molly shier

Laurie's writing is immaculate. I love the character's of Holmes and Russel. Always anticipating the next one. This one had beautiful description, great suspense, and a wonderful deeper exploration of Sherlock home's past. This got a 3 instead of a 5 star for this reason: I am really unhappy with her portrayal of Holmes' dwindling acuity and ability to solve mysteries, and the build up of Russel's abilities that seem to be at his expense. I love that Russel is a strong women and that she is writing about women who challenged the stifling status quo for themselves in the 18 and early 19 hundreds. But I don't think it is necessary to shrink Holmes' abilities as she builds up and shows the capabilities of women. Her stories lose strength for me as a result and I ended up frustrated and felt disappointed by the end of the book. Laurie - please reconsider this approach. (Spoiler alert) If his mother can be a strong woman at 100 then he can certainly stay sharp in his 60's!