The Art of Theft

August 26, 2019
In Thomas’s fun fourth Lady Sherlock mystery (after 2018’s The Hollow of Fear), Charlotte Holmes, who makes her living “as oracle to her fictional brother Sherlock,” agrees to try to save the Maharani of Ajmer from a blackmailer who has hidden compromising letters in the back of a priceless Van Dyck painting destined to be sold at an annual art-sale-cum-masquerade-ball in France. With her partner, Mrs. Watson, and assorted other allies, Charlotte travels to France, where they conduct risky nighttime reconnaissance of the chateau in which the ball will be held and establish false identities that win them invitations. When they learn that the chateau is riddled with peepholes through which compromising pictures might be taken, they realize that the blackmail scheme targets many victims rather than one. Thomas grounds her fanciful premise in solid detective work and does a fine job of evoking the unfulfilled—and seemingly hopeless—romantic longings that afflict several of her sleuths. Fast-paced storytelling and witty prose add further appeal for those who like their historical mysteries playful. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary.

September 1, 2019
In the new cat-and-mouse Charlotte "Sherlock" Holmes novel, a heist becomes more complicated than Victorian England's greatest sleuth could have predicted. An unexpected visitor from the British Raj leads to a new assignment for lady detective Charlotte Holmes, one that reveals layers of mystery at each step. Charlotte and her sister, Olivia, plunge into the investigation with Mrs. Watson, Lord Ingram, and a few characters who have appeared fleetingly in the series and another from two of Thomas' other novels. Picking up a few months after Hollow of Fear (2018), this latest adventure pits Holmes and her intrepid band against an unknown blackmailer's demands, which lead them to a French chateau. On arriving there for reconnaissance, however, the group starts to piece together a far broader and more dangerous game at work. Grafting a classic house-party mystery onto a plot of international intrigue and criminal gangs, Thomas has Holmes weave together those threads while still mulling over the long-term fate of her smoldering relationship with her almost-divorced friend, Ingram. Romance fans will have to be satisfied with a few touches and some passages of internal longing, a bit of a letdown after the events of the previous novel. But the restraint fits the personalities of both main characters, and the extra time given to Mrs. Watson's lost Indian love and Olivia's budding one decentralizes Holmes' love plot in interesting ways. Thoughtful yet brief remarks critique patriarchy, heteronormativity, and colonialism, fitting organically into an absorbing whodunwhat arc. An exciting addition to the mystery series; Holmes meets Oceans 11 meets AVindication of the Rights of Woman.

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Starred review from October 7, 2019

The fourth novel in Thomas's stunning "Lady Sherlock" series (after The Hollow of Fear) may be enjoyed on its own, though it assumes a familiarity with characters and their backstories from the first three books that might cause the various subplots here to be confusing to newcomers. The main story line sees Charlotte Holmes, who solves mysteries as a fictional cousin to "Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective," and her companions plot to steal a painting. A dear friend of Mrs. Watson's is being blackmailed and must trade the painting in exchange for some indiscreet letters. Although none are expert thieves, Charlotte and her allies attempt to lift the artwork from a French chateau during a fancy Yuletide ball. Charlotte uses her keen wits and involves friends and family in her plans to derail the blackmail and retrieve the letters.

VERDICT RITA Award-winning author Thomas (The Burning Sky) weaves a masterly plot with a hint of romance and plenty of brilliance on the part of her Holmesian heroine to craft a thoroughly delightful Sherlockian novel. Well done!--Lisa O'Hara, Univ. of Manitoba Libs., Winnipeg

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