Welcome to another captivating AND frustrating entry in the Lady Sherlock series. And I really do mean both parts of that.

The series as a whole, and this particular entry in it, provides a fascinating look at an alternative version of Sherlock Holmes, and I’m always a sucker for a good Holmes pastiche, which this series definitely is.

The alternate Sherlock explored by this series is one where Sherlock Holmes is the entirely fictitious invalid brother of the “real” detective, Charlotte Holmes.

And that’s where both the genius and the frustration of this series comes in. It’s not that Charlotte is female, it’s that Charlotte has to deal with all of the frustrations and restrictions that come with living while female – and in the Victorian Era to boot, when those restrictions were even more ridiculously restrictive than they sometimes are today.

Making Charlotte’s life an endless series of situations that she has to work her way around. Her workarounds – like the fictitious invalid brother – are an absolute necessity. And that’s what makes reading this series so endlessly frustrating. The reader wants her to be able to just “get on with it” and she literally can’t if she is to remain a true – albeit atypical – creature of her time.

The social obligations and restrictions don’t really bother her, but they definitely bother other people when she doesn’t at least nod in their direction. So it’s both right and annoying at the same time. (Obviously I’d have done very poorly as a middle-class Victorian woman!)

What makes this particular case so fascinating is that the case, in its entirety, seems to be hedged about with all of the issues that, well, hedged women about, even though both the victims and the accused perpetrator are men.

Inspector Treadles, who serves as Charlotte’s Inspector Lestrade, meaning that Treadles is the Scotland Yard detective who both assists and is assisted by Charlotte, and who therefore gets to take the official credit for the cases she solves, has been accused of murder. Considering that he was found standing over two dead bodies inside a locked room with his service revolver in his hand, it is not surprising that he was assumed to be the killer.

Particularly as he didn’t seem to have anything to say that would explain the circumstances. Mrs. Treadles comes to Sherlock Holmes in desperation, hoping against hope that the great detective will not just come to the aid of his colleague, but will be able to extricate his head from the seemingly inevitable hangman’s noose.

But Treadles has held himself distant from Holmes, after discovering that Charlotte, a mere woman, was the real detective. And he’s held himself distant from his poor wife ever since she inherited her family’s manufacturing business from her late brother.

It seems as if Treadles’ unwillingness to accept either his wife’s or his “colleague’s” ability to be both female and intelligent is at the heart of this case. One of the murder victims was his wife’s mentor, and the other is rumored to have been her lover.

He has too many motives and seemingly no defense whatsoever. It will be up to Charlotte, with the able assistance of her own band of irregulars, Mrs. Watson, Miss Redmayne and especially Lord Ashburton, to figure out the truth.

Escape Rating B: As should be clear by now, I feel a bit of a push-pull about Charlotte. She fits her time – more or less – and her time is frustrating. One of the interesting things about this particular entry in the series is the way that Lord Ashburton is beginning to understand just how privileged he is, not in the sense that he is a privileged member of the upper class, although he certainly is, but that his movements through the world are eased immeasurably simply because he is a man.

His consciousness of that fact feels a bit ahead of his time, but not unduly so. But it does serve to highlight just how many restrictions Charlotte – and by extension for this particular case, Mrs. Treadles – has to deal with.

The heart of this case is both simple and complex. On the one hand, there’s the financial malfeasance that is finally uncovered. And on the other, there’s that huge undercurrent that swirls around just how fragile a woman’s place in the world can be, and how easy it is for an unscrupulous man – or simply an unthinking or uncaring one – to make a woman’s life a misery of recriminations and blame even if she hasn’t put a single step wrong.

This made the mystery fascinating. It was fairly obvious that Inspector Treadles’ silence was intended to protect someone from something, but protect who from what was the darkest part of the mystery until near the end. That ALL of the goings-on in the place where he was found turned out to be a nearly impenetrable farce just added to the stew of red herrings in the case.

