A Beautiful and Terrible Murder

Irene Adler #1

by Claire M. Andrews

Perfect for fans of Stalking Jack the Ripper, this historical murder mystery follows the cunning Irene Adler as she teams up with the mysterious Sherlock Holmes to discover who is murdering Oxford's elite students in the All Souls class.

Irene Adler is no ordinary young lady. She's at the top of the ranks in the All Souls cohort, a competitive preparatory class reserved for Oxford's brightest minds. But her peers and professors don't know she's a lady at all. To them, she is Isaac Holland.

Keeping up her disguise gets trickier when All Souls students start dying, one by one. Determined to find out who's responsible for the deaths, Irene—as Isaac—teams up with fellow classmate and roommate Sherlock Holmes to track down clues. Their mission grows more dangerous by the day as someone tries to frame Isaac for the murders, and Irene's own father, Dean Moriarty, begins to threaten her seat in school.

Readers will love following these classic and beloved characters through the twists and turns in the dark halls of Oxford, and discovering what secret lies behind the glitz and glamor of the elite.

Irene's investigations continue
A Lovely and Deadly Dance (available August 2026!)

Don't miss the Daughter of Sparta series, also by Claire M.
Daughter of Sparta
Blood of Troy
Storm of Olympus

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Retellings, Thriller, Audiobook

423 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 5, 2025

About the author

Claire was raised in both Alaska and Scotland, but currently lives in Vermont; when not writing, she can usually be found outside swimming, skiing or hiking across the state’s famous green mountains.

If you want to learn more about Claire, you can find her here -
https://www.instagram.com/cmandrewslit/
https://www.twitter.com/cmandrewslit
https://www.pinterest.com/cmandrewslit/
https://www.clairemandrewsbooks.wordp...

Feel free to ask her questions! She would love to hear from you!

Reviews

[Kelcey | felinebooktrovert ✨️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Our hearts are not born black. They are made that way."

4.25 stars

An entertaining murder mystery with some beloved characters.

A big fan of Irene getting to be the star of the show and this book delivered that in spades. She's such a great character to follow, though she seemed to be a little muted for my tastes here, but this is the first book of a series so I'm sure she'll blossom even more as we go.

Holmes was also a great character, though I would have liked a little more of him here. He's also not quite the Holmes most of us are used to but again, I think we're gonna have another book or more to watch him grow into it.

Definitely recommend for those who enjoy murder mystery with a splash of romance thrown in. This is also young adult, though it didn't feel overly young and was easy to get through ❤️

Thank you NetGalley and Little Brown Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put this book down! What a great Sherlock Holmes retelling that focused on Irene Adler. I loved the spin on each of the original characters.

I would definitely continue reading this series (it looks like a series in Goodreads but no second book has been announced yet). I started the author’s DAUGHTER OF SPARTA series but haven’t finished it yet but I must say, I liked this story a lot more.

The one thing that had me deciding between four and five stars was the romance element. I wanted a touch more romance. The slow burn and banter were so good I just wanted a smidge more to happen between Sherlock and Irene.

Lastly, the mystery element was really well done. I didn’t figure out who the killer was until very late into the story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[jo ❣︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

⤷ thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review

England has yet to see the last of Irene Adler

Pitched as for fans of Stalking Jack the Ripper which I have never read but can see the similaritires, I think it's also for fans of Enola Holmes because those are the vibes I got! A quite enjoyable read, if you consider reading about death enjoyable (apparently I do) with plenty of tension and stakes to keep you going. I enjoyed the likeable characters (aka Sherlock and Irene) but that's about it!

Not sure if I like that cover...it is giving AI but who am I to judge 😭 All in all, I enjoyed this and found myself binging through it in two hours! Thank you again to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc!

[Hayley Hoerner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to win an ARC from the author on an Instagram giveaway! I loved Andrews' Daughter of Sparta series, so as soon as I heard about this one, I knew I needed to read it.

