A fluffy read
1932, London
When Harry (Harriet White) rebuffs the advances of her superior, she is demoted to the postal department beneath the bank (where she worked in a clerical position). Turns out, she has to respond to the endless letters people have written to Sherlock Holmes (221B Baker Street, where the offices are located).
Harry sends a standard response to each letter until one grabs her attention. What if she can solve the case or at least try? After all, she is now Holmes’ secretary, managing his correspondence as he enjoys a quiet country life.
And thus begins Harry’s new journey. But can she solve the case?
The story comes in Harry’s third-person POV.
My Thoughts:
The premise is interesting and immediately got my attention. It’s not surprising that people thought Holmes was real and continued to write him letters, requesting him to take up a case.
The book is short (220 pages or so) and a fairly fast read. It is a light cozy mystery with abundant touches of family drama and some humor. Still, the book manages to touch upon a few issues like workplace harassment, class differences, privilege, etc.
Harry is easy to like. She is a friendly person and a little too curious. From the blurb, you can guess that she has a strong spine and is no pushover. She has traces of Enola Holmes, though she is used to a comfortable life with her family. Her relationship with her brothers is cute to read.
The mystery starts out well but fizzles out despite the promising elements. The execution leaves a lot to be desired. Missing information and patchy resolution will not help a book in this genre. Don’t want to say more, as it’ll be a spoiler.
We have a love interest who doesn’t appear until around 40%. The chemistry isn’t there yet, but it could get better in the coming books. The situation suits the backstory, so that’s not a complaint.
To summarize, The Missing Maid is a decent start to a new series, even if it doesn’t set high expectations. It will work well as a palate cleanser after an intense read and can be finished in a single sitting.
Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #TheMissingMaid
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment
lastblossom's review
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
tl;dr
A cozy mystery with some interesting historical content and a fun twist on the Sherlock Holmes mythos.
Thoughts
The Sherlock-verse is a wide one. Everyone in his life seems to also be a detective: his old friends, the Irregulars, siblings, descendants. And now it turns out his circle even extends into the "real" world where he's fictional. Which honestly? Works really well. The Missing Maid is a reasonably grounded story, with the MC regularly commenting on how Sherlock would have figured this out by now from some miniscule detail, but she's stuck here in the mortal realm navigating dead ends, hurdles, and her own real life. The mystery unfolds at an even pace, with plenty of historical details and events to give it weight. It's also a fairly cozy read, with very few action pieces, and hints of a budding romance that I found rather sweet. Harry is still new to the detective business, but she, and the series, show a lot of promise.
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance review copy. All thoughts in this review are my own!
A cozy mystery with some interesting historical content and a fun twist on the Sherlock Holmes mythos.
Thoughts
The Sherlock-verse is a wide one. Everyone in his life seems to also be a detective: his old friends, the Irregulars, siblings, descendants. And now it turns out his circle even extends into the "real" world where he's fictional. Which honestly? Works really well. The Missing Maid is a reasonably grounded story, with the MC regularly commenting on how Sherlock would have figured this out by now from some miniscule detail, but she's stuck here in the mortal realm navigating dead ends, hurdles, and her own real life. The mystery unfolds at an even pace, with plenty of historical details and events to give it weight. It's also a fairly cozy read, with very few action pieces, and hints of a budding romance that I found rather sweet. Harry is still new to the detective business, but she, and the series, show a lot of promise.
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance review copy. All thoughts in this review are my own!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Sexual harassment
Minor: Confinement
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