A review by caitlin_bookchats
The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline by Nancy Springer

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

The mystery here mostly... wasn't, which is to say it felt very easily solved and relied on some eavesdropping luck on Enola's part. Not all that different from other books in the series and I can't say I would have preferred a more drawn out mystery.

This book continues the series' fun theme of Enola outsmarting her brothers, particularly Sherlock, but it also continues the oddly classist themes, the use of racial epithets and adds in some casual ableism, just for fun. Continuing to disappoint.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs, Ableism, and Kidnapping

Minor: Child death and Medical content

Use of common slur of Roma/Travelers and common stereotypes (unchallenged), narrator judges bed-bound women negatively with stereotyping, famously bed-bound historical figure appears in the book to be "faking it" to avoid social niceties and get more done. Brief mention of Crimean war atrocities specifically in regards to fever and army hospital conditions.