I loved this story so much and can't wait to see where it goes next!😍 One thing about Andrews' writing that I love is that she always has a strong female protagonist. I absolutely adored Irene and her strength and ability. When it came to Sherlock, all I could picture was Benedict Cumberbatch. I'm not mad about it😂.

The vibes for this one were similar to Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco, and I devoured that series.

[eve._.lyn reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
this was like if enola holmes 2 was made into a book, except the main character is irene adler pretending to be a man as she works with sherlock holmes to solve a murder. need i say more?

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given how many authors have tread this ground before, it feels somehow mean to say that A Beautiful and Terrible Murder feels like Sherlock Holmes fanfiction. But the way that Holmes, Irene, Watson, and Moriarty are portrayed really invokes that sense, and it certainly doesn't help that there are some distinct and distracting historical inaccuracies. (Hopefully those will be fixed when the book goes to print.)

But the best fanfiction is a lot of fun, and this does mostly fit that bill. The mystery is entertaining and the characters are as well, while the writing is generally polished and very readable. I'm not sure I'll pick up a sequel, but this was a good rainy day read.

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

a fun mystery

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very fortunate to read a late-stage draft of this book. I am writing this review of my own volition and without compensation. HUGE thanks to Claire Andrews for the draft to read!

Fresh off of the success of her Daughter of Sparta trilogy, Andrews turns her attention to another much maligned figure in literature; Irene Adler. She's been a long time nemesis and occasional love of Sherlock Holmes, but Sir Arthur Conan Doyle never provided much of a backstory for Irene. How did she become who she was? What prompted her actions?

Andrews provides us answers and more in this rollicking good time of a murder mystery in, A Beautiful and Terrible Murder.

Taking place during Sherlock Holmes' Oxford days, Andrews weaves a complex and delicious web of intrigue and mystery, all set in the gorgeous backdrop of Victorian era Oxford. Her lush descriptions of both people and place enchant the reader and keep the pages turning. She continues to delight with her characters, and where we fell in love with Daphne, Apollo, Lykou and Hippolyta, in ABaTM, we'll meet Gerry, Edgar, Watson (yes, THAT Watson!) a mysterious Isaac and Irene herself.

I devoured A Beautiful and Terrible Murder and was left satisfied, but always with room for desert. Lucky me it seems like Claire Andrews herself isn't quite finished with Irene Adler either......

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and immersive book that imagines new adventures in the Sherlock Holmes universe. Think of it like an alternate universe prequel in which Sherlock is exactly the same and Irene Adler is, um, very different.

Though the solve wasn’t great (to be fair, that’s very much in line with most Conan Doyle stories, in my opinion), it’s the getting there that matters in this one, and I love this as an origin story for the standard Conan Doyle characters. The author cleverly finds a way to make Irene not just a far more important character but a major player in the mystery, and it makes for a great tale.

The use of Oxford here as a setting was surprisingly good. This version of All Souls is fictional, but you always feel like you’re on the Oxford campus, rooting the story in excellent sense of place. I’m really disappointed that given where the story is going at the close of this installment, it’s likely the last we’ll see if the characters in this setting. I hope I’m wrong about that, as this is a less appealing concept if it’s set in London like most Holmes reimaginings and retellings.

In all, this was enjoyable and I loved the tone. Depending on where the author decides to take the ongoing story, I’d definitely read another.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genres: Historical Ficiton/Mystery/Retelling

This is yet another young Sherlock Holmes retelling. And tbh, I don't mind at all. I'll read every single one. I love Sherlock Holmes. I love Watson, and in this one I absolutely loved Irene. She was a strong MC, with a story all her own. She was perfectly capable of carrying the entire story, leaving plenty of mystery and room for the next installment to develop.

The mystery itself took a back seat, which was surprising (in a good way) and it worked. The author let the characters shine, weaving in other threads that added rich detail and it gave the story depth. That is what I enjoyed the most.

My only negative is that the plot felt a bit predictable. Several elements were easy to see coming. This wasn't a deal breaker by any means. I hope the next book reigns that in a bit. Overall though, I liked this one....so 4 stars.

