The Case of the Missing Marquess ~ Nancy Springer

“When Enola Holmes, sister to the detective Sherlock Holmes, discovers her mother has disappeared, she quickly sets off to find her. Disguising herself as a widow, Enola embarks on a journey to London, but nothing can prepare her for what awaits. For when she arrives, she finds herself involved in the kidnapping of a young marquess, and must flee murderous villains and try to elude her shrewd older brothers – all while attempting to piece together the clues to her mother’s strange disappearance. Among all the mayhem, will Enola be able to discover the necessary clues and find her mother?”

Sherlock Holmes. One of the most iconic characters ever created. I would stand by that statement even if he were not one of my favorites. That being said, it was only a matter of time before I picked up Nancy Springer’s Enola Holmes Mystery series. The concept of Holmes having a much younger sister was enough of a lure, but that the series was geared towards younger readers made it that much better; for me, reading from Conan Doyle’s Holmes canon in high school English was not a chore by any means, my classmates however, were not of a like mind. So this introduction is wonderful, I think, because it brings the “great detective” into a new arena, matched to a likable, independent young heroine that young girls will relate to while the mystery may be enough to tempt boys to pick it up.

I wasn’t prepared for a precocious Enola to storm the scene and was gratified to find her an intelligent if sometimes nervous and unsure sleuth. Her mother loved ciphers where Enola loathed them; when Enola then has to figure them out in order to discover where her mother might have gone to, she is a little put out with having to expend the effort.

I pounced upon it: the booklet of ciphers my mother had created for me.

ALO NEK OOL NIY MSM UME HTN ASY RHC

In my mother’s flyaway lettering.

One glance at the first cipher made me shut my eyes, wanting to cry. {p74}

In addition to Enola’s initial trepidation, the reader gets to see her determination, a trait she shares with her famous brother. To Springer’s credit, she created a cipher that, while not too easy, can be figured out quickly once the reader sees the pattern. Young readers shouldn’t struggle with it for long, but they should have fun in the process.

It’s interesting to see the themes that Springer chose to play with in this story; Sherlock is misogynistic to the extreme, in my opinion, and Springer mentions the “melancholia” (depression) that, in the canon, may very well have driven him to opium/cocaine use. Mycroft is present and, ah, interesting. He snores, eats, and demands that his younger sister behave in a ladylike manner.

London was definitely a character in the story, and very much came alive through the eyes of Enola:

My brothers lived here?
In this – this grotesque brick-and-stone parody of any world I had ever known? With so many chimney-pots and roof-peaks looming dark against a lurid, vaporous orange sky? Lead-coloured clouds hung low while the setting sun oozed molten light between them; the Gothic towers of the city stood festive yet foreboding against that glowering sky, like candles on the Devil’s birthday cake. {p 141}

Enola’s first visit to the city may have left a bad taste in her mouth, but it certainly captures the imagination.

My only true gripe, and this may actually be a non-issue after reading the next book in the series, is that there is one thread of the mystery in this book that is solved, yet unresolved. I won’t say more, but I hope it finds a more satisfying resolution.

The cover for The Case of the Missing Marquess, as well as those on the following books in the series, are stunners. Peter Ferguson‘s illustration captures Enola quite well but he clearly excels in creating atmosphere. The standout in my eyes – so far, that is – is the cover for The Case of the Left-Handed Lady {seen to the right – click to enlarge.} Talk about the seedy alleyways of London! Enola’s surroundings reveal danger and excitement and I couldn’t imagine a more apt illustration for a series such as this. I also appreciated the cipher that Ferguson built into the cover above for The Case of the Missing Marquess; how many people gloss over it, completely missing its presence there in the trees? Yet ciphers are an integral part of the plot and it was a really nice touch.

If Ferguson’s art looks familiar, you may have seen it used in the Sisters Grimm books by Michael Buckley; Ferguson provided both the cover art and the interior page illustrations. I was a fan then, but I’m even moreso one now.