Gentle Reader, I can remember it like it was yesterday, the moment I discovered the Enola Holmes series. I was perusing some entertainment sites, as I was wont to do in the mornings before getting out of bed, when I saw a headline about a new film adaptation in the works. The article spoke about the new undertaking and how it would be based on the Enola Holmes books, a series that follows the adventures of a heretofore unmentioned younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes. Color me intrigued because any mention of a Holmes adjacent or even related work is enough to garner my interest. So I went in search of the books at my library, downloaded the entire series and set to reading.
I loved those books with every fiber of my being. I've read the original six books three times each and have read the new books each at least twice. I have an autographed title sheet of the book Enola Holmes and The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets. I bought the entire previously released set of books, nine total, for my Dad last year and he is slowly working his way through them. (I also bought the entire original series for my sister but the scoundrel has yet to read them, I doubt she even knows their location, confound it.) I have also watched the movies based on the books countless times by this point, they are just a set of movies I sometimes put on late at night when I want something sunny to brighten my mood. I will also say that I had previously tried searching for news of another Enola Holmes adventure, but my search proved for naught for I found nothing to indicate that another adventure would be provided ever again. Which cemented my disappointment, dear reader, for I felt that the last Enola book was not the ending the series deserved.
THIS in the ending the series deserved.
And now without further ado, the rest of the review.
Enola Holmes has just finished attending the service of her former landlady when she hears the sound of a bell ringing. Needing to find the source of the unusual sound, she searches the cemetery until she finds the bell attached to a new headstone with a line leading into the ground of the freshly dug grave beneath it. Summoning help, Enola unearths a young woman, Trevina Trairom, who after her ordeal has lost her memory and Enola, spurred to help the lost, decides to take Trevina home with her and endeavors to help her regain her memory and find out why she was buried alive. At the same time, her brother Sherlock has come into conflict with Professor Moriarty, which leaves Enola on her own, as always, to figure out what had befallen Trevina to lead her to such a tragic fate. As the story continues, Enola proves once and for all, her rightful place as an honorable member of the Holmes family alongside her respectable siblings.
I can still remember the feeling of disappointment I had when I reached the end of Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose. I read my little review over again and still feel how meh I felt about the epilogue, which usually gave enough of a wrap-up from either Enola or Sherlock that I would feel somewhat buoyed by the parting sentiment from those last few pages. That was not the case with the last book and I immediately went searching for news that there would be another book. If I remember correctly, and obviously I was wrong because here is the book, but I could have sworn I saw some statements that indicated there would not be another publication. I distinctly remember that and it was in my last review, so it was SOMEWHERE, but now it's false so I guess it doesn't matter anyhow.
If you'll allow me, I'll explain a little more about my fascination with all things Holmes adjacent. You see, a long time ago, I took a class at university entitled, Detective Fiction and Film. Part of the syllabus had students reading some of the original Sherlock Holmes adventures and I'm sorry to say, I did not care for them. I'll wait a moment for the sounds outrage or disbelief to end and now I will say, I KNOW, they just didn't really click with me and I haven't read them since. Still, it has not discouraged me from finding other books that are Sherlock related for me to enjoy. If it has something mildly related to the lore and is a mystery, I'll try it. Which is why a series of books about the much younger sister of the Holmes sibling seemed to be the perfect fit for me. And it turned out that it was and continues to be a favorite series of mine. I'm also so ecstatic to report that this book turned out to be everything I expected for one last hurrah for a favorite character.
In this book, Enola does what she does best, takes in the lost and tries to help them. In this case, the intriguing story of Trevina and her mysterious fate was enough to keep me invested in this book. I literally started reading it last night and finished it this afternoon. Somewhere in the time there I managed to eat, drink, sleep and take care of my kids but yes, I finished this book in a day. I loved every thought that passed through Enola's head. She's a smart young woman who follows the teachings of her mother and manages to one-up her siblings by being brilliant at what she does. She's a master of disguise, plans her clothes to allow for hidden weapons on her person and has amassed a rather large amount of allies, people who are willing to do whatever it takes to help her succeed. By this point in the series, readers should be familiar with Harold, the cab driver, Joddy, the boy in buttons, Mrs. Hudson, Mary Watson and even Florence Nightingale. Each has their own part to play as Enola tries to understand the mastermind villain that would abuse their niece and leave her buried in a cemetery.
I want to talk more about the plot but there has to be a point I don't cross and I can't say more without giving the entire story away. Suffice to say, every clue made me that much more invested in this story. I did not want to stop reading for anything and I'm happy that the experience of reading this was quick even if I wish there was more to read. Still, when I reached the final sentences of the epilogue of this book, I wanted to lift my hands up and cheer. I've already gone back to read it twice more because it was the perfect ending to the series. If this book is actually, well and truly, the LAST Enola Holmes adventure, well then reader, I am supremely satisfied.
Reader, if anything, go back and read this entire series. If you like the movies, you'll love these books. Each adventure is different and fun and Enola is a wonderful character to read about as she grows up into an accomplished perditorian, or a finder of lost things and people. It was a long time coming to this end but it was all worth it to read those final words. Nancy Springer, hats off to you, well done, and bravo.
Rating on my Scale: 10 STARS!!! I loved, loved, LOVED this final book of Enola Holmes and I can't wait to have my copy join its companions on my shelves (even though it has yet another cover redesign, but fine, beggars can't be choosers.) Buy this book for any fan of the mystery genre, that's how much I loved this book and the series overall. And now I bid you adieu, gentle reader, and Happy Halloween!
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