The Vanished Sister by Sherry Thomas
#9 Lady Sherlock
Historical Mystery
Publisher: Berkley
Published: 9.29.26
Pages: 368
Rating: 5 stars
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Sellers: Amazon
ADD TO: GoodReads
GoodReads Synopsis:
Charlotte Holmes—aka Sherlock Holmes—becomes entangled in a puzzling missing person case that hits close to home for her beloved Mrs. Watson in this Victorian-set mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of A Ruse of Shadows.
It’s been three years since Charlotte Holmes struck a decisive blow against Moriarty's operations in Britain, three years of relative calm and benign developments. In a buoyant mood, everyone gathers at Lord Ingram's seaside cottage in North Devon for what promises to be a perfect summer holiday. Until Mrs. Watson receives an invitation from Mrs. Carstairs, her long-estranged sister, to attend a house party nearby.
Mrs. Carstairs has married spectacularly well. She is the mistress of a great manor, a doyen of all domestic arts, and still an unforgettable beauty. Now she clamors for a reconciliation with her sister. Mrs. Watson does not trust Mrs. Carstairs's motives. Yet she cannot help but feel tremors of the old admiration for this once-beloved sister.
Then Mrs. Carstairs disappears without a trace. The next day a woman is discovered floating on the waves, her build and coloring matching those of Mrs. Carstairs. But her husband insists that the corpse fished out of the Bristol Channel cannot be his wife. So where is the real Mrs. Carstairs? Would she have purposely dragged Mrs. Watson into a murder investigation? Or was it Sherlock Holmes's involvement that she needed from the very beginning?
Sophia Rose's Review:
A holiday along the coast at Lord Ingram’s ‘summer cottage’ leads to an intriguing mystery and a deep delve into Mrs. Watson’s past. Sherry Thomas’ Lady Sherlock series continues to reveal the most fascinating mystery cases for Charlotte Holmes and her group of friends and family to solve as they deepen their sense of found family and love.
The Vanished Sister is the nineth in a strongly connected series. In a pinch, it could be read out of order, but full enjoyment of the series means reading them in order.
The Vanished Sister opens with a deeply emotional scene from Mrs. Watson’s past. Then, fast forward and she is aboard Ash’s yacht along the Devon coast enjoying a sunny day out on the water with her friends when they all notice someone from the villa across the cove from their own is watching them through binoculars.
Turns out, Mrs. Watson is about to face her past when she learns the villa is owned by her estranged sister and her wealthy husband. Holmes’ sister, Olivia, along with Lord Ingram are invited along with Mrs. Watson for the Carstair’s weekend party celebrating her nephew’s engagement to Olivia Holme’s friend. The household is made up of the Carstairs’ family including husband, wife, husband’s son, son’s wife, wife’s widowed daughter, and their shared younger son who is recently engaged. There is another guest, Carstair’s first wife’s widowed cousin from Canada and Mrs. Watson is disturbed to see him giving this lady more attention than his own wife.
Mrs. Watson’s sister is exquisitely beautiful, the consummate hostess, fashionable wife and mother, and her demeanor is cool and polite. Knowing her sister from the past, she is uneasy about this sudden reunion after decades of silence. Her sister is rich, well connected, and highly respected just as she wanted, but something about her life is off and Mrs. Watson needs to know what and if this tentative overture to her sister is real or plot of some Machiavellian plot.
Then, her sister vanishes and later a woman’s body is washed up at the base of the cliff where Lord Ingram’s house sits. Holmes along with the police led by Inspector Treadles start out with one case and then learn there are two cases here. Or, are the two women’s misadventures all one and the same case? Holmes will get to the bottom of things in the Carstairs’ household and with this other victim even while Mrs. Watson is shaken to her core and unable to help Ash, Holmes, the police and the others as much as usual.
The Vanished Sister takes a break from the Moriarty plot giving Charlotte, Olivia, Stephen Marbleton, Ash, Mrs. Watson and her daughter Penelope a chance to concentrate on personal connections and ordinary cases for three years.
But, the break comes at the cost of Mrs. Watson’s painful past raked up once again with the appearance of her sister. The book does a few dips into Mrs. Watson’s memories to establish the sisters’ relationship then so that what comes in the now makes better sense. There are gothic tones in this one and even a scene when I thought of a classic Poe story. It had a climax thrilling moment, but mostly it was a slow burn suspense tip-toeing quietly through witnesses and evidence.
It was cozier this time with the emotional backlash driving the plot. This was never boring as I love the characters so much that I want to know like with Mrs. Watson’s past. Even the small forward movements for Holmes and Ash as she ponders that her lover comes with children and she actually wants to know them and be part of something with Ash’s family and not just him.
All and all, a delight in a different way than previous books. There are ominous reminders that Moriarty is still lurking. Can’t wait to see what comes next for Holmes and the others with the next installment. This Victorian era historical mystery series giving due homage to the original Holmes is sensational and I highly recommend.
Author Bio:
USA Today-bestselling author Sherry Thomas decided that her goal in life is to write every kind of book she enjoys reading. Thus far she has published romance, fantasy, mystery, and a wuxia-inspired duology. Her books regularly receive starred reviews and best-of-the-year honors from trade publications, including such outlets as the New York Times and National Public Radio. She is also a two-time winner of Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA® Award.
Sherry immigrated from China at age 13 and English is her second language.
Author photo by the lovely and talented Jennifer Sparks Harriman at
Website: https://www.sherrythomas.com/
Sophia’s Bio:
Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments, restaurants and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.
As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance. Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rose.7587
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GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose
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