The Case of the Left-Handed Lady is book 2 in Nancy Springer’s, Enola Holmes Mystery Series. It begins where book 1 concludes with Enola Holmes setting up a detective practice in London. Her skills in the use of masquerade are put to the test when her first client is Dr. Watson who has come about her own disappearance! Apparently, her brother, Sherlock Holmes, is quite distraught about her disappearance and also that of her mother. While Enola is unable to help Dr. Watson, meeting him does prove useful.
Enola becomes intrigued with the disappearance of Lady Cecily who seems to have vanished without a trace. As Enola investigates, she becomes increasingly concerned that her brothers may discover her whereabouts and sends an urgent message to her mother, but the message is intercepted by Sherlock.
Again, I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery. It is intriguing, has a clever plot, and maintains Enola’s subterfuge of being a detective. The continuing background story of hiding from Sherlock and keeping in touch with her mother, is handled well. Springer interweaves these sub-plots with ease. I also liked Enola’s kindness to those less fortunate than herself. It was a nice touch, which was also present in the first book and I hope continues through the series.
The story includes enough detail for the reader not to have read the first book in the series to still enjoy the second, without being repetitive for the reader who has.
A great read.