[Aislinn Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book - I would have loved it in high school and I love it now in my 30s. The writing was excellent and the plot kept me on the edge of my seat.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Thrillers, Suspense
*Rating* 3.5-4

*Thoughts*

A Beautiful and Terrible Murder is the first installment in author Clair Andrews Irene Adler series. A retelling of Sherlock Holmes from the perspective of the one woman to ever outwit him, A Beautiful and Terrible Murder follows Irene Adler and Sherlock Holmes as they are forced to work together to hunt down a murderer at Oxford who is killing their classmates. In 1872, Oxford, Irene Adler lives a daring double life. As "Isaac Holland," she disguises herself as a young man to attend the elite, all-male All Souls cohort—a competitive preparatory program for Oxford's brightest minds.

*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*

https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...

[Rachel Figueroa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little predictable but a great read. The plot was well paced, and I love the setting for this Sherlock reimagining. I can't wait to read more from this author.

[Jessica Ferreras · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little whodunit. I really liked how the author introduced the characters and their connections. Because even though we are well acquainted with these characters, the author used some shock factors which was really fun.

[Lastblossom]

tl;dr
Sherlock Holmes boarding school AU. This is probably all you need to decide if this is a book for you. But just in case it isn't...

Thoughts
Let's be honest. All Sherlockian writing these days are technically fanfic. Some try really hard to maintain the original vibe. Some add wildly supernatural elements. This book is the first one I've read that really feels like fanfic (complimentary) in terms of the vibes. Sherlock is hot and there's banter. Our heroine is the half-sister of the series villain. John Watson has golden retriever energy. It's a fun romp. But overall, it's the sort of story that didn't really need to be a Sherlock story to exist. I understand why the decision was made, but I only managed to find enjoyment once I accepted that these were entirely different characters that drew inspiration from the Sherlock universe. Character histories and relationships are fully rewritten, in a way that is fun, but fully divorced from the canon. So I will be attempting to review this from that standpoint, rather than nitpicking all the ways this feels Not Like Sherlock Holmes.

Irene is a fun heroine for the most part. Clever crossdressing lead is a time-honored tradition, and it's handled fairly realistically without getting into too many details. Her interactions with Holmes in both identities is super fun, and I enjoyed their back-and-forth. She does fall prey to the "not like other girls" attitude occasionally, but the author understands this is a weakness for the character and writes it as such, which I appreciated. Romance is fairly light at the moment, but it does feel like we're getting set up for more. The mystery wound up being a little difficult for me to follow, perhaps owing to a very large list of characters. It follows the Conan Doyle school of following the clues rather than the Agatha Christie style of fair play, but I think anyone paying close enough attention could deduce a good amount of it anyway.

The ending also does its best to set up the events so that the canon can happen in the future, but with the promise of a second book on the way, that might be out of the window at this point. And honestly, that's probably okay.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Beautiful and Terrible Murder is a Sherlock Holmes retelling with Irene Adler as the main character.

Irene is a young woman simultaneously taking finishing school-esque classes for young ladies and (in the disguise of a young man named Isaac) taking classes with men at Oxford. She is determined to be the best in her class and beat the boys. Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty are her classmates, and when young men in the class are murdered, she decides to find out who did it.

The story had an intriguing premise and I am always down for a YA mystery, especially one set in a boarding school. However, you're kind of thrown into the story since the first murder happens really early on. The character was barely introduced and he was killed off. The other murders were confusing as well. Since the characters were introduced all at once, it was kind of hard to keep them all straight, especially as they started getting killed off.

I also found it really hard to believe that NO ONE suspected Irene’s secret identity. She's constantly walking between the two campuses, taking her fake moustache on and off and no one can piece it together? There's a decent amount of suspension of disbelief required here, but if you're able to do that, it's a fun and engaging story.

[Susy]

3.5 women unite! Stars

Well, make that, woman, unite. This is the story of Irene Adler, Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, and of course, James Moriarty as young adult students at Oxford.

