sungmemoonstruck 's review for:

A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas

5.0

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I loved this ferociously and it just happened to be everything I have ever wanted out of a Sherlock Holmes retelling. It's a slow burn in the absolute best way, taking the time and care to delve into its characters and into its meticulously researched historical setting, and every single page of it rewards a patient reader. Charlotte Holmes is a marvelous reimagining of Sherlock and Sherry Thomas is a master both at capturing the iconic Sherlock qualities and at showing how very different Sherlock's path might be as a woman. (This also happens to be the feminist historical mystery I have always wanted.) This book is so smart about exploring the different ways that misogyny oppresses women and the compromises women in the 19th century had to make to carve out the smallest place of their own. And it's also a clever mystery, possessed of a quiet sense of humor and the knowledge of how to make each emotional moment drive home, and the beginnings of a wonderfully and painfully slow-burn romance that shimmers with intensity. Just marvelous.