Happy release and pub day to this gemstone! In, A Ruse of Shadows, Charlotte Holmes and Lord Ingram are back again with another mystery, and Sherry Thomas returns to bring absolute breathtaking bangers to my eyeballs and ear holes in this latest installment of the Lady Sherlock series.
Check out my previous read 
The Favor by Suzanne Wright
Genres: Historical Mystery, romancePublisher: Berkley Publishing
Publication Date: June 25, 2024
Source: ARC
Format: e-book
Charlotte Holmes is accustomed to solving crimes, not being accused of them, but she finds herself in a dreadfully precarious position as the bestselling Lady Sherlock series continues.
Charlotte’s success on the RMS Provence has afforded her a certain measure of time and assurance. Taking advantage of that, she has been busy, plotting to prise the man her sister loves from Moriarty’s iron grip.
Disruption, however, comes from an unexpected quarter. Lord Bancroft Ashburton, disgraced and imprisoned as a result of Charlotte’s prior investigations, nevertheless manages to press Charlotte into service: Underwood, his most loyal henchman, is missing and Lord Bancroft wants Charlotte to find Underwood, dead or alive.
But then Lord Bancroft himself turns up dead and Charlotte, more than anyone else, meets the trifecta criteria of motive, means, and opportunity. Never mind rescuing anyone else, with the law breathing down her neck, can Charlotte save herself from prosecution for murder?
“I will direct the moving of hundred of cubic yards of clay for you, too, if I must.”
We are brought back to the story of Charlotte and her crew as she races to solve yet another mystery (or mysteries in this case), but this time around she finds herself as suspect numero uno. Sherry Thomas absolutely delivers in this newest installment of the Lady Sherlock series! From the intricate plot to the beautiful way she develops Lord Ingram and Charlotte’s romance throughout the story (and let us not forget the delicious dessert descriptions!).
I knew going in that I wasn’t going to guess the whodunit accurately so I was all in for the ride and what a ride it was. Thomas is an absolute mastermind of slowburn chemistry that makes things feel so natural and not slow at all. I loved watching everything fall into place and seeing things happen right before my eyes and not even know it was happening right before my eyes.
I’m excited to reread this to catch anything I missed on the first go around and to hear Kate Reading’s beautiful narration on audio. If you are looking for a mystery series to get your hands on–this should be your next one!
Huge thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Thank you for your review and synopsis. I am a big fan of the Miss Sherlock series as well. This 8th book is certainly pretty convoluted. I will have to re-read it as you said. It would be helpful too, if we could persuade Ms. Thomas to give chapters titles, and offer a list of Chapters in front, so that it is a little easier to go back to review events. Do you think? It might not cost too much time or money in the process to do that.