Murder, mayhem and drugs are plaguing Oxford. The sons of the elite are being picked off one by one, but by whom? Our illustrious heroine Irene is on the case! But she has a lot to overcome and conceal. Irene is intimately connected to these young men because they are all in the same high academic class called The All Souls class. And here’s the kicker; Irene is posing as a young man! She must navigate the hallowed halls of Oxford as a man and then scurry over to the women’s college to take classes there.

It was very entertaining to listen to how Irene manages keeping her male alter ego alive, as well as living and studying as herself and solve the mysterious murders in and around Oxford. But the most chilling, treacherous balancing act is actually closer to home - how to stay alive and control her own family…her half brother James Moriarty and her father, an academic Dean Robert Moriarty. Enjoy!

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down. This was fun and I loved all the tie-ins with the characters and how everyone from Sherlock Holmes was college-aged.

Sherlock and Irene always had the best chemistry and I’m happy to say this was no different. Unfortunately while a good story, and a good twist on the good Sir’s adventures, it was very skimmable. I skipped a lot of the memories and just focused on what was happening with the murders and the banter but I don’t feel like I missed anything.

It doesn’t need to be a series, or even a duology, and it could’ve been about a hundred pages shorter, but if you love these characters I’d recommend it.

[RAL · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so easy to get obsessed with, 4.5 stars for sure. Irene/Sherlock were the best, together and individually. Irene was such a strong, witty, cunning heroine. I feel like I need to read more Sherlock Holmes books, and I cannot wait for the next in the series!

[Emmaline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll never miss a Sherlock Holmes retelling 🙂‍↕️

[Bookworm_119 · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5
I loved this book so much. It was witty and full of such sharp twists and turns. The romance, complex characters, and plot were amazing.

[Heather Brew · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Asia_czytaaa]

czekam na kontynuację 👀✨

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 I really enjoyed this one and read it in several large chunks.

[Shaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Claire Andrews for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for A Beautiful and Terrible Murder coming out August 5, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’ve read a couple books by this author. I was excited for the Sherlock Holmes Irene Adler adaptation. I really enjoyed it. I’ve read similar stories before, so it wasn’t completely new to me. But the characters were interesting. I’d read more if it’s a series.

[Maddi Shiu · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

RTC

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

True Rating: 3.75 Stars

Content/Trigger Warnings: Murder, Misogyny, Violence, Mild gore, Substance abuse, References to child abuse, Extreme hazing, Classism, Sexism

"There's no denying that he was a pompous ass, but if I went around slitting the throats of every insufferable man at Oxford -tempting through the thought may be - there'd be no one left by the end of a fortnight."

Review

Full disclosure: I haven't read all of the original Sherlock Holmes stories. I've read "A Study in Scarlet," and that's all. The only other introductions to the character I've had are the Robert Downey Jr. films, the Enola Holmes films, one episode of BBC Sherlock, and The Great Mouse Detective.

So my review will have nothing to say about the originality or absurdity that may be in the story in regards to the characters; I'll leave that to the true Sherlock Holmes fans who love the original novels. This review is focused on this book as it is, a YA mystery that uses Conan Doyle's characters.

I was interested in this book as it made Irene Adler the primary MC, with a familiar setup of a woman pretending to be a man in order to get the education she deserves. It was also a mystery, and summer is my favorite time to read mysteries.

For the most part, I did enjoy this. The writing style itself is well-done, straightforward but leaning into other feelings when it needed to. There were some scenes where Irene gains the upper hand that had me cheering her on, and the way she phrases certain things can be beautiful or terrible (ha) at times.

The attraction between Sherlock and Irene is practically instantaneous, but it feels more like insta-lust rather than insta-love. Their physical attraction is off the charts, but the author does walk that line very carefully given it's a YA novel. I actually give her a lot of credit for holding back; too many YA romances nowadays involve some mildly graphic sexual content that really needs to be put to an older category. This novel avoids that while still managing to fill the pages the the tension.

