The Hollow of Fear

The Hollow of Fear (2018) Sherry Thomas

The third Lady Sherlock Mystery.

Society is still searching for Charlotte Holmes–and treating her sister Livia with the suspicion of one closely related to a scandal. So Livia is glad to escape to the country home of Mrs Newell–who happens to be a near neighbor of Lord Ingram.

Lord Ingram has put it out that his wife has gone to the continent for her back, when in reality she has fled after being discovered as a traitor.

The mystery is quite over-the-top with hidden bodies and busybodies and police with complicated married lives and missing sisters. I’m not sure how I feel about the solution to the murder mystery. It felt–perhaps beyond belief? It’s been several days and I still can’t decide quite how I feel.

I also can’t decide how I feel about Charlotte.

Her senses sharpened on an empty stomach, occasionally to such an extent that she needed to cover her eyes and stick her fingers in her ears.

Like the Conan Doyle Sherlock, Charlotte is problematic in both her actions and way of thinking. Unlike the Doyle character, neither Holmes nor Watson holds a candle to the secondary character of Livia Holmes, who is regularly kept in the dark for her own safety, and seen even by Charlotte as being unable to be trusted with sensitive information.

I quite like Livia.

Lord Ingram had asked that she be put up in the manner of an esteemed guest, because she was Charlotte’s sister.

This was what it felt like to be valued.

It’s still sad she doesn’t believe herself to be valued for herself.

It’s an interesting series, and I’m still intrigued, but I’m also glad I’m borrowing it from the library rather than pay full price for it.

Publisher: Berkley
Rating: 7/10

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