Author: Angela Misri
Series: A Portia Adams Adventure (Book 3)
Publication: Self-Published (March 23, 2017)
Description: Be careful what you wish for.
A certain amount of celebrity is inevitable when you're Sherlock Holmes's granddaughter, especially when you're also a consulting detective. But for Portia Adams, it’s getting to be a little much. She decides to escape the rabid London press by chasing a case all the way to Italy.
When she gets back, it seems that the media frenzy has finally run its course — but now she’s got bigger things to worry about. Sherlock Holmes is missing, his apartment burned to the ground. Her boyfriend, Gavin Whitaker, is acting strangely and spending too much time with unsavory people. And as if that weren’t enough, her best friend Brian isn’t speaking to her.
Can Portia right all that has happened in her brief absence or will she lose someone she loves to the gray London streets?
My Thoughts: This episode is the third in the series and talks about three more of Portia's cases. Having announced herself to London, Portia has had to deal with a lot of interest in a young female private investigator which she finds very irritating. When a friend asks she to travel to Italy with her to solve a problem for her young friend who happens to be a princess, Portia leaps at the chance to get away from the unwanted publicity at home.
Hampered by the inability to speak Italian, Portia still finds herself deep in the case of who is blackmailing the young princess. She does solve the problem and makes a new friend in the princess.
Returning home, she gets involved investigating supposed suicides of young prostitutes. The case was brought to her by the sister of one of her young irregulars. She finds herself attending a church with a hellfire and brimstone preaching minister where supposed miracles are happening. Her scientific and rational nature helps her solve the case but not before she and Constable Brian Dawes are both attacked by assorted villains.
The next case has to do with the supposed suicide of one of her first mentors with Scotland Yard. In this one we see the way she deals with her grief and what she sees as abandonment by another person she cares about. She also has issues with her boyfriend Gavin Whitaker who has become even more secretive and who is hanging out with unsavory companions.
As she works on this case, she also becomes closer to Brian who is dating her best friend Annie. Portia thought the opportunity to have a relationship with Brian passed her by because of her lack of knowledge of relationships but it looks like Brian is also interested in her. This causes a problem for Portia because she doesn't want to hurt her friend Annie.
I liked that Portia finally gets a chance to know her grandfather Sherlock Holmes through this final case. With her grandmother Mrs. Jones away in New York, she is feeling a little lonely and more curious than ever about her famous grandfather.
This was a fun story and another interesting addition to the Sherlock Holmes saga.
Favorite Quote:
I considered that my attraction to Gavin was almost unemotional, but I had come to believe that was the type of romance my personality was destined to enjoy. I, too, could be taciturn and cold, and most men found me either intimidating or unfeminine once I spoke my mind, which I did often and without preamble. Looking at the relationships I had actually studied up close, I thought ours the most well-conceived.I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.
Thanks for the review Kathy, but this book was initially published by Fierce Ink Press (an indie press that has since gone under unfortunately). I wouldn't want to take credit away from those fine editors.
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