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A review by bhnmt61
A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas
4.0
Any author that takes on an established literary icon has some heavy lifting to do. For one thing, you have to convince the reader that it is worth their time to read yet another Sherlock reboot. And then you have to be original enough to warrant the reboot, but not SO original that you anger your best audience, which is the people who love the original.
I’d say that Thomas succeeds in creating a cast of characters that I’m willing to pursue. The brilliant Charlotte, who will never be allowed to exist independently in Victorian England, the excellent and surprising way a Watson sidekick appears, charlotte’s sisters and her longtime friend Ash- they’re fully realized and interesting.
It remains to be seen in subsequent novels how well the device of having Charlotte be the go-between between an invalid Sherlock and the rest of the world will work. It’s a bit thin. And the mystery itself was so unwieldy and complex that it practically fell apart under its own weight. I’m still not sure I understand what happened.
But I enjoyed it, and that’s plenty good enough to get me to read the next book in the series.
I’d say that Thomas succeeds in creating a cast of characters that I’m willing to pursue. The brilliant Charlotte, who will never be allowed to exist independently in Victorian England, the excellent and surprising way a Watson sidekick appears, charlotte’s sisters and her longtime friend Ash- they’re fully realized and interesting.
It remains to be seen in subsequent novels how well the device of having Charlotte be the go-between between an invalid Sherlock and the rest of the world will work. It’s a bit thin. And the mystery itself was so unwieldy and complex that it practically fell apart under its own weight. I’m still not sure I understand what happened.
But I enjoyed it, and that’s plenty good enough to get me to read the next book in the series.