I really enjoyed Brittany Cavallaro’s first foray into the world of Sherlock Holmes adaptations in A Study in Charlotte. Therefore, I was really excited to get my hands on the sequel and continue getting to know Jamie and Charlotte. I was also psyched by the promise that this book would include MORIARTY, who is my absolute FAVORITE Sherlock character (especially in the BBC series).
And this book was… okay?
I don’t know. I just had a really truly horrible time getting into this story. It took me weeks to finish it because I just wasn’t invested. I didn’t care what happened to the characters, and I was sick of the Charlotte-Jamie drama within a few chapters.
Plus, there is just so LITTLE of August Moriarty. It may have his name in the title, but this is by no means a book about him, or even centering around him (at least, not really). Maybe if I had gone straight into this from reading A Study in Charlotte I would have felt more invested, but there was just no sense of urgency for me.
I will say, the last 25% of this book is much MUCH better than the first 2/3rds. The bulk of the actions happens at the end, and the ending itself was shocking and well-done.
I’m not sure if I’ll be reading book three, but if I do it’ll be solely because of that ending.
Honestly, I wanted to love this one, but I just didn’t. It is so far removed from the witty and original storyline of its predecessor. There is way too much drama and not nearly enough Sherlock-ness.
Rating: 3/5 stars