The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets

Starred review from January 1, 2008
Gr 5-8-It is March, 1889, in London, and Enola is still lodging in the East End and evading her brothers, Mycroft and Sherlock, so as to avoid boarding school. For six months, she has been using the alias Ivy Meshle and pursuing her "life's calling" as a Perditorian ("finder of the lost") but, afraid that she has been discovered, she must choose a new identity: Viola Everseau. Her new disguise: a beautiful woman. Her new case: finding the missing Dr. Watson. Her first act is to visit Dr. Watson's wife, and her first clue is a bizarre bouquet the frantic woman has received. Using her knowledge of the "language of flowers," Enola deduces that the bouquet suggests revenge and knows that this is a detail that her sleuthing brother will overlook. Her investigation leads her from a theatrical shop to a hothouse, from one dangerous situation to another. Enola is a delightful character, with the sharp wit one would expect from Sherlock Holmes's sister, and a wry voice that is uniquely hers. Springer's descriptions of late-19th-century England are vivid, the mystery is intriguing, and Enola's cleverness and capability will appeal to readers who like their heroines both sprightly and savvy. Move over, Sherlock."Laurie Slagenwhite, Baldwin Public Library, Birmingham, MI"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2008
Intriguing bits of Victorian social history mix with unnerving suspense in thelatest Enola Holmes mystery. Enola, theyounger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes, has refused totake on the traditional role ofa younglady preparing for marriage. Instead, she lives by her wits, working as a perditorian, a finder of the lost. In this caper, Dr. Watson has gone missing, and Enola bends her considerable deductive skills to finding him.She has an advantage over her famous brother Sherlock because she knows can understand the malevolent meanings contained in the bouquets sent to Mrs. Watson.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2008
Enola Holmes bests older brother Sherlock once again after discovering that a vengeful patient whisked Dr. Watson away to an insane asylum. Springer's mystery whips along, her heroine's "syrupy young woman" disguise providing comic relief. Enola is her usual smart and spunky self here, continuing to dodge her supposed destiny as "an ornament for genteel society" in 1880s London.

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)