“The Hollow of Fear” - Sherry Thomas (Lady Sherlock book 3)

🔍 If the original premise of a female Sherlock Holmes disguising herself as the sister of a fictitious Sherlock was untenable to you, you might find this one even more farfetched once you meet Sherrinford Holmes! Lord Ingram, Charlotte Holmes’ dearest friend and confidant, stands accused of murder. Can Charlotte exonerate him or is he capable of murdering his frigid wife (if you read the book, please pardon the pun)?

🔍 It’s been some time since I read the last book in the series so it took me a good minute to get my bearings. Thomas jumps right into the thick of it so I had to go back to book 2 to recall how things had ended, and especially the identities of the villains. The references to past adventures and characters left me a bit confused at times.

🔍 My love of the Charlotte Holmes character has grown what with her “constant and unfailing adoration of baked goods” and her unwillingness to change herself. She dislikes extended physical touch (like hugging) and she has a deep love of pastries. She understands herself and is serenely self-confident. Although she is often confused by others’ emotions, and she recognizes that she is more blunt than what people expect her to be, she views these as facts and not flaws.

🔍 THF boasts several side plots that are as interesting as the core mystery. The most interesting to me, was our view of Ladies Avery and Somersby. Initially, we view them as unlikeable busybodies, but my book’s end, we see them in a new light. We see them as spinsters who basically rely on gossip as their own “respectable” means of earning a living. I thought this was a nice touch!

Livia begins as a nervous, self-focused, object to which things happen rather than a master of her own fate. She begins to evolve toward more autonomy and standing up for herself. The side plot of Charlotte and Livia’s disabled sister Bernardine, is deftly woven into this story. 

Treadles’ fixation on Charlotte’s status as a “fallen woman” is downright irritating especially when combined with his trepidation of  his wife’s business acumen as undermining his position in their home. But I suppose it’s a mild version of the common thought during the era. Also, Thomas shows his slow evolution as he takes tentative steps in unlearning views toward women, and a self-centered view of home and hearth. This has been a 3-book arc.

The comeuppance of Chief Inspector Fowler, who is a pompous ass, is delightful. Charlotte calmly batters his and Treadles’ assumptions about the fallen woman (which both had been clutching as a polestar), causing Fowler to shift from condescension to gaping open-mouthed. You’ll love to read it!

🔍 Double underline the theme of societal treatment of male intellect versus female intellect; one is lauded while the other is viewed with extreme suspicion. Why else are all the men taken by Sherrinford so thoroughly? Because the alternative, that Sherlock Holmes is a woman, is utterly unimaginable to them.

🔍 Though I did wish for more Mrs. Watson, THF is my favorite in the series thus far. It’s fast-paced and Charlotte shines at her unflappable best. 

NB. Thomas has given the Ingram brothers the most peak-British aristocrat names possible: Wycliffe, Bancroft, Ashburton, and Remington! 🤣