Author: Sherry Thomas
Narrator: Kate Reading
Series: Lady Sherlock (Book 5)
Publication: Penguin Audio (October 6, 2020)
Length: 13 hours and 15 minutes
Description: Charlotte Holmes, Lady Sherlock, investigates a puzzling new murder case that implicates Scotland Yard inspector Robert Treadles in the USA Today best-selling series set in Victorian England.
Inspector Treadles, Charlotte Holmes’ friend and collaborator, has been found locked in a room with two dead men, both of whom worked with his wife at the great manufacturing enterprise she has recently inherited.
Rumors fly. Had Inspector Treadles killed the men because they had opposed his wife’s initiatives at every turn? Had he killed in a fit of jealous rage because he suspected Mrs. Treadles of harboring deeper feelings for one of the men? To make matters worse, he refuses to speak on his own behalf, despite the overwhelming evidence against him.
Charlotte finds herself in a case strewn with lies and secrets. But which lies are to cover up small sins, and which secrets would flay open a past better left forgotten? Not to mention, how can she concentrate on these murders when Lord Ingram, her oldest friend and sometime lover, at last dangles before her the one thing she has always wanted?
My Thoughts: The fifth Lady Sherlock mystery has Charlotte Holmes and her colleagues investigating a murder case with Inspector Treadles as the accused murderer. Charlotte's relationship with Inspector Treadles has changed over the years and changed most recently when he learned that fallen woman Charlotte is not just a voice for her bedridden brother Sherlock but Sherlock Holmes herself.
Treadles' worldview was first shaken up when his wife inherited a business which she decided to run. This didn't fit his idea of the proper place for a woman let alone his wife. His resentment of her moving outside her place fostered resentment and threatened their marriage. Events caused him to look at things a new way, but his marriage is still in need of repair. He's accused of murdering her mentor at the business and one of the men she worked with.
Rumors are flying about a man killing other men that he was jealous of. Now Treadles needs Sherlock Holmes to find out the truth about what happened in that locked room on Cold Street. He's not helping. He refuses to speak about the case at all.
Charlotte, Lord Ingram, Mrs. Watson and her niece/daughter have lots to investigate. And everyone is keeping secrets. As the Christmas season progresses, they have to uncover secrets and follow clues to prevent Treadles being charged with murder on Christmas Eve.
I enjoyed the twists and turns of this mystery. I love that Charlotte is a little disconcerted now that Lord Ingram is willing to change their relationship. She a bit off balance and this twisty case isn't helping her find her footing. I also loved the descriptions of Charlotte's eccentric fashions and the descriptions of the first love of her life - cake.
I bought this audiobook May 26, 2023, at an Audible 2-for-1 sale. I had previously read a review copy. You can buy your copy here.
I bought this audiobook May 26, 2023, at an Audible 2-for-1 sale. I had previously read a review copy. You can buy your copy here.
This sounds quirky and interesting.
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