Unfortunately, the most important part of the story, the mystery, kind of falls apart at the middle. It starts off okay, with some good investigations and smart thinking. But towards the middle of the novel it starts feeling like Irene is a dog with a bone, refusing to look at any other ideas (which does, thankfully, get called out), and it just feels repetitive. She acts against a certain group, they retaliate harder, repeat. She's supposed to be one of the most intelligent students on campus, and yet there were so many moments that I wanted to shake her because certain things were standing out so much and she just kept looking the other way. My only consolation is that at least Sherlock got stuck in it to, to an extent. This does make the middle of the novel a bit of a slog to get through, so just be prepared for that.

Another aspect of the novel that made the rating drop is how Irene was handled. There's a particular trope in films (particularly the early 2000s) where a woman repeats over and over that she doesn't need help, she's good enough to do this on her own, etc., and then ends up needing to be saved multiple times by the MMC. Sadly, this trope appears in here. Any conclusion Irene comes to that actually creates movement in the plot usually ends up coming from either the MMCs or one of Irenes friends. Very few of her actually worthwhile ideas comes straight from her own deductions themselves. Again, I wanted to shake her multiple times.

Despite the negative points I mentioned, I will also add that the author did give Irene some good things to say and point out. As I mentioned, there were scenes where the point being made was either clever or important to the plot, and even when it was a point I've seen made ad nauseum, the way the characters handled or discussed it was interesting. I also was invested in the story and where it was going. While I could easily predict some big points, there were others that (lack of plot aside) I didn't guess at all.

Overall this was a pretty enjoyable read if you want a Sherlock Holmes inspired story with Irene as the lead and a mystery set in Oxford. I would recommend checking it out from the library, borrowing, or finding it secondhand, first, before buying just to make sure it's something you'll enjoy. I do plan on reading the sequel, but I'll probably borrow it from the library first.

[Nicole Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Following her Daughter of Sparta trilogy, Claire M. Andrews turns her sharp eye for myth and reinvention toward a new legend; this time, the world of Sherlock Holmes. “A Beautiful and Terrible Murder” reimagines the Holmesian universe through a fresh lens, putting Irene Adler at the center of a dark academia murder mystery set in Victorian-era Oxford.

Here, Irene is no mere muse or rival. She’s a young woman leading a dangerous double life, attending finishing-school classes by day and disguising herself as “Isaac Holland” to secretly study alongside Oxford’s elite men by night. Her ambition is simple yet radical: to prove she’s the best; she wants to prove that she is smarter, sharper, and more capable than any of her male peers. But when her classmates begin turning up dead, Irene’s quest for excellence becomes a deadly game of deduction. Teaming up with a brilliant but socially awkward classmate named Sherlock Holmes, she plunges into a world of secrets, class privilege, and danger where intellect is both weapon and shield.

Andrews’s Oxford is vividly drawn; the setting is moody, rain-soaked, and atmospheric, pulsing with gothic charm. Andrews captures the allure of academia and the claustrophobia of a campus where murder lurks behind ivy-covered walls. While the mystery itself isn’t the most complex, the real pleasure lies in the journey: the witty banter between Irene and Holmes, the tension between identity and expectation, and the sharp gender commentary threaded throughout the story.

Irene herself is a formidable protagonist; she is ambitious, cunning, and delightfully impulsive. I enjoyed watching her juggle her two identities and defy societal rules, though I did have to suspend my disbelief a bit like with her ability to switch disguises unnoticed. Still, her drive and defiance make her easy to root for. Holmes, meanwhile, appears as a younger, more human version of his iconic self; he is brilliant yet flirtatious, observant yet fallible. Their chemistry crackles on the page, promising more intrigue (and maybe romance) in future installments.

Stylistically, Andrews balances fast pacing with lush description, though there are a few uneven moments like how the early murders arrive before the characters are fully established, and the final revelations unfold a bit too quickly. Yet, despite occasional rushed beats, the book delivers a clever and entertaining origin story for two of literature’s most enduring figures.

