A review by sklus
A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

4.0

It was better than I thought it was going to be. I'm a little bit of a Sherlock Holmes fan and I'm very critical of any retelling/additional stories. I ended up picking up the book because I thought it would be interesting to see how the author dealt with a female Sherlock. Initially, I thought the book was a genderbent retelling, but that's not the case. The tone of the book was completely different. It was more modern (obviously) and less sterile and clinical. It focused on the great-grandchildren of Sherlock and crew, so instead of taking place in the 1800s, it took place around 2016. It was written like a YA book, which had pros and cons. On the positive side, it made it easier to read. It didn't feel like a Sherlock Holmes book, which can be considered a pro or con depending on what you're looking for. I don't know how I feel about the world building; in this book, Watsons, Holmeses, and Moriartys are everywhere and they're D-list celebrities. Not that SH books aren't a big deal, but I had a hard time believing they were a big enough deal so that generations later their children would still be celebrities and behaving like their ancestors. Apparently, all Holmeses are mean, drug-addicts, and detectives. Watsons have to care for the Holmeses and Moriartys get into some generic evil crime. It was a little difficult to suspend my disbelief on that part.
All that being said, I thought the mystery aspect was really good. Both Holmes and Watson (the modern ones) were pretty compelling characters. Neither were 100% likable or unlikeable, which is something that I appreciate. I'm definitely going to read the next book in the series!