Review: Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade (Enola Holmes #8)

Title: Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade (Enola Holmes #8)
Author: Nancy Springer
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Audiobook
Release Date: September 6, 2022
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Enola Holmes, the much younger sister of Sherlock, is now living independently in London and working as a scientific perditorian (a finder of persons and things). But that is not the normal lot of young women in Victorian England. They are under the near absolute control of their nearest male relative until adulthood. Such is the case of Enola’s friend, Lady Cecily Alastair. Twice before Enola has rescued Lady Cecily from unpleasant designs of her caddish father, Sir Eustace Alastair, Baronet. And when Enola is brusquely turned away at the door of the Alastair home it soons becomes apparent that Lady Cecily once again needs her help.

Affecting a bold escape, Enola takes Lady Cecily to her secret office only to be quickly found by the person hired by Lady Cecily’s mother to find the missing girl—Sherlock Holmes himself. But the girl has already disappeared again, now loose on her own in the unforgiving city of London.

Even worse, Lady Cecily has a secret that few know. She has dual personalities—one, which is left-handed, is independent and competent; the other, which is right-handed is meek and mild. Now Enola must find Lady Cecily again—before one of her personalities gets her into more trouble than she can handle and before Sherlock can find her and return her to her father. Once again, for Enola, the game is afoot.

Review:

Enola Holmes, the younger sister of Sherlock Holmes, is living on her own in London and working as a professional perditorian, a finder of things and people. However her friend, Lady Cecily Alastair, does not have such an easy life. Enola has had to rescue Cecily from her controlling father in the past, and when Enola is turned away from their house, she knows that Cecily needs help again. Enola helps Cecily escape, but Cecily is quickly found by the person her mother hired to find her: Sherlock Holmes. Cecily makes another escape from both Enola and Sherlock, sending them on a chase around town to find her and save her from her father. 

Enola is such a fun character. She’s like a young Sherlock Holmes, but she sometimes has difficulty keeping one step ahead of her older brother. She’s a quirky and smart character who’s quick on her feet. 

This book had some mental health representation. Though it was set in the 1800s, and the medical knowledge was limited then, Cecily has dual personalities. The characteristic of her two personalities is that one is left-handed, independent and competent, and the other is right-handed, shy and quiet. I liked the way that Enola acknowledged these two personalities of Cecily, and tried to accommodate them when she noticed how her friend was feeling and behaving. 

Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade is a fun Victorian middle grade mystery!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for providing an audio arc of this book!

What to read next:

Other books in the series:

• The Case of the Missing Marquess (Enola Holmes #1)
• The Case of the Left-Handed Lady (Enola Holmes #2)
• The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets (Enola Holmes #3)
• The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan (Enola Holmes #4)
• The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline (Enola Holmes #5)
• The Case of the Gypsy Good-Bye (Enola Holmes #6)
• Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche (Enola Holmes #7)

Have you read Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade? What did you think of it?