But five books in, I’m seeing a pattern that, well, tasks me. It feels like the circle is much too close, too centered on Charlotte. There should be more cases that aren’t so personal if Charlotte is operating as a consulting detective. But so far, all of the cases have centered around people close to her; her parents (A Study in Scarlet Women), her half brother (A Conspiracy in Belgravia), Lord Ashburton himself (The Hollow of Fear), Mrs. Watson (The Art of Theft) and now Inspector Treadles. There should be some cases that don’t have such high emotional stakes.

Each of the individual cases has been interesting, but the entire world shouldn’t revolve around Charlotte. Or it feels that way. Definitely on another hand, having that world revolve around Moriarty, as it also does, feels right. At the same time, it also feels like the solution that Charlotte Holmes comes up with for her final Moriarty problem is likely to end the series.

And as much as Charlotte and her world drive me a bit crazy, I don’t want that to be anytime soon.

This is such an entertaining series and I'm always so glad to spend more time with Charlotte, Lord Ingram, and especially Mrs. Watson. Over the course of the series I feel like I've really gotten to know and love them despite (or because of) their quirks and it feels very much like catching up with old friends.

I especially enjoyed this one because for the first time Mrs. Treadles is front and center. She's always been in the book but only on the very edges of the story and we've only really seen her through her husband's eyes and in relation to how he felt. I really loved getting to know her and getting her take on their marital woes. She's a likable and strong woman and made for a fantastic lead in this mystery. As well I thoroughly enjoyed the team element of the investigation. Charlotte has always been a good delegator but in this book the team element really seemed to flourish and Lord Ingram and Mrs. Watson really had their own space. The mystery was intriguing with lots of twists and turns and kept me guessing until the very end.

Thomas has crafted another amazing mystery that not only fits together tightly but advances our understanding of the series characters and the overarching tension of the series itself. This time, much of the focus is on Inspector Treadles: a man who is rigid in his beliefs, both for how he himself behaves and how he believes others should behave. But now he's in a bind, suspected of killing two men. He refuses to talk about the fact that he was found in the house with the two men. Nor will he discuss what he has been doing so secretively the past two weeks.
Both Holmes and Lord Ingram are convinced Inspector Treadles is innocent but it will be a race to the finish to make others believe it as well. Especially with Inspector Brighton, specifically brought in to investigate the case, seems so determined to use it to make a name for himself.

Four stars
Followed by The Art of Theft
This book came out October 6th
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

This is a series that I am so glad I decided to try again. When I read the first book, I couldn’t even finish it. I struggled to get into the series and the first book. I DNF about 20% of the way through and felt incredibly sad about it because by all accounts this was a series that I should have loved.

I kept seeing the books coming out and so many people raving about them that I kept wondering if I just was missing something and maybe needed to give it another go. But I held off because it’s hard to change my mind once I hav DNF a book.

But eventually I picked up one of the third book in the series and thought it was better than I remembered and then I picked up the fourth book and was once again pleasantly surprised so when this one came up for review I decided to go for it.

Summary
Inspector Treadles, Charlotte Holmes’s 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? (summary from Goodreads)

Review
I think I need to go back and read the first couple of books in this series after skipping around in it. While I generally have felt comfortable with the previous books having not read the first couple, I do think as the series continues that I would like a better grasp of Charlotte’s character and what her motives are sometimes. Having missed the first couple of books, I don’t know that it impacts the mystery contained in the books but more that it impacts the characters and their relationships and motives. I did think that the main characters had great chemistry and I am looking forward to more!

Lord Ingram and Charlotte have a complex relationship and I think that having the understanding and the nuances of their relationship early on would help me as a reader so for that reason I think I am going to go back and read the other books in the series before I read the next one.

The mystery held my interest and I loved how it all came together in the end, not to mention watching our characters go through the clues and try to decipher motives and how everything fit together. I think Thomas has a great mind for mysteries and murder but when you add a Sherlock Holmes element to the mysteries, it needs to be done right and I think that Thomas does a wonderful job maintaining the integrity of Holmes’s character and his mind for puzzles in Charlotte.

