The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline: An Enola Holmes Mystery [Hardcover]

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.

Pitched at a reading level considerably higher than the justifiably famous Nancy Drew series, THE CASE OF THE CRYPTIC CRINOLINE continues the adventures of Enola Holmes, the hitherto unknown, late-arriving younger sister of Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes, who was introduced so capably in THE CASE OF THE MISSING MARQUESS.

A budding young feminist, intelligent far beyond her tender age of only fourteen years, Enola Holmes is living incognito in London, hiding from her brilliant brothers for fear that they would force her into the stultifying life of a Victorian boarding school for young ladies. Sherlock and Mycroft are portrayed as typical 19th century men in their attitude toward women and whatever intellect they may possess. That is to say, they are at least patronizing and chauvinist and perhaps, in Mycroft's case, downright misogynist.

Despite being of independent means with the financial resources that her mother provided in THE CASE OF THE MISSING MARQUESS, Enola has decided that she will live her life as a "perditorian", a "finder of lost things". In THE CASE OF THE CRYPTIC CRINOLINE, Enola tackles the disappearance of her own sweet landlady, the very deaf Mrs Tupper, when she is kidnapped after what modern readers would term a house invasion. The clues are sparse - a story about Mrs Tupper's history as a broken-hearted widow in the Crimean War and some old embroidery on a crinoline. But Enola is stubbornly determined to find her and repay the kindness that Mrs Tupper has shown her by acting, in effect, as a loving, thoughtful stand-in for the real mother that Enola hasn't seen since she left home so many months earlier. Of course, her sleuthing constantly places her in danger of being shipped off to that ever so repugnant boarding school for young ladies should her brothers, Sherlock and Mycroft, ever manage to penetrate her numerous disguises and lay hands on her.

Nancy Springer's wonderfully innovative and imaginative series is now maturing as it reaches its fourth title but it certainly isn't showing any signs of staleness or tiring. The portrayal of Crimean heroine and foresighted developer of the modern nursing profession, Florence Nightingale, adds a heightened verve and sense of possible reality to this mystery. Clearly the ideas, the atmosphere, the characterization and the plotting continue to flow and I'll be looking forward to the fifth title, THE CASE OF THE GYPSY GOODBYE. Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

Enola Holmes first sprang onto the scene in THE CASE OF THE MISSING MARQUESS and then continued her adventures in three subsequent novels. Fans of Enola no doubt realize she goes to great lengths to stay hidden in London. She parades around in her alter-ego, Miss Meshle, in an attempt to stay free of notice from her much famous older brother, Sherlock Holmes. While Enola does maintain her freedom from such restrictions as a fancy boarding school or uptight social gatherings, she is nevertheless very much alone (her name spelled backwards is still "Alone").

In fact, the closest thing to family would be her dear landlady, Mrs. Tupper. Mrs. Tupper may be deaf and a dreadful cook, but she certainly doesn't ask questions concerning Enola's sometimes eccentric and erratic behavior. She also recognizes that there is more to Enola than meets the eye and confides in her concerning a mysterious message received in the mail. Apparently someone is after Mrs. Tupper to deliver a "bird-brained" message --- or else. While utterly clueless, Enola realizes this is no idle threat when Mrs. Tupper is kidnapped the very next day. Time is short for Enola to rescue perhaps the only person who really cares about her.

The smallest amount of clues is left behind for Enola to make sense of. These include Mrs. Tupper's brief history in the Crimean War, some old embroidery on a crinoline, and a brief encounter with a very famous nurse, Florence Nightingale. Enola's first encounter with the seemingly invalid Nightingale is fruitless and exasperating. The crinoline, however, proves more fruitful with a hidden Morse code in the embroidery. Armed now with an important secret message, Enola once again approaches Florence Nightingale with the hope of coming one step closer to locating the missing Mrs. Tupper. Florence informs Enola that she has also hired her own detective to solve the problem, and Enola comes face to face --- literally --- with the last person she expects or wants to see: her older brother, Sherlock.

Enola is now faced with two very difficult problems. She still has not found her beloved Mrs. Tupper, and time is running out. Also, now Sherlock is hot on her tail to bring her home and force her into a "proper" school and other "proper" engagements girls of her age should be experiencing. Will the cryptic crinoline lead Enola to Mrs. Tupper? Will Enola be able to maintain her freedom with the insatiable Sherlock Holmes on the case? Only the younger sister of the great Sherlock Holmes would be able to juggle the two problems with relative ease and a hint of danger mixed in.

Nancy Springer has successfully created a series of mysteries that capture the sincerity and complexity of the original Conan Doyle stories with a new and vibrant character in Enola Holmes. Enola proves once again that she is able to match wits with her male counterparts and perhaps has more fun in doing it. I appreciated the richness of language in relation to the time period and of course the wondrous and equally spooky setting of London. This was my first Enola Holmes mystery, and I am a converted fan.

--- Reviewed by Benjamin Boche

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