“Please don’t think that my circumstances stand between me and a full stomach.” At least not until lately. “It has been all for vanity, of course. I can sustain somewhere between one point five and one point six chins. But the moment I have more than that, my looks suffer catastrophically.”
Mrs. Jebediah laughed, startled. “But surely you exaggerate, my dear.”
“I assure you I do not. Via scientific trials, I have determined the precise weight, to the ounce, at which the shape of my face changes to my detriment.”
Sherry Thomas, A Study in Scarlet Women
I think my love of the Sherlock Holmes type started when I watched The Great Mouse Detective as a child. If you haven’t watched it, you must. Now. That was my first exposure to the concept of a brilliant, slightly mad detective and his stalwart doctor friend. As an adult, I discovered Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock and Martin Freeman’s Watson. They remain my absolute favorite incarnation of the duo. But never before have I encountered a female Sherlock and a female Watson. I never knew what I was missing until Sherry Thomas’s A Study in Scarlet Women.
The thing I really enjoyed about this book was the fact that, when Thomas reinvented Sherlock Holmes as a woman, she didn’t just slap a dress on Arthur Conan Doyle’s hero. Instead, she made thoughtful and relevant changes to the character, transitioning Sherlock to Charlotte in a way that makes sense. Charlotte Holmes (alias Sherlock, when assisting Scotland Yard) has all of the original’s brilliance, but with a femininity that is neither forced nor false. And Thomas doesn’t ignore the fact that Sherlock Holmes would have a much more difficult time operating as a woman in Victorian England. She acknowledges the obstacles that could stop Charlotte from reaching her full potential and gives her the tools she needs to overcome those obstacles. All together, it makes for a very believable female Sherlock.
I also loved female Watson. In this case, Watson isn’t a retired army doctor, but a retired stage performer. It works very well for the character, and I loved Thomas’s take on Sherlock’s sidekick. What really worked about Watson in this capacity is that she’s able to take on the role of surrogate mother, business partner, and cheerleader for Charlotte. Whereas the original Doctor Watson, while useful, is mostly just there to be in awe of Sherlock, Thomas’s Mrs. Watson helps Charlotte realize the worth of her gifts. She helps Charlotte see what’s possible. It makes the relationship seem more even, gives it a feeling of give-and-take that’s missing in the original.
The plot, while good, was secondary to the character development here. You get a good mystery. I hadn’t a clue who the killer was until it was revealed at the end. It’s a satisfying read. But what I cared about most was Charlotte, Mrs. Watson, and Livia (Charlotte’s beloved sister). I cared about how Charlotte and Mrs. Watson were going to keep pulling off their charade. I cared about how Charlotte was going to help Livia escape the confines of her life with their parents. I cared about whether Charlotte was going to be able to remain free of male influence, living her life as she saw fit.
Really, I just loved this book. It kept me hooked from beginning to end. If you’re in the mood for a feminist, feminine, female Sherlock Holmes (no, those aren’t synonyms), pick this one up. I’m so excited to get my hands on the next one.
Happy Reading!
