The Last of August

Brilliant, intrepid Charlotte Holmes and ardent, pragmatic Watson are back in a second installment of Cavallaro's charming mystery series. Graham Halstead's sharp, earnest narration as Watson lends urgency and introspection to the adventurous prose. Holmes and Watson attempt to solve a disappearance and protect themselves from threats at every step. A varying pace lends gentleness to intimate moments between dear friends, then quickens as danger and intrigue propel the mystery forward. While Halstead narrates the bulk of the story, Julia Whelan's crisp, somber interlude provides valuable insight into Charlotte Holmes. The characters are complex, conflicted, and engaging; their journey, engaging and suspenseful. K.S.B. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

December 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-Picking up just weeks after A Study in Charlotte ended, Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes are on their Christmas break in London. Their friendship has taken a few steps back, though, and things seem tense. After Holmes's mother turns suddenly ill and her beloved uncle Leander goes missing, the game is afoot. The pair travel across Europe from Berlin to Prague, bickering all the way yet still making a great team. The book is nearly all from Watson's perspective, as was the first title in the trilogy, but a few chapters at the end are from Holmes's view, and they are worth the wait, filled with turns of phrase that only she could dream up. This delightful sequel introduces a mystery on a grander scale with much higher stakes while staying true to the flavor of an original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle story. There are new characters, a kidnapping, poison, art fraud, narrow escapes, danger, drama, and a final twist with a heap of delicious, complex sleuthing that will keep readers guessing until the end. No one is ever what or who they seem. VERDICT A strong purchase for fans of A Study in Charlotte and where mysteries are popular.-Kristen Rademacher, Marist High School, IL

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2016
A duo becomes a trio and tries to settle family feuds in this relationship-focused crime caper sequel to A Study in Charlotte (2016).On school break, white teenagers Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson trade Connecticut for the Continent. Raised on the legendary escapades of the original Holmes and Watson, hapless narrator Jamie romanticizes a girl who rejects his affection--a la the works of John Green and Woody Allen--and feels out of his element among the elite. Sober but still scarred by her sexual assault, Charlotte uses the cases of a missing uncle and a poisoned parent to escape to her brother Milo's high-security Berlin bachelor pad. There, the two gain a partner, August Moriarty--Charlotte's former tutor, first crush, and alleged homicide victim--whose resurfacing does not fully appease his criminal kin. The forgery subplot, parodied-but-still-pretentious art scene, dark humor, witty dialogue, and action scenes thankfully leaven the relentless relationship drama. Cavallaro expands beyond Doyle's storylines while still using his characters and their hallmark behaviors, but this second outing somehow feels less original than the series opener. Although characters sometimes skate close to caricature, the young Holmes, Watson, and Moriarty contend with "a metric ton of psychic damage" in a raw and unflinching manner. This muddled mystery rests on elaborate machinations with disproportionate motivations, but the emotional odyssey should satisfy readers seeking a contemporary, teenage take on the Baker Street pair. (Mystery. 14 & up)

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