The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline

This is fast paced and well written novel with a solid story line and further evolution of the Enola Holmes series. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for light novel with an engaging heroine.

I expect series stories to weaken as they progress and the writer’s ideas become exhausted, but not so. I thought this is the best effort to date. The writing is clever, the story pacing enjoyable, and the characters are rich and as clever as the writing.

Saw the movie, was intrigued to start reading this series. I'm DELIGHTED it's much different than Netflix's take on the Enola Holmes of these books. I much prefer Nancy Springer's tales, although the movie was quite entertaining and well done in costumes and casting. Enola in book 5 has really grown, shows her true colors in terms of what she really longs for (to find her Mum), so I'm looking forward to reading Book 6.

This is the 5th book in the series. Enola must deal with a mystery close to home when her landlady, Mrs. Tupper is abducted. The mystery unfolds from deep in her past, back during the Crimean War. As a young wife, Mrs Tupper watched in horror as her husband died from a fever under the primitive conditions, only partially relieved by Florence Nightingale and her nurses. She was rescued by Miss Nightingale, and sent back to England, unknowingly carrying a secret message. Enola discovers the hidden message and ventures off to Miss Nightingale herself to figure out who, after all this time, is eager to find what secrets lay in the cryptic crinoline. Dodging her famous brother once again, Enola digs deep to find the truth. In turn, Miss. Nightingale educates Sherlock Holmes on the plight of young women and girls, giving him better insight into Enola’s perspective on her life.

While this author writes for children, her books are very enjoyable for adults as well. She does not write down to children. Her description of Victorian English life strikes me as very accurate. The premise of this series is that Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes have a much younger sister, Enola Holmes. Enola (which is "alone" backwards), as a late in life surprise for their parents, is a bit of an embarrassment to the Holmes brothers. When their mother, a liberated woman, goes missing, Enola flees as well in order to avoid being shipped off to a boarding/finishing school, where she would be trained to become nothing more than a decoration to a wealthy man's life. Enola abhors the mere idea. Enola fled in the first book in this series, and in subsequent stories she has inadvertently encountered older brother Sherlock, who has been searching for her. Affection is growing between the two siblings through their brief encounters. Sherlock is also developing a growing respect for his clever, daring little sister. In this story, Enola and Sherlock independently encounter Florence Nightengale, who helps guide Sherlock to some understanding of why his little sister flees at the mere sight of him. I really enjoy this series and look forward to more installments of the on-going saga of Enola and Sherlock Holmes.

I'm not a huge Sherlock Holmes fan, so I thought a series of books about his (newly invented) little sister wouldn't necessarily be for me. I tried them anyway, and loved them. Enola is an excellent female protagonist with a very engaging voice, the stories are humorous and interesting, the reading goes fast. I particularly enjoyed the portrayal of Sherlock Holmes as a pompous big brother instead of his usual untouchable genius persona. Highly recommended for girls and grown-up girls alike.

When Nancy Springer started this series, my first reaction was, "Sherlock's LITTLE SISTER?? Oh, give me a break!" However, the entire series, including this latest entry, has proven to be a delight. I would stringly recommend to read the other books, in order, before this one - the character development, and the development of Enola's relationships with her brothers, is a strong element in the stories. Nancy Springer obviously knows Sherlock Holmes, and also has a gift for getting inside the head of a young Victorian girl. The stories are exciting, but also plausible (no attempt to be Indiana Jones). Although they are billed as young adult novels, this 59-year-old enjoys them immensely. Highly recommended!

I love the Doyle version of Sherlock Holmes, and though I've read many of the modern revisits to the character, I have much more often been disappointed than happy with the results.. Some I like more than others, but none have left me as pleased and happy as Springer's books. They are directly about Enola, Sherlock and Mycroft's much younger sister, and Sherlock makes his appearances. Enola is awesome. I love her. She's smart and vulnerable. And her interactions with her brothers are great. Cryptic Crinoline is a good one, give it a try.

My 2 books arrived when they were scheduled to, however both covers were ripped upon arrival.

Livre très bien écrit, on s'attache facilement à cette jeune héroïne se rebellant contre la hiérarchie familiale et les conventions sociales. Affaire à suivre donc!

I brought it for a 9 year old but the language is slightly too complex are I’d say it’s more for a 13 year old.

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