This one was a difficult one for me to review because I enjoyed it quite a bit but I also felt a little less invested in the characters based on the fact that I am not fully caught up in this series. However, the author does a decent job getting readers up to speed but at this point in the series I think it is safe to say that the author assumes that readers are probably fans of the series and have an idea of the characters and their history. I ended up going with 3.5 stars, it was a great book with a fun mystery but I think I need more back story on the characters. Had I fully understood their relationships and past then I might have bumped it up but I also feel like I need the full experience at this point.

Book Info and Rating
Paperback, 352 pages

Expected publication: October 6th 2020 by Berkley Books

ISBN0451492498 (ISBN13: 9780451492494)

Free review copy provided by publisher, Berkley Books, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Genre: Historical mystery, detective novel, historical fiction

The review of Murder on Cold Street is in the October 2020 issue of Gumshoe Review and is exclusive to them until November 2020.

Lady Sherlock Rocks!

This is my first book in this series. I wouldn't have chosen to start here, but this is an assigned book - so I dug in, hoping for the best.

Despite missing out on some interesting history between the recurring characters, I thoroughly enjoyed this excellent locked room mystery. I had been curious about this series for a long time, so I'm glad I finally had the chance to check it out. I will definitely continue on with the series and hopefully, I will be able to cram in the previous four books before the next release, so I'll understand all the nuances hinted at in this installment.

If you are following this series, I'm sure you'll find this book to be a worthy addition. For me, I love locked room mysteries and this one was a highly entertaining head-scratcher.

If you love historical and British mysteries or like the various Sherlockian pastiches, then you will probably want to check this series out! If this book is any indication, I think this could become one of my favorites!!

4.5 stars

This series continues to be the best of the best Sherlockian adaptations. It felt like there was a LOT of character development and growth in this installment, particularly as it further explored the relationship between Charlotte and Lord Ingram. This story focused more heavily on these two characters and I did at times hope for a little more from some of the others in Charlotte's orbit. The mystery was solid and cleverly investigate (of course).

A MURDER ON COLD STREET is the 5th in the Lady Sherlock series and my favorite to date.. I love mysteries with smart and somewhat unconventional female leads. Charlotte Holmes is all those things and more. I have loved watching her character evolve. This book saw some of her rough edges soften without losing those convictions she holds dear.

These mysteries are carefully plotted with well-crafted dialogue and fantastic characters. Plus- there is a slow, simmering romance that adds such a sweet compliment. But what I enjoy the most is the writing. It is excellent. I find that my reading pace is slower than usual because I want to soak up every word. I usually listen to these titles on audio, which I LOVE, but I read this in print. Thomas's word choice had me highlighting words again and again. A logophile would rejoice at this sampling:

𝘭𝘰𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴
𝘱𝘳𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵
𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴
𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴
𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘺
𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴
𝘱𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘯𝘵

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest installment of the Lady Sherlock series and am already anticipating her next adventure.

Another hit Lady Sherlock novel from Sherry Thomas. She never disappoints.
This is book 5 in the Lady Sherlock series and while the author does a great job of bringing you up to speed, I highly recommend you start with book 1 and met all these fabulous characters from the beginning. I can assure you will be glad you did.
Inspector Treadles, Charlotte Holmes’s 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?
This is a must read for fans of great historical mysteries.

The Lady Sherlock series is fun and engaging. My downside in this series is that I've never emotionally invested in the connection between Charlotte and Lord Ingram. This book is a nice character development book for Charlotte, and I should have been really into it. Unfortunately, I'm more invested in Olivia and Miss Redmayne, neither of whom did much in this volume. Thomas' writing is lovely and fast-paced, and the mystery, once it really gets moving, is once again interesting, although a step back in intensity from the prior book.

I don't know if I'll continue with this series from here or not. Currently thinking no, but I may change my mind if I here there's more Olivia in the next book.

The Lady Sherlock series truly has become one of my most favorite series for very good reason. It is always so well executed, so well drawn out, with characters that are both real and lovable that you can't help getting sucked into the story, into the mystery, and into the very lives of each character.

