ALA Booklist (Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2008)

Enola Holmes, the younger sister of Sherlock Holmes, returns in her fourth mystery. Enola is shocked when she spies a friend, Lady Cecily, in the first ladies' lavatory in London. With the help of a pink fan, Enola deduces that Cecily is in the clutches of a noble family, who is forcing her into an arranged marriage. Can she save her? As in the previous books, this features a strong mystery, intriguing family relationships, and the continuing thread of a daughter and mother lost to each other, forcing Enola to evade the clutches of brothers Sherlock and Mycroft. A rousing read with plenty of terrific Victorian detail.

Horn Book (Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

A sixteen-year-old girl has been kidnapped for an arranged marriage, and both Enola Holmes and older brother Sherlock are in hot pursuit. Twenty-first-century sensibilities seep into Springer's latest mystery, but her character development shines, as feisty fourteen-year-old Enola explores her feelings about the mother who abandoned her, and her brothers--Sherlock and Mycroft--who want her to "conform to society's expectations."

Kirkus Reviews

Although their own eccentricities are legendary, Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes fully expect their very much younger sister to take on the attributes of the stereotypical Victorian female. She will be schooled in womanly endeavors with an eye to a future as someone's wife—but 14-year-old Enola has ideas of her own. She has already solved several mysteries, donning a variety of disguises in order to encourage clients, get results and elude her brothers ( The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets , 2008, etc.). This time she encounters them at every turn and they must finally join forces to solve a truly Victorian kidnapping in which a young woman is held against her will by family members in order to be wed to a particularly odious man. Orphans, secret codes and a missing mother add to the thrill of the chase. Springer's period syntax is spot-on, while remaining accessible to modern readers. It is an almost perfect evocation of that bygone era, and Enola is a plucky, intelligent and altogether delightful character. More please. (Mystery. 9-12)

School Library Journal (Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2008)

Gr 5-8 Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes's 14-year-old sister takes on a new case, this one involving Lady Cecily Alistair, the champion of the poor and working classes of London. The Holmes brothers continue to be concerned about Enola's lack of a "proper" upbringing and she continues to evade them by disguising herself as Ivy Meshle, secretary to the nonexistent Dr. Leslie Ragostin. Enola finds that Lady Cecily is being held against her will, at her father's behest, by her two dragon-lady aunts to be married off to her foppish cousin. The girl employs numerous clever disguises, is found detecting by Sherlock, and narrowly escapes with her life. Springer's knowledge of the restraints placed on Victorian women, especially those of the upper classes, is used both for humorous entertainments (a pink tea) and to give authenticity to Enola's determination to remain an independent young lady. Her fans will welcome this latest adventure. Kathryn Kosiorek, formerly at Cuyahoga County Public Library, Brooklyn, OH