This was another great entry in Thomas' Charlotte Holmes series. I've mentioned before in previous reviews that I love a gender flipped story, and this is no exception. Charlotte has all the peculiarities of Sherlock (which is b/c she moonlights as the famous Detective). Thrust into a "scandal" of her own making, Charlotte and her "patroness" Mrs. Watson work together to solve mysteries. In this book, the mystery hits closer to home than usual. Charlotte's childhood friend, Lord Ingram is accused of his wife's murder. With no love lost between the married couple, the main inspector looks to wrap the case up quickly. With the help of Charlotte (in disguise as a gentleman) Lord Ingram is determined to prove his innocence. The mystery is confounding, and I found myself a bit confused when the end. Is Moriarity involved at all? Who are the mysterious members of the Government working against Holmes's investigations.

Also, there is a bit more romance in this book. But not typical romance....Charlotte is fascinated by the opposite sex, but not necessarily into relationships. Her dynamic with Lord Ingram evolves a bit more in this one which was fascinating. It also ends on a cliffhanger for Ms. Holmes' sister, which I can't wait to read more about.

“The Hollow of Fear” is Sherry Thomas’s 3rd entry in the Lady Sherlock series, which I have devoured in the last few weeks. The first two books in the series, A Study in Scarlet Women and A Conspiracy in Belgravia, were both interesting, unique spins on the Sherlock Holmes mythology. These stories introduced us to the main characters: Charlotte Holmes, the Lady Sherlock of the series; Mrs. Watson, who serves as Charlotte’s patron and helpmate; Lord Ingram, Charlotte’s childhood friend and possible love interest; Livia Holmes, Charlotte’s sister and possible author of the Sherlock Holmes series; Inspector Treadles, the Scotland Yard inspector; as well as a slew of supporting characters and the infamous Moriarty clan.

This newest book in the series gives us a more intimate peek into the world of these characters when Charlotte must try to prove that Lord Ingram did not kill his wife, despite an overwhelming amount of circumstantial evidence to the contrary. I found that this book offered a deeper understanding of Charlotte’s motivations and behaviors than the previous books did, which made me like Charlotte even more.

The story ends in a few twists that I can’t imagine happening in a Sherlock Holmes story, but it still manages to feel Holmesian at its core. I already can’t wait to read the fourth book in the series! Perfect for Holmes fans, those who like a good mystery without too much gore, or fans of strong female characters.

This review is of an ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

A great addition to the Sherlock world. Charlotte is very logical with amazing powers of deduction and so has set herself up as Sherlock Holmes to support herself. The mysteries are always entertaining and well written. This is a series to read if you want more Sherlock but different as well.

I received an eARC from Berkley via NetGalley for an honest review. - Great series

A novel approach for a Sherlock Holmes mystery with very interesting characters. The murder is unusual and the setting is very much British but the characters seem to be from a different time with lots of unvictorian morales and ideas. While there is only one suspect there are plenty of twists and turns to surprise the reader. Near the end I was confused when some of the chapters seemed to be out of order but in the end it all came together,

This continuation of the Lady Sherlock series seems to rely fairly heavily on the backstory, so was somewhat confusing for this reader new to the series. Charlotte Holmes assumes various roles in attempting to solve the murder of her friend Ingram's wife. She is assisted by Mrs. Watson, another woman of many talents. Her sisters Livia and Bernadine are also important considerations to Charlotte, but as we might expect, she is capable of rising to the many challenges she faces. The plot seems quite convoluted at times, moving around in time. The back-and-forth dialog is occasionally confusing, with lack of clarity about which character is speaking. Undoubtedly these concerns will not matter to fans of the series, and they will once again be eager for the next installment, which we can hope will continue to describe Charlotte's love life.

Another edition in the Lady Sherlock series which just seems to get better with every book. Lord Ingrahm is charged with murdering his estranged wife and of course Sherlock is on the case. This is a terrific series that is particularly well done with good dialogue and interesting characters.

Anyone who read the first two books and hoped for more of Lord Ingram are going to be super happy with the third installation. Although, probably not so happy with the circumstances. Sherry Thomas continues to do an amazing job with plot construction, and creating multiple interesting and dynamic characters. The flashbacks are done extremely well, and the pace of the story compelled me to finish it in one sitting. This book is anything but a traditional mystery, or romance, and I cannot wait for more!