Overall, “A Beautiful and Terrible Murder” is an engaging, atmospheric YA mystery. It’s a story about intellect, identity, and the danger of wanting too much in a world that insists you settle for less.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Irene Adler is living a double life; she's attending All Souls College in Oxford as Isaac Holland while attending Lady Margaret College as herself. It requires frequent changes of costume, including a fake mustache when she is Isaac. Her courses are similar, but the men's science classes are much more informative and demanding. She is in classes with Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty... who is also her half brother. Their father, a professor at Oxford, was a customer of Irene's mother, a courtesan, and while James doesn't care for Irene, her grandmother Augusta is very supportive. Irene is good friends with Geraldine, but doesn't care much for the popular and snotty Ermyntrude who looks down on people who are not from refined backgrounds. When Irene is the first to discover the body of Bertram, she talks to John Watson, who is on the police force. When Isaac is suspected by the police, it's clear that "he" is being framed, and Irene sets out to investigate, even after the police rule the death a suicide. It's clearly not, since several other young men are killed. She partners with Sherlock over their shared hatred of James, and clues take them to the Bullingdon Club. When several more young men, including Geraldine's brother, are killed, it becomes even more imperative to solve the crimes. Sherlock is framed for one of the murders, and James eventually figures out Irene's alter ego. Will Irene and Sherlock be able to figure out the murderer before they both land in jail?
Strengths: This was an interesting twist on the Sherlock Holmes' stories: the main characters as college students. I had to look up Irene Adler to find out that she was in the story "A Scandal in Bohemia". Her relationship with Moriarty is an interesting one. This read rather like classic Christie or Sayers books, and seeing college life at Oxford in the Victorian era was fun. The murders aren't too bloody, and the real draw of the book is the relationship between the characters. That, and watching Irene going back and forth between being Isaac and being herself.
Weaknesses: This is more of a young adult book; it's on the long side, very descriptive, and mentions a few things like courtesans and brothels. I was a bit unclear how Irene could manage two enrollments at college, but that's kind of a boring detail.
What I really think: This would be an intriguing choice for readers who loved Lane's Young Sherlock Holmes series (starting with Death Cloud) or Lee's The Agency: A Spy in the House, also from 2010.

[Rachel Feeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dark academia take on the core Holmesian cast, starring one spunky Irene Adler, who’s leading a double life as Isaac Holland in order to prove she’s better than all the privileged young men vying for the top academic position. When her classmates start turning up dead, Irene finds an unlikely detective partner in Sherlock Holmes, the other social outcast of their class. With the murders isolated to Oxford, it’s only a matter of time until they catch the killer, but only at the cost of many secrets, and as the bodies pile up, it may already be too late.

Irene is one hundred percent drive and ambition, and between her dual academic schedule (Irene and Isaac both have grades to maintain), frequent disguise changes, and determination to leap into any investigations herself, the pace is non-stop. While the focus is on her life as Isaac, where most of the murder investigation occurs, the time she spends as herself in the nursing program and at social activities is also full of intrigue, especially as her less-than-positive familial relationship is revealed.

Stylistically, the narrative has a fun way of springing little surprises on the reader, even with facts about Irene that she herself obviously already knows. The tension between Alder and Holmes is electric from the off, and they both delight in going toe-to-toe. Later in the book, I would have liked to see more reflection on the weightier subjects, such as the looming presence of death (Irene remains pretty cavalier in the face of most gruesome incidents). Also, I was looking forward to the inevitable moment when Irene’s true identity became revealed, but in those instances, it’s met with almost universal nonchalance and not revisited. A few other things are similarly downplayed, which certainly keeps things moving but made it hard to fully connect.

As a retelling, I don’t know that there’s a particular connection between these characters and the originals, apart from the names and basic friendships. Here we have a younger Holmes - observant as ever, yet fallible, flirtatious, and not having the urge to torture a violin. There’s also diligent Watson, scheming Moriarty, and secretive, coy, Irene Adler (although, I won’t pretend to have enough knowledge of the original to draw any comparisons there). They’re a fun cast, but if the names were changed, I think the story would have worked just as well as an entirely original story.

This can be read as a standalone, but there is a sequel ahead.

**Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to review with YA Books Central. See YABC for more reviews!**