I absolutely adore this rag tag group of people, their relationships with one another, their back stories, how they interact, how they love, how they take care of one another and of course, the mysteries themselves. It truly is brilliantly done.

And this latest installment has ramped up everything! So much more. More danger, more mystery, more romance (woot!!), just MORE. I absolutely loved it and couldn't put it down. I both wanted to devour and make it last forever. I can not wait for more in this wonderful world and time that Thomas has created.

Thank you firstly to NetGalley, to Ms. Thomas, and to Berkley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required. Frankly I had hoped to have this review posted yesterday but circumstances conspired to prevent it :(

I always, always, ALWAYS look forward to a new Sherry Thomas book of any type so I am not entirely sure I can be unbiased here. The Lady Sherlock series is moreover my absolute favorite of all the historical mystery series I enjoy. Ms. Thomas's writing is as excellent as always here, with well-crafted dialogue, a thoroughly plotted mystery (the Villain was apparent, even to me [the world's most clueless mystery reader] right away, but I didn't mind much; after all, Charlotte still had to PROVE it) and the terrific cast of characters we have come to know and love. Just when I think I have a favorite - Mrs. Watson! - then I'm reminded how terrific Olivia is, and how absolutely darling Ash is, and once again for umpteenth time have to admire Charlotte's genius, talent for garish clothes, and ability to appreciate tasty food.

I very much enjoyed the new cast of side characters in this novel, particularly Ms. Longstead and Mrs. Portwine. The scene at Cousins with Mrs. Treadles and Mrs. Watson was also enormously satisfying (when you read it, you'll know exactly what I mean). How many times as a woman have I - or has any woman - longed to deliver such a gratifying setdown? Brava.

In the interests of being completely honest, I was also here to find out (A) what would happen, if anything, between Liv and Mr. Marbleton? and (B) what would happen between Ash and Charlotte?
And honestly, despite neither situation being totally resolved, I was completely satisfied with where Ms. Thomas led those characters. Their actions seem organic to their personalities as they've been written thus far and I love it.

There were a few spelling, grammar and formatting issues, but as this is an ARC I assume a talented editor at Berkley will be catching those. Plotwise my only quibbles might be that
-Ash's children made such few appearances, considering it was Christmas and he's been utterly devoted to them so far.
and
-I would have liked more closure on what would happen with Ms. Longstead.
But these are small things and overall I walked away from this latest Lady Sherlock installment very happy indeed.

4.5 stars, happily rounded to 5 on GR.

A whirlwind mystery with wild amount of twists and turns!

This isn’t my first Lady Sherlock book, and it won’t be my last. That being said, dear readers this should not be your first Lady Sherlock book. Lady Sherlock is not standalone and is best consumed by reading the previous books as the events from the past tend to tie together.

In this story Sherlock, aka Charlotte, is recruited by the wife of her friend, Inspector Treadles, to help figure out who killed two men found in the same room as the dear inspector at the residence location 33 Cold Street. Of course, nothing is simple. Both of the dead men had business involvement with Mrs. Treadles, the new owner of Cousins Manufacturing by virtue of her brother and father passing away.

From here, Charlotte and her helpers – the talented Mrs. Watson, the medical student Miss Redmayne, and the tall, dark, intelligent Lord Ingram, assist in deducing. From all the who’s involved, the where’s, and most importantly the why’s, this story kept me guessing. Honestly, Thomas does an amazing job at putting all the information in front of the reader and still leaving them wondering whodunit.

Thomas’ prose is superb with plenty of interest to turn the pages. The story is best consumed a little more slowly and takes me a little longer to read, as I’m constantly analyzing the information presented to try and attempt to ferret out the criminal myself. Characterization still reigns supreme, but Thomas doesn’t allow her folks to stagnant and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the growth in Charlotte, as well as the other members of the cast.

For readers who have already read the previous books in the series, this story begins right where the last one left off. It’s a change of pace from the adventures in France from the previous book and a little more convoluted with the lineup of suspects. While it’s not my favorite story so far in the series, I happily get lost in each one for the time period, the unique fresh take on Sherlock, and the continuous exploration of the challenge’s women, people of color, and females in business for themselves faced in this particular time period.

