Murder on Cold Street

July 27, 2020
A locked-room mystery drives Thomas’s entertaining if implausible fifth Lady Sherlock whodunit (after 2019’s The Art of Theft). When Scotland Yard’s Insp. Robert Treadles becomes the suspect in a double murder, his wife, Alice Treadles, consults detective Charlotte Holmes, Robert’s sometime collaborator who claims to be acting on behalf of her ill, bedridden brother no one ever sees, Sherlock Holmes. Two London bobbies on patrol found Robert in a locked bedroom in an unoccupied house, brandishing his service revolver. The bedroom’s other occupants, John Longstead, who lived next door, and his nephew, Ambrose Sullivan, were shot to death. Both victims worked at Cousins Manufacturing, a company that Mrs. Treadles recently took over. Despite the incriminating circumstances, the inspector’s wife believes in his innocence, and Charlotte agrees to investigate, ostensibly in accord with the instructions of her “brother.” Developments in Charlotte’s love life complement the sleuthing. This may appeal more to fans of lighter Victorian mysteries than to Sherlockians. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary.

Nefarious deeds are afoot in the latest Lady Charlotte Holmes mystery, beautifully narrated by Kate Reading. In this case, Inspector Treadles has been caught holding a revolver in a room with two men who were shot dead. Both men worked for the company recently inherited by Treadles's wife. Surely, Lady Charlotte's collaborator isn't guilty of murder? Reading is in fine voice, offering a mellow, warm, and amused performance to match the wry wit and voluptuousness of the writing. Voluptuous because Miss Holmes likes sweets and her colleague Lord Ingram as much as she likes detecting. Trust, though, that detecting abounds most satisfyingly, as do characters, all of whom Reading personifies, from a squeaky widow to Lord Ingram--with his baritone bedroom murmur. A.C.S. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine