A review by leandrathetbrzero
A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

A Modern-Day Sherlockian Reimagining

↓ Similar Reads ↓

  1. Arthur Conan Doyle’s Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
  2. Sherry Thomas’s A Study in Scarlet Women
  3. Maureen Johnson’s Truly Devious

CONTENT WARNING: sexual assault, rapist-sympathizing, and substance abuse

Upon receiving a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school, Jamie Watson finally meets classmate Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s great-great-great-granddaughter, after years of admiring her from afar. Their relationship has a rocky start, but when one of their classmates is murdered and the two find themselves being framed for the crime, Jamie must place all of his trust in Charlotte to save them both.

This modern reimagining of Sherlock Holmes was fascinating as Cavallaro maintained certain classic elements while uprooting and replacing others. The major changes include a modern-day American setting with teenage sleuths, and the brilliant Holmes has been given a gender switch. Holmes and Watson are British expats in this world, and both are descendants of the original investigating duo. One aspect that hardcore Sherlockians will appreciate is that each crime in this book is a copy-cat recreation from the story collection Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It was so much fun watching the characters connect the dots and rehash past classic mysteries. 

As enjoyable as the mystery plot was for me, I really struggled to accept certain character flaws and narrative subplots. At the beginning of the story, Jamie battles with keeping his temper in check as not to lash out violently. This internal conflict kind of gets forgotten after the single time he has an outburst, publicly fighting with the novel’s first victim. Meanwhile, his father and step-mother act in a way that makes them more immature than the book’s teen protagonists. And, finally, Charlotte has inherited Sherlock’s drug dependency which I would have been fine with if it were written in a more sensitive manner. Charlotte’s substance abuse makes her vulnerable and the target of sexual assault prior to the book’s events. I was disappointed by how this was addressed, especially in how it tied Charlotte not only to the murder victim who was also her attacker but the book’s overall villain. There was a moment of sympathy for murdered character/assaulter at the end of the narrative, after all had been revealed, and I found the sentiment uncomfortable and concerning. While 2016 may seem quite close to modern day, I do attribute the poor handling of Charlotte’s trauma to the fact that this book was published 7 years ago. Much progress has been made regarding sexual assault awareness and advocacy in the last decade, and hopefully this progress will continue. 

As this review does discuss sexual assault, I would like to take the opportunity to provide resources in case someone reading this is in need of assistance:

RAINN is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline in partnership with more than 1,000 local sexual assault service providers across the country.

Online chat: online.rainn.org

Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673)

More resources: rainn.org/resources 

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