Overall, if you enjoy a good mystery with a twist, along with the beauty of the written word, a reader can’t go wrong with Murder On Cold Street. I’ll be eagerly awaiting my official copy hoping for a glimpse at what comes next because you can bet where Sherlock is Moriarty is not far behind.

~ Landra

The Lady Sherlock books are some of our favorites. Each time we finish one, we're afraid the next won't be as good - and each time, we're proven wrong. Murder on Cold Street was no different. *Note: spoilers for the first 4 books are referenced in our review.

Sherry Thomas always manages to pique our interest! At the end of The Art of Theft, Ingram is about to confess his feelings for Charlotte when Mrs. Treadles (wife of Inspector Treadles) walks in and ruins their intimate moment. She is requesting Sherlock Holmes's assistance because Inspector Treadles has been arrested for murder.

What follows is, as usual, an intricate and complex mystery worthy of Charlotte's intellect. Also as usual, Sherry Thomas weaves in elements of feminist discourse. She branches out from Charlotte and Livia's perspective to show us different aspects of the difficulties women face: Mrs. Treadles's frustrations in navigating the politics of her newly inherited position as owner/manager of her family's business; her workplace nemesis's dealings with his wife and his mistress; and even Lady Holmes's dissatisfaction with her marriage. In addition to the "stealth feminism," Thomas also delves into structural racism and racist microaggressions in the sympathetic character of Miss Longstead.

OK, that's great - but is it fun and romantic? Resoundingly, yes! Everything you want in a Lady Sherlock is there - Charlotte's behind-the-scenes machinations, her Holmesian disguises, Mrs. Watson's kindly manner with a backbone of steel, and Ingram's steady support all make this a pleasure to read. While the first four books accentuated the unrequited longing and unresolved sexual tension in Charlotte and Ingram's relationship, this book puts the ball in Charlotte's court. Watching Charlotte have to deal with emotions (her own and Ingram's) are what sets this book apart.

As with the previous books in the series, we highly recommend Murder on Cold Street!

I love The Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas, but I think Murder on Cold Street is my favorite. Not only was this mystery one of the more interesting ones, but there were also some wonderful Holmes and Ingram scenes.  
I really enjoy these novels. The shed light on the gender and class inequalities in history, which even took on racial inequality.  But it does it in such an interesting way.  Murder on Cold Street, especially so since Inspector Treadles, a man who was horrified to learn that Sherlock was actually a woman, had to rely on that same woman to free him.  I enjoy seeing characters in a series grow, as Treadles does.
Speaking of character growth, this book brought with a complete turn around from Lord Ingram.  I absolutely loved it.  He was always supportive of Holmes, and I think his change of heart concerning his own happiness was one of my favorite things about this book.  Holmes and Ingram were the main focus of this book, though my old favorites were present, they were mostly relegated to the sidelines.  I found myself missing Livia and Mrs. Watson, and hope they are more prominent in the next book (I am making an assumption there will be a next book). The mystery in this one is very intricate.  This is not a book to read to try to solve the mystery along with Holmes. I dare say some could do it, but I am not one of them, at least not the why.  While the mystery is important and keeps the story moving, the characters are the real stars.
If you’ve read the other books in this series you will love this one!

Charlotte Holmes continues to pursue her profession of consulting detective, posing as assistant to her invalid, and entirely fictional, brother Sherlock.

She and several firends and allies have just returned from a trip to Europe and an act of grand theft to retrieve some priceless art which is exposing a friend of Mrs. Watson's to blackmail. They haven't been home long when Mrs. Treadles, wife of Inspector Treadles, a frequent collaborator of Charlotte's, arrives with a desperate plea for help.

Inspector Treadles has been found in a locked room with two dead men, holding the gun used to kill them. The two dead men, Mr. Longstead and Mr. Sullivan, worked with Mrs. Treadles at Cousins Manufacturing, a respected firm that Mrs. Cousins recently inherited from her brother, Barnaby Cousins. Barnaby was a lax manager, but Alice Treadles is determined to be active and responsible, and in different ways, these were the two men she worked most closely with. Was Inspector Treadles suspicious? Jealous?

