So, this was not what I expected. Probably because I had only read Thomas’ young adult books before. I expected not only a female Lady Sherlock but a YA one also. This is not YA.
It’s subtle, so you understand the darker parts of the story without them having to be said. Which fits with the writing which is authentically formal and therefore somewhat detached. It evokes the time period well but keeps the reader emotionally distant. At first I lamented this distance, but in the end I was grateful for it.
Mostly for how the mystery resolved itself and what was involved. But also because everyone was married to the wrong person. It’s just sad and means there’s nothing to look forward to and no sense of hope or a possibility of happily ever after. Just a good enough. And if you read ahead a bit into Belgravia, it’s clear that she couldn’t be Sherlock Holmes if she were happily married, or if Lord Ingram Ashburton were single. And their estrangement leads to some fabulous subtext. But it’s still a bit sad and thoroughly disappointing.
I thought it clever how Thomas fits in the established characters in the Sherlock Holmes canon. It’s subtle enough to allow them to be new and fresh but still recognizable. In the end, I would have preferred if this were YA, if not in the age of the characters at least in the content. If they were YA, I’d definitely read more of the series. I did go and read the synopsis of future books so learned that Lady Ingram dies, freeing up Lord Ingram. But I’m sure Holmes still won’t marry him and give up being Sherlock. But unencumbered by a wife he’s more willing to have Holmes as a mistress. It all just feels tainted. It wasn’t terrible but it was a bit disappointing.