This series is my favorite Sherlock Holmes adaptation and once again this installment doesn’t disappoint! Charlotte is magnificent and perhaps even more so, because we some emotional reactions in her inability to indulge in her sweets compulsion. The hint of romantic tension between Charlotte and Ash that has always been present in this series is brought out more in this novel in the most satisfying way. Though I read the series more for the characters, I appreciated and was surprised by the intricacies and conclusions of the case. I can’t wait to see where this series goes to next, maybe that hinted trip abroad?

The Hollow of Fear is a new take on Sherlock Holmes. Charlotte Holmes is an independent woman and her friend Elizabeth Watson is a well to do society matron. Charlotte poses as the famous Sherlock to perform detective work in order to raise enough money to support her independent lifestyle. They become involved evading the Moriarity family who are searching for an escaped member who may or may not be related to Charlotte as well as trying to prove her dear friend, Lord Ingram's, innocence in the murder of his estranged wife. I love Sherlock Holmes and this book was true to canon. Fans of Jane Austen would also enjoy this book, as Sherry Thomas mentions the books and author several times. It wasn't as fast-paced as some I've read but it was an excellent story and well-written.

Sherry Thomas's latest entry in the Lady Sherlock series is satisfying in many respects. She does a wonderful job delving further into the minds of main characters. I can't wait for the next one!

Charlotte Holmes is a fallen woman. So, she has reinvented herself as Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective. She makes a tolerable living, supported by her dear friend, Mrs. Watson, a former actress, who acts as Mrs. Hudson when the disguise is called for. Charlotte also has two other sisters, Olivia and Bernadine. Livia suffers from Charlotte's fall and lacks suitable callers. Bernadine is locked in a silent world where she spends the day twirling spools on a wire. Lord Ingram's wife disappeared a year ago, but when her body, remarkably well preserved is found in the ice house of Lord Ingram's country estate, London society and Scotland Yard go wild. Lord Ingram, is, of course, the primary suspect, even though anyone who knows him recognizes his moral fortitude and upright feelings. But Scotland Yard does not count on Charlotte Holmes who brings her considerable mental acuity to the question of who stood to benefit the most from Lady Ingram's death...and it is not Lord Ingram. An interesting pastiche of the Holmes' oeuvre. However, I recommend reading the first two in the series to discover a lot of backstory that is only hinted at in this book. Perhaps, my rating would have been higher if I had read these.

Oh my! With each new Charlotte Holmes novel, Sherry Thomas gets better and better. Unraveling the mystery afoot involves the convoluted talents of Sherlock/Charlotte Holnes. In addition, the characters are even more fully developed, with their flaws and their beauty. And, best of all, all manner of loose ends are left dangling to tantalize the reader.

I really love this series. It's so engrossing, and rarely goes the way you think it's heading. It's completely addictive! One of the best of the Sherlock Holmes variants.

Coming into this series with the third book is somewhat akin to walking into the middle of a play. You are able to catch onto unfolding events fairly well, but you feel like you would enjoy the action a bit more if you had seen the first two acts--perhaps, reason enough to go back and read the first two books.

Nevertheless, The Hollow of Fear by Sherry Thomas is a well-written feminist take on the Sherlock Holmes legend. Charlotte Holmes sets out to solve the mystery of who killed the conniving wife of the man Charlotte has loved from afar since she was a girl. Luckily, Lord Ingram is worthy of her love. However, the book is anything but a traditional romance, or mystery, for that matter, with Charlotte and her Holmesian, analytical nature, hardly a traditional heroine. Nevertheless, she is quite an admirable protagonist, and we root for her to not only solve the mystery but to find some happiness in her life.

The reader is not always in on all the plot points as the story twists and turns on itself and there are several flashbacks that make the reader aware that they weren't privy to the true nature of some events as they occurred in the book.

Mirror characters and parallel plots abound and, just when it seems that none of it makes any sense, Thomas weaves all together into a skillfully coherent whole. The heart-rendng payoff is worth a few moments of confusion.

Full Disclosure--Net Gallery and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.