2020 #5: A Study in Scarlet Women (Lady Sherlock, #1) by Sherry Thomas
Mystery novels aren’t my usual fare, but I do like one now and then just to mix things up. I love the puzzle-solving aspect of them, and the twists and turns, the complexity of characters with things to hide. A Study in Scarlet Women had all of that, plus a lot of other enjoyable aspects. Although the name of the book shows that this is supposed to be a retelling of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, but really there’s very little in common with those stories except for the personality and abilities of the main character, and the British setting.
One major thing I appreciated about this book was that in rewriting Sherlock’s stories with a female protagonist, the author didn’t just switch the gender of a few characters, but instead used it as an opportunity to really investigate and reflect on a deep level the expectations placed on women in that time and place. Charlotte Holmes is harshly judged for her abrasive personality and not appreciated for her genius. Unlike her male counterpart in the classic stories, she can’t just impress everyone with a few startling insights, instead she has to go to great lengths to be able to utilize the gift of her mind. She has to persuade her father that she doesn’t need to get married, she has to struggle to find a way to support herself in a society that severely limits possible avenues for women, and she has to assume a male pseudonym for giving help to the police. The book is filled with female characters making the best they can of the limited choices they’re given.
The mystery itself was as complicated as you’d expect from a Sherlock novel, although frankly there were a few times when it became a little hard to follow. It might have had to do with my lack of knowledge of British society, or maybe just because I was listening to an audiobook instead of reading on paper. In any case, it didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of the story. I also really appreciated that the cast of characters were very well developed and the twists kept coming until the end, leaving me interested to read the following books in the series. Definitely a book to make my feminist heart happy!