With the Inspector refusing to talk even though he's the only obvious suspect, and Alice Treadles clearly withholding information, this is going to be a very tricky case.

Soon Charlotte, her dear friend Lord Ingram, Mrs. Watson, and her niece, Penelope Redmayne, are coaxing out detail, deciphering messages in small notices in the newspapers, questioning the guests at the party Mrs. Treadles, Mr. Longstead, and Mr. Sullivan had all been at the night of the murders. There's also the vital question of where Inspector Treadles really was in the two weeks before the deaths, because it's not where he told Mrs. Treadles he was.

Charlotte is also finding unlikely connections between Mr. Sullivan, Mrs. Sullivan, and Mr. Sulivan's mistress.

Even more interesting is, why don't any of the management of Cousins Manufacturing want Mrs. Treadles inquiring into the details of the company's books or recent renovations of the factories.

Meanwhile, Charlotte and Lord Ingram may, at last, be moving forward in their relationship, as Lord Ingram is freed from the obligations that have held him back.

This is a good mystery, but it's also quite satisfyingly honest about the constraints on women, even educated, well-off women, in a society that still clings closely to its gender-determined roles. Charlotte, for reasons recounted in previous books, is now shut out from respectable society. Mrs. Treadles is, not as shockingly as Charlotte, defying convention in excercising her right to run the business she inherited. The troubles between Inspector and Mrs. Treadles are a result of his dicomfort with her defiance of those conventional roles.

I found it interesting and satisfying.

Recommended.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

I absolutely loved diving into Charlotte Holmes’s life of mystery and intrigue in book five of The Lady Sherlock series. This may have been the first book I read in this series, but it won’t be my last. I’m actually quite upset that I did not know of this series sooner, because I can only imagine how the fans of Miss Holmes must eagerly anticipate each installment of the series.

Inspector Treadles, Charlotte Holmes’s 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?

Our investigation begins as Mrs. Treadles (with a very haunted past) looks to Charlotte Holmes for help in proving her husband’s, Inspector Treadles, innocence, and from here the reader hits the ground running as time is not something to waste in Charlotte’s world.

Murder on Cold Street was a fantastic locked door mystery that had twists, turns and was cleverly written. Thomas definitely has a way with descriptive writing. I felt like I was transported in almost a cinematic way into the story as I followed the characters down the streets and into houses in hunt of a killer. It was fun feeling like I was right there examining clues with Charlotte and the other cast of characters.

I especially loved the strong female characters in this story as they were vibrant and full of spirit. My favorite being the comradery between Charlotte Holmes and Miss Watson.

If you are also looking for a bit of romance, you will find it. I loved the relationship that is beginning to blossom between Charlotte and Lord Ingram. Since I’m just new to this series and jumping in with the latest book, I’m guessing that they have been back and forth or denying their feelings for each other up to this point.

If you are a fan of The Caught in Time series or the Veronica Speedwell series, than the Lady Sherlock series is one you should pick-up and dive into as soon as possible. It is the perfect historical series to cozy up with as the temperatures get colder.

Now if you will excuse me…I’m off to start this series from the beginning!

Murder on Cold Street is the 5th Lady Sherlock mystery by Sherry Thomas. Due out 6th Oct 2020 from Penguin Random House on their Berkley imprint, it's 352 pages and will be available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a well written historical Holmes homage murder mystery with a strong romance subplot. The book is largely character driven and most of the characters are well rendered and interesting. The pacing was somewhat uneven for me though it picked up in the second half of the book. The underlying setup (that the investigative force behind the Holmes name is Charlotte Holmes who's not above some gender prestidigitation to walk unfettered in a man's world) is well and sensitively written for the most part and the author makes good use of the ensemble cast including Mrs. Hudson and Holmes' sidekick "friend with benefits" Lord Ingram.

