The Hollow of Fear

With The Hollow of Fear, Sherry Thomas continues to delight readers with the latest installment in her Lady Sherlock series. Continuing from the point where A Conspiracy in Belgravia left off, Charlotte Holmes finds herself once more solving crimes behind the persona of Sherlock Holmes. This time, however, she goes a step further, resorting to actually disguising herself as Sherrinford Holmes so that she may wander about freely during her investigations. Another difference is that this particular case involves her childhood friend, and erstwhile love interest, Lord Ingram, whom she must prove innocent of the murder of his estranged wife.

I find Thomas’s characterization of Charlotte Holmes particularly interesting in that she seems to have given her many traits similar to those of someone on the autistic spectrum. I don’t know if the author has done this intentionally, but if she has, I applaud her! Charlotte processes information and details in ways that typical people do not. She also does not understand human emotions and prefers logic. That is not to say that she is without love or affection for others: she simply shows emotions in non-typical ways.

While The Hollow of Fear is a well-written and enjoyable read, it is not a stand-alone novel. I would caution the reader who picks it up to first read the two books that came before in the series: A Study in Scarlet Women and A Conspiracy in Belgravia. Failing to do so would result in confusion concerning the many characters and the relationships between them. Don’t worry, however; being forced to read the first two books in The Lady Sherlock series is no trial at all and will only serve to whet the readers’ appetite as they anxiously wait for the next installment.