The Hollow of Fear

This was an atmospheric captivating story that made me want to say, “Elementary my dear Mrs. Watson.”This is the third installment in the Lady Sherlock series... admittedly I was a little confused in the beginning, having not read the first two books in this Series... because from what I understand this book pics up where the previous book ends... eventually I got into the swing of it and was completely captivated, however I really would have appreciated it more had i more of the backstory.... I am such a character girl and Charlotte both baffled and intrigued me, I know I would have loved to get to know her better.... SO, I would strongly encourage you not to do what I did and start this book from the beginning!This book had a little bit of everything murder, romance, secrets, family drama.... all set against the backdrop of Victorian England.... The tone and the language in the story really brought this period in history to life.... The book opens with Charlotte finding her illegitimate half brother, and there is a connection to Moriarty... The boy has something Moriarty Wants... The book goes forward from there... with the murder of Lady Ingram The wife of charlotte’s love interest.... Lord Ingram, of course is the primary suspect, so Charlotte takes it upon herself to solve the case... with Mrs. Watson by her side and in disguise as the brother of Sherlock Holmes Charlotte was an extraordinary and exceptional and maybe a little unconventional detective! I have to say my absolute favorite parts of this book were the interactions between Charlotte and Mrs. Watson, I also loved Charlotte in disguise, that was fabulous!An engaging read that I’m sure any fan of this series will love... i’m hoping to read the first two books in the series before the next one comes out... and I’m pretty certain there will be a next one because it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger just called me Sherlock, or should I say just call me Charlotte!🔍*** A big thank you to Berkley for my copy of this book ***

My daughter loved the book, arrived when promised

Oh boy, bookworms. Get ready for a flailing fest. My love for anything Sherlock Holmes-related knows no bounds and I particularly like Sherry Thomas’s Lady Sherlock series. Charlotte Holmes is the perfect reincarnation of Sherlock and with all the extra eccentricities that Thomas has added to her, she is possibly even more special to me than the original.But let’s get to the review before I just ramble on about how much Charlotte likes cake. Oh, just a quick heads up, The Hollow of Fear is the third in the Lady Holmes series and yes, you totally need to read the first two books before you read this one. I don’t usually say that but in this case, you really need to. There is stuff mentioned in this story that you won’t understand if you don’t read the previous books. YOU WILL MISS THE SLOW BURN. (And I am going to at least allude to stuff from the first books, so be ready) Ok, now on to the review.Charlotte Holmes, despite all that she has been through, is thriving. Despite her crappy parents, the society she lives in, and most people’s aversion to her “oddness,” she is living the life she has always wanted to live. She’s solving crimes with her benefactress and friend, Mrs. Watson, closely looking after her sisters, Olivia and Bernadine, until she can afford to get them away from their parents, and she occasionally gets to see her lovely (handsome) friend, Lord Ingram. In The Hollow of Fear, Charlotte and Mrs. Watson head off to the country. First, they want to see Olivia and talk to her about what’s been going on since they last saw each other, but other events eventually get in their way.The main event: Lord Ingram’s estranged wife is found dead in the ice house on his property!! And guess who is suspected as the murderer? LORD INGRAM!! Charlotte, Mrs. Watson, and at times, Olivia, help to get him out of trouble and away from the cops’ suspicious eyes.While I would love to get all spoiler–y, reading these books are much more fun when you’re surprised and the twists and turns come at you without knowing beforehand. I will say that Charlotte and Lord Ingram get MUCH CLOSER than they had been in the past two books and we really get to see Olivia come into her own. She’s still a bit scared and anxious, but that makes the times when she is brave so much more satisfying. There are also some great disguises in this story. One of my favorite parts of Sherlock Holmes is how good he was at disguising himself as just about anyone and seeing that in Charlotte is THE BEST!While Charlotte doesn’t show much emotion for many things (besides her sisters, Mrs. Watson, and desserts), she goes to a lot of work to make sure Lord Ingram isn’t falsely accused and put into prison. By the end of the book, I was amazed by all the brilliant things she comes up with to get him out of trouble. While some people might wonder whether Charlotte can actually love Lord Ingram, by the end of the book, it is completely clear. Watching how their relationship has developed over the three books has been wonderful and I love how, even when he doesn’t understand Charlotte’s decisions, he doesn’t mock her for them.I have loved Charlotte from the beginning of A Study in Scarlet Women. She doesn’t let the rules of society or her parents hold her back. And I share her love of desserts!Every character in this series, and in this book in particular, is so well-developed. We get to see their inner selves and also how they are perceived by the other main characters. I love how Sherry Thomas gives us so many different points of view and yet it never feels confusing or like it’s too much.And while I thought I was really going to start disliking Inspector Treadles due to his feeling towards his wife’s new career, but due to some great advice from Charlotte, he gets over himself and tries to become a better man. Love it!Honestly, I was upset when I finished reading because I wanted it to keep going on forever. I love this world Sherry Thomas has created and I hope there are more books to come. If not, I will be rereading this series A LOT! I am giving The Hollow of Fear 5 out of 5 stars (like there was any doubt lol).

I can't believe how much I love this book. You have to read the other two books before you read this one. And I loved the other two books so that is no hardship. But, reading those would be worth it regardless just to get to this one. I normally finish a book in one sitting, but I savored every word of this one and only read a bit at a time over a couple of days until I got to the point where the villain was about to be revealed and then I sat glued to it. The relationship between Charlotte Holmes and Lord Ingram is the most intense, romantic, and tragic relationship I have ever read. I am fully invested in them.

Honestly this series is only getting better with each installment. I was not the biggest fan of Charlotte Holmes at the start of this series but as it has progressed so has her character. This is by far my favorite story so far with all the plans within plans and subterfuge that occurred. I loved it! Such a fun read and I can't wait to read the next book!!