Carole's Monday: A conspiracy in Belgravia

Author: Sherry Thomas

Narrator: Kate Reading

Title: A Conspiracy in Belgravia (Lady Sherlock #2)

Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Thriller, Romance

Format: Audiobook

Published: September 5, 2017

Where I got It: Audible

Summary: 

Being shunned by Society gives Charlotte Holmes the time and freedom to put her extraordinary powers of deduction to good use. As “Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective,” aided by the capable Mrs. Watson, she’s had great success helping with all manner of inquiries, but she’s not prepared for the new client who arrives at her Upper Baker Street office.

Lady Ingram, wife of Charlotte’s dear friend and benefactor, wants Sherlock Holmes to find her first love, who failed to show up at their annual rendezvous. Matters of loyalty and discretion aside, the case becomes even more personal for Charlotte as the missing man is none other than Myron Finch, her illegitimate half brother.

In the meanwhile, Charlotte wrestles with a surprising proposal of marriage, a mysterious stranger woos her sister Livia, and an unidentified body that surfaces where least expected. Charlotte’s investigative prowess is challenged as never before: Can she find her brother in time—or will he, too, end up as a nameless corpse somewhere in the belly of London?

Review:

Book 2! Been a min since I read book 1. Been meaning to move forward but...sighs...got busy with other stuff. 

We continue on Charlotte Holmes' journey to freedom. She is shunned by Society but this allows her to use her powers of deduction to good use. With her aid, Mrs. Watson, has had great success helping with all sorts of matters. When Lady Ingram, wife of Charlotte's friend and benefactor, wants Sherlock Holmes to find her first love after he failed to show up at their annual rendezvous, things get a little...hairy. This same man is none other than Myron Finch who is Charlotte's illegitimate half-brother. On top of that, Charlotte has to deal with a surprising proposal of marriage, a mysterious stranger wooing her sister, and an unidentified body pops up. 

There was a lot going on here. And you know it all has to be tied together somehow. Charlotte certainly has her hands full with this mystery. I highly recommend reading book 1 first. There is a lot that is tied into that one. You would be lost without reading book 1. 

This did take a while to get off the ground for me. There was a lot of set-up that was needed before things started going. BUT you need to pay attention. There are a lot of things that are necessary to remember as you go along. I had the same issue with book 1. It must be done on purpose. 

Besides for the slow-ish beginning, I was engrossed with this. There seemed to be a lot of unrelated things floating around, but you just KNOW that they HAVE to be tied together. I came up with a theory that I thought was foolish but turned out I was partially right. I had the who but not the why and how. A fantastic twist at the end. Our mystery isn't 100% resolved. There are some players that are left around that I am sure will cause issues in the next book (or books). Curious to see how all that plays out. 

The narrator is fantastic. Her voices are perfect for our pretty big cast. 

Overall, I did enjoy this. The beginning takes a moment to get up and running but once it did...I couldn't stop listening. Totally engrossed with the story! I am liking this series, but I do recommend book 1 first before diving into this one. I'll give this 4 stars. 

Challenge(s):
- #36 for Audiobook challenge