Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche by Nancy Springer Blog Tour: Review

Y’all know I wasn’t going to pass up reading and reviewing an Enola Holmes book! I loved the movie and when I saw that the newest book was available on NetGalley, I was like YES PLEASE. And then I got the email about the blog tour and could not have said YES any faster lol.

This was my first Enola Holmes book, but since I watched the film, I had a pretty good idea of the dynamic between the Holmes siblings and who everybody was. And omg it’s so good.

As you scroll through, make sure to check out the synopsis, the review, and a little about the author. Alright, let’s do this!

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Enola Holmes is back! Nancy Springer’s nationally bestselling series and breakout Netflix sensation returns to beguile readers young and old in Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche.

Enola Holmes is the much younger sister of her more famous brothers, Sherlock and Mycroft. But she has all the wits, skills, and sleuthing inclinations of them both. At fifteen, she’s an independent young woman–after all, her name spelled backwards reads ‘alone’–and living on her own in London. When a young professional woman, Miss Letitia Glover, shows up on Sherlock’s doorstep, desperate to learn more about the fate of her twin sister, it is Enola who steps up. It seems her sister, the former Felicity Glover, married the Earl of Dunhench and per a curt note from the Earl, has died. But Letitia Glover is convinced this isn’t the truth, that she’d know–she’d feel–if her twin had died.

The Earl’s note is suspiciously vague and the death certificate is even more dubious, signed it seems by a John H. Watson, M.D. (who denies any knowledge of such). The only way forward is for Enola to go undercover–or so Enola decides at the vehement objection of her brother. And she soon finds out that this is not the first of the Earl’s wives to die suddenly and vaguely–and that the secret to the fate of the missing Felicity is tied to a mysterious black barouche that arrived at the Earl’s home in the middle of the night. To uncover the secrets held tightly within the Earl’s hall, Enola is going to require help–from Sherlock, from the twin sister of the missing woman, and from an old friend, the young Viscount Tewkesbury, Marquess of Basilwether!

Enola Holmes returns in her first adventure since the hit Netflix movie brought her back on the national bestseller lists, introducing a new generation to this beloved character and series.

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Review

Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche all starts when Miss Letitia Glover shows up at Sherlock’s door. She is trying to discover what happened to her twin sister, Felicity. The last time Letitia saw her she was marrying the Earl of Dunhench. But more recently, Letitia received a letter from the Earl telling her that her sister is dead. But Letitia does not believe it.

Luckily, Enola also happens to be at Sherlock’s place and takes on the case. And her first task is to go undercover and make her way to the Earl’s residence to find out what’s going on.

This isn’t the first of the Earl’s wives to die in mysterious circumstances and things become even more suspicious when they find the death certificate with Dr. Watson’s signature on it.

But when Enola gets to the Earl’s home, she finds that she might be a little over her head. This is not a case she can solve on her own. She will need the help of Sherlock (much to her chagrin), Letitia (who becomes her friend), and even someone she hasn’t seen in quite awhile, THE Viscount Tewkesbury, Marquess of Basilwether.

They all help her in their own ways and what they discover is an evil plot to silence women who do not fit the Earl’s standards.

I really love this book. I love Enola, of course. I love Sherlock. It’s fun seeing this caring, less serious side of him.

I LOVE Letitia and how devoted she is to finding her sister. What she’s willing to do to scare the crap out of the Earl is truly spectacular. It’s one of my favorite scenes in the whole book.

I also love Tewkesbury as well as the the little bit of Watson we see in the book.

I also really liked watching Enola and Sherlock work together. Sherlock clearly adores his sister (whether he likes showing it or not) and it was fun to see them working together on a plan. While seeing Enola figure things out on her own is amazing , something about seeing her come up with a strategy with her brother and her friends made it even more fun to read

There is also a scene at a mental hospital that I thought was done really well. It’s respectful of the people there, but also showed how bad the conditions were at the time. I once took a whole class on the history of mental health and…well, let’s just say, mental hospitals/institutions during this time period were really, really bad. And they were pretty much helping no one. They were a place to store people who didn’t “fit” into society. The book showed that but also showed empathy for the people who were committed there. I truly appreciated it.

I also LOVED the ending. I might have cried. Happy tears!! (don’t worry lol) No spoilers but two people are reunited and omg it’s such a wonderful scene.

I definitely want to read the rest of the series and re-watch the movie. If you love fun mysteries with brilliant characters, this is definitely the book for you. Highly recommend!!

While it’s not strictly necessary to read the other books before this one, I think it would help. Or at least watch the Netflix movie (that helped me know who most of the characters were).

Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche by Nancy Springer is available now!

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About the Author

NANCY SPRINGER is the author of the nationally bestselling Enola Holmes novels, including The Case of the Missing Marquess, which was made into the hit Netflix movie, Enola Holmes.

She is the author of more than 50 other books for children and adults. She has won many awards, including two Edgar Awards, and has been published in more than thirty countries. She lives in Florida.