A Study in Scarlet Women (The Lady Sherlock Series)
USA Today bestselling author Sherry Thomas turns the story of the renowned Sherlock Holmes upside down in the first novel in this Victorian mystery series....
With her inquisitive mind, Charlotte Holmes has never felt comfortable with the demureness expected of the fairer sex in upper class society. But even she never thought that she would become a social pariah, an outcast fending for herself on the mean streets of London.
When the city is struck by a trio of unexpected deaths and suspicion falls on her sister and her father, Charlotte is desperate to find the true culprits and clear the family name. She’ll have help from friends new and old—a kind-hearted widow, a police inspector, and a man who has long loved her.
But in the end, it will be up to Charlotte, under the assumed name Sherlock Holmes, to challenge society’s expectations and match wits against an unseen mastermind.
An NPR Best Book of 2016
With her inquisitive mind, Charlotte Holmes has never felt comfortable with the demureness expected of the fairer sex in upper class society. But even she never thought that she would become a social pariah, an outcast fending for herself on the mean streets of London.
When the city is struck by a trio of unexpected deaths and suspicion falls on her sister and her father, Charlotte is desperate to find the true culprits and clear the family name. She’ll have help from friends new and old—a kind-hearted widow, a police inspector, and a man who has long loved her.
But in the end, it will be up to Charlotte, under the assumed name Sherlock Holmes, to challenge society’s expectations and match wits against an unseen mastermind.
An NPR Best Book of 2016
BUY THE BOOK
These clubs recently read this book...
Community Reviews
In spite of a slow start, this is a fun book!
I really liked Charlotte. Her character was smart and she knew how to use her head despite the restrictions placed upon her by society.
I couldn't help but imagine Mrs Bennett whenever Charlotte's mother was in the scene...I actually compared the whole Holmes family to the Bennett family.
I haven't read any Sherlock Holmes novels, so I can't compare this to that. But, I really liked how Charlotte became Sherlock and what she did with that identity.
And I really, really liked the writing. It was very immersive. I did however, have trouble keeping names straight, especially the ones relating to the mystery and who did what. And whenever Charlotte was eating, I couldn't help but get a little hungry :D
I must also praise the narrator, Kate Reading. I was already a huge fan of her and her work with The Wheel of Time series, but she did stellar work here too. I loved her accents, character voices, and her method of reading. She gave the story so much life!!
I really liked Charlotte. Her character was smart and she knew how to use her head despite the restrictions placed upon her by society.
I couldn't help but imagine Mrs Bennett whenever Charlotte's mother was in the scene...I actually compared the whole Holmes family to the Bennett family.
I haven't read any Sherlock Holmes novels, so I can't compare this to that. But, I really liked how Charlotte became Sherlock and what she did with that identity.
And I really, really liked the writing. It was very immersive. I did however, have trouble keeping names straight, especially the ones relating to the mystery and who did what. And whenever Charlotte was eating, I couldn't help but get a little hungry :D
I must also praise the narrator, Kate Reading. I was already a huge fan of her and her work with The Wheel of Time series, but she did stellar work here too. I loved her accents, character voices, and her method of reading. She gave the story so much life!!
I am being a bit generous with my rating for how much I personally enjoyed the book, but that's based on the writing quality and how I can see how other people would like it if they aren't bothered by the things that bothered me. I really wanted to like this, but unfortunately I just kept having issue after issue with it.
Our character introduction is Charlotte getting caught sleeping with a married man. Infidelity really bothers me, so I knew it was gonna be an uphill battle to try to like her. We then spend a big chunk of the first part of the book in a bunch of other character's perspectives (mostly Charlotte's sister, so I was a little confused as to who the main character actually was for a bit) before we even get to hers and learn her poor rationale for her choices. So smart yet so dumb? An argument could be made that maybe the author is going for her being smart with facts and riddles, but bad at interpreting emotions and human behavior. She seems to be strongly coded as autistic as well. There's a bunch of casual fat-phobia sprinkled around because one of Charlotte's other main character traits is that she really likes food, but of course it would be bad if she got too plump.
Our character introduction is Charlotte getting caught sleeping with a married man. Infidelity really bothers me, so I knew it was gonna be an uphill battle to try to like her. We then spend a big chunk of the first part of the book in a bunch of other character's perspectives (mostly Charlotte's sister, so I was a little confused as to who the main character actually was for a bit) before we even get to hers and learn her poor rationale for her choices. So smart yet so dumb? An argument could be made that maybe the author is going for her being smart with facts and riddles, but bad at interpreting emotions and human behavior. She seems to be strongly coded as autistic as well. There's a bunch of casual fat-phobia sprinkled around because one of Charlotte's other main character traits is that she really likes food, but of course it would be bad if she got too plump.
I really cannot recommend this book/series enough. It’s clever and suspenseful and still funny and full of well developed characters and ideas. I simply adore it. READ THIS NOW.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.