The Vanished Sister
Book nine of The Lady Sherlock series is full of the same twists and turns I’ve come to appreciate about Thomas’s mystery series. These new characters are, like so many before them, clever to their own detriment, thinking they’ve outwitted everyone, only to find they’ve outwitted themselves in the process. And the one who is piecing together the broken detritus of the situation is the disguised and ever-placid Charlotte Holmes, who considers every possibility, even the remotest ones.
There is some lack of tension, given that the longing of Charlotte and Ash was resolved in previous books, but the new batch of characters has their own toxic relationships, star-crossed longings, and forbidden loves. This book focuses more on Mrs. Watson and her birth family, which is a history we have not seen much of so far.
This is not my favorite in the series, and the cast of characters is quite large, so some readers may find it daunting to keep all the convoluted relationships straight. But Thomas’s writing style evokes the period so well, and her Charlotte Holmes is so delightfully precise, it will make up for any confusion. Overall, if you’ve enjoyed the series before, you’ll enjoy this one as well.
