Item: Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche
Rating: 4.00
Author: quirkycat

by Nancy Springer

"A young girl who is empowered, capable, and smart...the Enola Holmes book series convey an impactful message that you can do anything if you set your mind to it, and it does so in an exciting and adventurous way."--Millie Bobby Brown

Enola Holmes is back! Nancy Springer's nationally bestselling series and breakout Netflix sensation returns to beguile readers young and old in Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche.

Enola Holmes is the much younger sister of her more famous brothers, Sherlock and Mycroft. But she has all the wits, skills, and sleuthing inclinations of them both. At fifteen, she's an independent young woman--after all, her name spelled backwards reads 'alone'--and living on her own in London. When a young professional woman, Miss Letitia Glover, shows up on Sherlock's doorstep, desperate to learn more about the fate of her twin sister, it is Enola who steps up. It seems her sister, the former Felicity Glover, married the Earl of Dunhench and per a curt note from the Earl, has died. But Letitia Glover is convinced this isn't the truth, that she'd know--she'd feel--if her twin had died.

The Earl's note is suspiciously vague and the death certificate is even more dubious, signed it seems by a John H. Watson, M.D. (who denies any knowledge of such). The only way forward is for Enola to go undercover--or so Enola decides at the vehement objection of her brother. And she soon finds out that this is not the first of the Earl's wives to die suddenly and vaguely--and that the secret to the fate of the missing Felicity is tied to a mysterious black barouche that arrived at the Earl's home in the middle of the night. To uncover the secrets held tightly within the Earl's hall, Enola is going to require help--from Sherlock, from the twin sister of the missing woman, and from an old friend, the young Viscount Tewkesbury, Marquess of Basilwether!

Enola Holmes returns in her first adventure since the hit Netflix movie brought her back on the national bestseller lists, introducing a new generation to this beloved character and series.

Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche is the seventh novel in Nancy Springer's series, following the younger sister of the famous (or infamous) Sherlock Holmes. I'll confess that I have not read the other novels in this series, as Enola Homes and the Black Barouche promised to work fine as a standalone. That being said – I now want to go back and read the rest!

Enola Holmes is the younger sister of two brilliant men. Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes. Yet, she's every bit as brilliant as they are and perhaps more tenacious. Currently, she's fifteen yet quite independent, living in a home for professional women.

She might have been content to avoid a new case for some time if not for the fact that one dropped on her doorstep. Or rather, her bother's doorstep. When he didn't jump up to help the woman in need, Enola didn't hesitate.

"Enola did not need protection.
Enola did not need to go to finishing school.
Nor did Enola need to be married off. Indeed, heaven helps any man who might be so unwary as to wed her."

What a delight! I went into Enola Homes and the Black Barouche with high expectations and was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. This novel was full of fascinating quips, twists, and revelations.

One might try to describe this series as a more feminine version of Sherlock Holmes, but that in itself doesn't feel accurate. Enola is very much her own character, as this novel proved to me. She's brilliant and stubborn and very talented at getting herself into the middle of things.

Personally, I really enjoyed her willingness to tackle larger and dangerous cases here. She's so extremely empathetic, and that is just one of the ways in which she stands out from her brothers. Well, that and her style.

Before anyone asks: no, I have not gotten around to watching the Netflix movie. I promise you that it is on the list, but I haven't had time yet. So I, unfortunately, can't make any comparisons between the two.

What I can tell you is that I thoroughly enjoyed Enola Homes and the Black Barouche, and I fully intend to add the previous six novels to my TBR list right away. Knowing me, I'll also be keeping up with the series from now on.

Thanks to Wednesday Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Check out more reviews at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche

by Nancy Springer

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on Aug 15, 2021

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