This is the newest installment of my current favorite detective : Enola Holmes! Created by Nancy Springer and produced into a hit Netflix back in 2020, Enola is Sherlock’s (and Mycroft’s) little sister and is herself a detective extraordinaire. This 7th volume starts a new set of adventures after the finale of the previous 6th book.
Sibling Chemistry
One thing that distinguishes this volume from the previous ones is how Enola and Sherlock are actually working together. Sometimes they are jabbing and teasing each other along, but nevertheless they are a team. This is so sweet. In the previous books, Enola was always trying to run away from Sherlock. At times her brothers could even be quite the adversary. But in Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche, they are side by side pulling each other out of sticky situations, all the while still being competitive with each other.
The Case
The case itself had a strong female empowerment theme as is a trademark of the author’s. There are some quite harrowing scenes (won’t say more lest it be a spoiler). This is one of the reasons I like the whole series, because it takes a patriarchal story and setting which we know so well (the Sherlock Holmes series) and puts a hefty dose of feminist twist and views on it.
A Dash of Romance?
Quite a big difference between the first book and the Netflix rendition was the lack of romantic side stories in the books. In the film version, there were definitely sparks between Enola and the young Viscount of Tewksbury, which did not exist in the original pages. In this 7th volume, however, “Tewky” returns and unless my hunches are completely wrong, then I think there could be something growing between those two.
Overall, Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche did not disappoint and was in fact a very enjoyable read. Another series by Nancy Springer I would recommend is the Book of the Isle.
