Part of Lady Sherlock
First published 2018
Charlotte Holmes operates out of a Baker Street lodging, posing as the fictional Sherlock Holmes to bring her deductive gifts to clients who need them. Her trusted partner Mrs. Watson keeps the machinery running. Then the cases stop being abstract. Charlotte's half brother vanishes without explanation. Shortly after, a body turns up on Lord Ingram's country estate: his estranged wife, Lady Ingram, found dead. The evidence points directly at Lord Ingram, and Scotland Yard is moving fast. Charlotte disguises herself and travels to the estate to find the truth before the law makes up its mind. But Lord Ingram is not just a client. He is someone she cares about, and the closer she gets to clearing his name, the more exposed she becomes to the forces gathered against her, including the long shadow of Moriarty, whose influence has been building across this series. The investigation pulls Charlotte in two directions at once: toward the facts she needs and toward feelings she would rather keep at a careful distance.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, historical-fiction, mystery, thriller, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotionally-complex, introspective, suspenseful, tension-filled
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, disguise-and-deception, forced-proximity, slow-burn-romance, unrequited-feelings
Setting: Baker Street, Scotland Yard, Lord Ingram's country estate
Period: 19th-century
329 pages · Paperback · Berkley
Content warnings: death, murder