Assessment:
Plot/Idea: The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait perfectly combines a young Sherlock Holmes, mystery, and historical fiction in a very convincing addition to Sherlockian lore, which fans are sure to love.
Prose: Vividly crafted prose evokes the time period with easy-to-read yet setting-appropriate dialogue that adds to the tension of climactic moments.
Originality: Classic mystery staples such as codes and mystifying poems, combined with deeply buried family secrets and the ghost of the French Revolution create a truly unique, atmospheric tale that is Sherlockian through and through.
Character Development/Execution: The craftiness of teenaged Sherlock Holmes evokes a true sense of literature’s famed detective, and readers will enjoy watching him grow. Sherlock’s mother is inherently clever and exudes inner strength that clearly has inspired her son.
Date Submitted: April 12, 2022
Young Sherlock is to solve again a twisty murder mystery, set up in the Paris of 1868. This story can be read on its own, and it is great fun to learn so much about the everyday life, Paris, and the Sherlock family. this book provides a great escape ! All opinions are mine.
This book is a mystery set in 1868 in France. It's the forth book in a series, but it works as a standalone novel as well. The main character is a teenaged Sherlock Holmes, and the story shows how he learned to be a detective. I felt like the author did a good job of capturing the personalities of Sherlock and Mycroft as they developed toward the adult characters.
The author has deeply researched this time period. Historical details were woven into the story, bringing the setting and manners alive in my imagination without slowing the pacing. The characters were logical, asked good questions, and followed up on clues. Whodunit and the bad guys were guessable from the clues, and Sherlock's ideas about what had happened and why were confirmed after Sherlock was captured by them. The official detective on the case also played a role in capturing the bad guys. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable historical mystery.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
Mrs. Holmes has been unsettled for months, but young Sherlock does not know why. The family travels to Paris for the summer, the site of Mrs. Holmes’ childhood. Secrets from her past come to light, threatening the whole family. Will uncovering the truth bring peace of mind, or is it more dangerous than any of them realize?
This was a fun read. I’ve mentioned before that I love interesting tales of Sherlock Holmes as a boy. I love how this series explores the influence of his mother. I really enjoyed how this one builds on the family connection that is briefly mentioned in the original stories. The details of the era were fun. I enjoyed the descriptions of places and artists. And the mystery was interesting. I liked the twists and turns it took for Sherlock and his family to learn the truth. Constance still is not a favorite, but I was more sympathetic to her in this book.
Definitely my favorite of the series!
