School Library Journal Starred Review

Gr 5-8-It is March, 1889, in London, and Enola is still lodging in the East End and evading her brothers, Mycroft and Sherlock, so as to avoid boarding school. For six months, she has been using the alias Ivy Meshle and pursuing her "life's calling" as a Perditorian ("finder of the lost") but, afraid that she has been discovered, she must choose a new identity: Viola Everseau. Her new disguise: a beautiful woman. Her new case: finding the missing Dr. Watson. Her first act is to visit Dr. Watson's wife, and her first clue is a bizarre bouquet the frantic woman has received. Using her knowledge of the "language of flowers," Enola deduces that the bouquet suggests revenge and knows that this is a detail that her sleuthing brother will overlook. Her investigation leads her from a theatrical shop to a hothouse, from one dangerous situation to another. Enola is a delightful character, with the sharp wit one would expect from Sherlock Holmes's sister, and a wry voice that is uniquely hers. Springer's descriptions of late-19th-century England are vivid, the mystery is intriguing, and Enola's cleverness and capability will appeal to readers who like their heroines both sprightly and savvy. Move over, Sherlock.-Laurie Slagenwhite, Baldwin Public Library, Birmingham, MI Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

ALA Booklist (Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2008)

Intriguing bits of Victorian social history mix with unnerving suspense in the latest Enola Holmes mystery. Enola, the younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes, has refused to take on the traditional role of a young lady preparing for marriage. Instead, she lives by her wits, working as a "perditorian," a finder of the lost. In this caper, Dr. Watson has gone missing, and Enola bends her considerable deductive skills to finding him. She has an advantage over her famous brother Sherlock because she knows can understand the malevolent meanings contained in the bouquets sent to Mrs. Watson.

Horn Book (Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2008)

Enola Holmes bests older brother Sherlock once again after discovering that a vengeful patient whisked Dr. Watson away to an insane asylum. Springer's mystery whips along, her heroine's "syrupy young woman" disguise providing comic relief. Enola is her usual smart and spunky self here, continuing to dodge her supposed destiny as "an ornament for genteel society" in 1880s London.

Kirkus Reviews

In this third Enola Holmes mystery, the younger, teenage sister of Sherlock Holmes is determined to find the missing Dr. Watson on her own by deciphering the clues in the bizarre bouquets sent to his wife. As in the previous two titles, Enola uses disguises, codes, false names and her familiarity with London's seamy side to solve the case. Ciphers, coded newspaper messages, the meaning of flowers, sophisticated language and frequent references to Enola's mother (who disappeared in the first book) will intrigue fans of the first two, though making it less independent as a stand-alone. Nevertheless, Enola is clever, intelligent, indomitable and plucky, a young feminist "in disguise" in Victorian London, always on the lookout for her two famous older brothers. On the cover, Enola looks a bit like a contemporary teen, though a horse-drawn carriage in the background suggests the historical setting. With precise characterization, fast pacing and keen observation, readers will be eager to learn what Enola will encounter next. (Historical fiction. 11-15)