Stevie‘s review of Murder on Cold Street (Lady Sherlock, Book 5) by Sherry Thomas
Historical Mystery published by Berkley 06 Oct 20
The adventures of Charlotte Holmes, her companion Mrs Watson, and their various friends and relations have proven consistently delightful over the course of the series so far. After the previous two cases took us out of London and across the English Channel most recently, this time we’re back in the Capital for a locked-room mystery. Chief suspect in this case of double murder is none other than the long-time associate of ‘Sherlock Holmes’ and of Charlotte’s old friend (and sometime lover) Lord Ingram: Inspector Treadles. Not only does the Inspector have connections to both victims by way of the company his wife recently inherited, but he was found in said locked room with them, holding the gun that killed them – his service revolver. Things look bleak, but fortunately Charlotte is only too happy to take on the case, even though Treadles is being less than cooperative in offering an explanation for his behaviour.
Of course everyone involved in the mystery has secrets that they would rather not share with Charlotte, and most are also hiding truths from their spouses and families. Meanwhile, Charlotte’s estranged parents are making life difficult for the one Holmes sister still residing with them, while she is mourning the apparent ending of her relationship with one of Charlotte’s previously close associates. On the positive side, Charlotte’s relationship with Lord Ingram is developing favourably, since he is soon to be freed from his estranged wife, and there are several happy interludes between the pair, in between a lot of investigation into the movements and motivations of all the potential suspects.
Marriages – unhappy ones in particular – feature prominently in this story. Treadles has been attempting to repair the rift that developed with his wife when she took control of her family’s manufacturing business, but this renewed happiness has been placed in jeopardy not only by his arrest, but also by Mrs Treadles’ subsequent discovery that her husband has been less than truthful as to his actions and whereabouts over the preceding weeks.
Charlotte soon realises that all is not right at the factories, and it seems likely that this is what the Inspector was investigating away from his regular police work. Fortunately, she has all her usual companions to call upon to track down every potential witness and suspect, an almighty task given that the murders took place while a party was taking place in the next house, with several of those present having access to both properties. Newspaper ads and coded messages played a large part in the story, to my delight, and I was greatly taken with the varied and diverse cast of new characters that we got to meet this time around. I greatly enjoyed the descriptions of Charlotte’s various costumes, the interiors of the houses she visited, and the hot-water bottle covers she was making.
All in all, a particularly excellent addition to the series and I very much hope it continues for as long as there are new adventures for the characters to embark upon.
Grade: A
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?
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
