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A Study in Scarlet Women

Book 1 in the series:Lady Sherlock

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A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas is a gender-bent retelling of the Sherlock Holmes story, featuring Charlotte Holmes as the brilliant detective. Set in Victorian London, the book follows Charlotte as she navigates society's expectations, solves mysteries, and forms unexpected alliances. The plot intertwines multiple murders, female friendships, and the challenges faced by women in the 19th century, all while paying homage to the original Sherlock Holmes stories with a fresh perspective and creative character development.

Characters:

The characters are well-developed, particularly Charlotte, who is intelligent and emotionally nuanced, along with strong supporting characters that drive the narrative.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is characterized by elegant and descriptive prose that authentically captures the historical setting of Victorian England.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot follows Charlotte Holmes, who, after a scandal, becomes a detective while navigating the challenges of being a woman in Victorian society, intertwining her investigations with themes of empowerment.

Setting:

The setting of Victorian England plays a crucial role, reflecting societal norms and constraints that shape the characters' experiences.

Pacing:

The pacing starts off slow with extensive character and world-building but becomes more engaging as the mystery develops.
It never failed to astonish Livia that, after having known Charlotte all her life, sometimes she was still surprised by her sister’s appearance. Especially at moments like these—well, there had never ...

Notes:

The novel is a reimagining of Sherlock Holmes with the main character Charlotte Holmes.
Charlotte Holmes is a young woman living in Victorian England who is expected to conform to societal norms.
Charlotte decides to take drastic measures to avoid the marriage market after her father breaks a promise to her.
The book starts with Charlotte being caught in a compromising situation, which leads to her being ostracized from society.
The character Livia, Charlotte's sister, serves as a connection to the outside world and provides a different perspective on their family dynamics.
Inspector Treadles is a key character who investigates the murder cases connected to Charlotte's family.
The narrative includes multiple perspectives, making the early chapters somewhat confusing for some readers.
The author Sherry Thomas is known for capturing the essence of the time period in her writing, avoiding modern language.
The book deals with themes of female empowerment and the struggles women faced in 19th century England.
Charlotte has a talent for observation and deduction, paralleling the original Sherlock Holmes character but with a unique feminine twist.
The relationship between Charlotte and Lord Ingram is central to the plot, with hints of romance developing throughout the series.
The book includes discussions about societal expectations for women, especially regarding marriage and independence.
The series consists of multiple books, allowing for character development and ongoing story arcs.
Sherry Thomas's style blends elements of mystery, romance, and historical fiction, appealing to fans of all three genres.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include societal expectations, misogyny, familial tension, and references to scandal which could be triggering for some readers.

Has Romance?

There is a medium level of romantic tension primarily focused on Charlotte Holmes and Lord Ingram, with their relationship unfolding gradually.

From The Publisher:

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

Ratings (34)

Incredible (4)
Loved It (13)
Liked It (9)
It Was OK (4)
Did Not Like (4)

Reader Stats (54):

Read It (32)
Currently Reading (1)
Want To Read (14)
Did Not Finish (2)
Not Interested (5)

3 comment(s)

Loved It
1 month

Have I shrunk the expanse of my media intake to just historical fiction mysteries that take place in Victorian era UK with a side of slow burn romance with a crime fighting partner of sorts, and watching baseball? Yes. Does that make me biased? Undoubtedly.

But as a person who has read many a book in such a category (check the profile! It’s the only kind of book I’ve read this year babes!) this is one of the better ones.

Finally something in the third person that follows multiple characters and gives each of them a certain amount of depth and personality. Also, as someone slightly on the spectrum, boy do I relate to Holmes. I also had that moment when I realized I could no longer be a freak and had to play by the weird societal rules imposed on me. lol

 
Loved It
3 months

It was a very delightful read. I just wanted to know how is this Lady Sherlock! Not only her, there are other characters that correspond to Original Sherlock Holmes Characters.

The story starts with a narration of situation around the death of Mr.Sackville. Charlotte Holmes ( who is actually Sherlock Holmes) is the last one of 4 sisters and she has a horrible mother and a father who is of no much use around (except financially). Charlotte is beautiful and loves to eat and eat and eat! Her mind doesn't work in woman's way but too logically and her estrogen levels are quite wrong! ( she has almost 0% emotions as a woman).

To make the story short, Charlotte wants to live independently and when she is denied of any fortune for further education, with a bit of scandal she leaves her paternal home. When she is getting low of funds, she is met with a marvelous woman called Mrs.Watson (yes! watson).

When her Father and Sister are threatened with the possibility of being the convicts in Lady Shrewsbury's death, Lady Sherlock decides to find out about the actual murderer. From there on the series of cases begin, among which the main one is the death of Mr. Sackville, Lady Amelia and Lady Shrewsbury.

The narration is neat and conversations witty. I almost laughed out loud in some parts.

The opening chapters were a bit confusing and complicated. But overall a very good read or say delightful read.

 
Did Not Like
5 months

Boring, soiw

 

About the Author:

Sherry Thomas burst onto the romance scene with Private Arrangements, one of the most anticipated debut historical romances in recent history and a Publishers Weekly Best of the Year book. Lisa Kleypas calls her "the most powerfully original historical romance…

 
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