Book Review: A Study in Charlotte (Charlotte Holmes #1) by Brittany Cavallaro
Back in December we featured A Study in Charlotte as one of our Books On Our Radar posts. As I mentioned in that post I pretty much each up anything Holmes related be that in the form of a Benedict, a Miller or a Downey, Jr. So I was waiting with baited breath for the arrival of this YA twist on the familiar tale. This book definitely takes the story in a very interesting direction. Read on for all the book details and my spoiler free review.
A Study in Charlotte (Charlotte Holmes #1) by Brittany Cavallaro
Category: Young Adult, Mystery
Purchase: Amazon
The last thing Jamie Watson wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s great-great-great-granddaughter, who has inherited not only Sherlock’s genius but also his volatile temperament. From everything Jamie has heard about Charlotte, it seems safer to admire her from afar.
From the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else. But when a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Jamie and Charlotte are being framed for murder, and only Charlotte can clear their names. But danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.
A Study in Charlotte is the first in a trilogy.
Book Review
…I wanted those things. I wanted the two of us to be complicated together, to be difficult and engrossing and blindingly brilliant.
[book review 3/5]A study in Charlotte is an interesting take on the Sherlock lure. Having both the Holmes and Watson of this modern day story be descendants of the titular characters is a stroke of genius not to mention the Holmes of this story is, mic drop, a female!
To further modernize the tale, the story is set in a present day American Boarding School (not Britain, quell shock). Much like the beloved characters James (don’t call me Jamie) Watson and Charlotte Holmes have almost all of the same traits and characteristics of their namesake.
To which, I felt was a bit of a detriment. I would have loved if there was a bit of freshness in terms of their flaws and quirks and that it didn’t lean so heavily on the original characters. Still, Charlotte in particular, had just the right amount of icy detachment coupled with underlining vulnerability that made for an interesting character. James was a bit lacking and while his inner monologue gave the story its heart, I wish that he had been a bit stronger in terms of his actions. He certainly proved himself as the story progressed but I wanted a bit more meat from him.
The mystery wasn’t a big page turner for me it was more about the growth of Charlotte and James’ friendship (which was a bit of an insta friendship unfortunately) but I found myself becoming invested in these two characters and the larger story as a whole. There is definitely a sophistication to this story that is not found in your traditional YA.
While I won’t spoil anything I will say that the relationship these two social outcasts share is definitely moving in a fascinating direction. I’m hoping that by book two with the foundation having been laid that we are in store for more exciting Holmes and Watson adventures.
Author Bio
Brittany Cavallaro is a poet, fiction writer, and old school Sherlockian. She is the author of the poetry collection Girl-King (University of Akron) and is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. She earned her BA in literature from Middlebury College and her MFA in poetry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Currently, she’s a PhD candidate in English literature at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she teaches creative writing, detective fiction, and lots of other things. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, cat, and collection of deerstalker caps. Find her at her website, brittanycavallaro.com, or on Twitter @skippingstones.