The dialogue was pretty well done, there weren't any places I felt yanked out of my suspension of disbelief (which usually happens because of egregious modernisms), so that was very nice. The language is clean and there's nothing to dismay. There is a fair amount of casual sexism which was annoying, but obviously a fact of everyday life for women of the time period regardless of their social class.

The book does work well enough as a standalone; new readers won't have trouble keeping the story straight, however, these characters do have a history together. There are several plot elements from previous books which are referred to here which would be fairly big spoilers if not read in order.

It's an enjoyable escapist read which is well written. For -strict- fans of the Doyle canon, this book won't convince readers that it's a newly discovered authentic story. For people who love the time period, like their murder mysteries with a dose of romance, and don't mind that Holmes is female, this could be a good fit. Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Charlotte Holmes is on the case when Inspector Treadles is found locked in a room with two dead men, both employees at the company his wife recently inherited.
Tongues are wagging at the gossip that Inspector Treadles murdered the men in a jealous rage or possibly anger that they opposed the changes his wife was making within the company.
Mrs. Treadles is certain her husband had nothing to do with the murders but there are secrets being kept that won't make it easy for Charlotte to find the truth. Her great powers of deduction help her to see past the white lies told and uncover shocking information.
Meanwhile, in her personal life, Charlotte is shocked to find that Lord Ingram has become much more responsive to her needs.

I enjoy a good locked room mystery and this was yet another great installment in the Lady Sherlock series. I haven’t been reading these in order but it's pretty easy to jump in and get enough of the backstory to keep up to date. I really enjoyed the juicy secrets and discretion involved as Charlotte works to clear Inspector Treadles of the charges he faces.

I recommend this series to readers who enjoy historical fiction, retellings, mystery, and just a hint of romance.

Thanks to Berkley Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Murder on Cold Street is scheduled for release on October 6, 2020.

Murder on Cold Street is the Fifth installment in author Sherry Thomas' Lady Sherlock series. The story picks up immediately where the previous book (The Art of Theft) left off. Charlotte, Lord Ingram, Mrs. Watson, and Livia Holmes have returned from their latest escapades in France having saved Lord Ingram in the process. A buoyant Lord Ingram, who has finally resolved his feelings for Charlotte, finds that life once again hits two close to home when his friend, Inspector Robert Treadles (who he grew apart from because of Charlotte), has been arrested on suspicion of murder.


Charlotte agrees to meet with Mrs Alice Treadles, who took over ownership of Cousin's Manufacturing from her brother, as a favor to the Scotland yard Inspector even though hedidn't care for the fact that Charlotte is the brains of the operation. But, in this case, something is amiss. Inspector Treadles is suspected of the murder of none other than two of his wife's business partners in a home on Cold Street. Alice Treadles is worth a small fortune and could hire any defense barrister she wants. But Charlotte has caused a stir among England's elite by solving twisted cases.


Meanwhile, Inspector Brighton, who oversees the investigation, believes that Treadles is guilty, and it isn’t going to take much to convict him by Christmas Day. Charlotte, of course, takes on the case, but considering the locked room that Mr. Treadles is found in along with the two dead bodies, the mystery posed is quite a stumper. Charlotte adds Miss Penelope Redmayne to her team of investigators. As she wades through the various clues, more and more questions arise with regards to the Treadles themselves, as well as with Cousin's Manufacturing.


This series has stepped deeply into making Moriarty the ghost in the shell as with the original Sherlock Holmes series. Although he has yet to make an actual appearance, he's made plenty of people's lives miserable, including Olivia Holmes who lost her one true love, Stephen Marbleton. Charlotte and gang have already learned a few tricks that Moriarty is playing, including leaving codes in the newspaper. Charlotte's relationship with Ash evolves in this book along with the twists and turns of what Inspector Treadles was doing in the home that he was found along with two dead men.


I'm thankful that Charlotte and Ash are resolving their hesitancy of growing closer now that Ash's marriage is working towards an ending. I am hoping that Olivia finds her own form of happiness away from her parents who are the absolute worst. I am eager to see what happens next, especially if Moriarty finally makes his long-awaited appearance.