So this was a little slower than the first two but honestly that’s completely understandable considering how much broke in the second book. Watson was left angry at Charlotte. Charlotte ran off. August was murdered. And his murderer got away scot free. That’s what we were left with going into the third installment in this re-imagined Sherlock classic. I find the biggest let down for this entire book was how long Jamie and Charlotte were separated. Don’t get me wrong, Cavallaro did an excellent job of keeping the reader informed of both of their movements but it just kind of hurt me to see them like that. But again I get why it was like that and thinking about it now, the time apart is actually real and honest. When people fight like that, there isn’t and shouldn’t be instant forgiveness.
"That was how I found myself at an utterly debauched party in the access tunnels on a Tuesday night.”
After 100 pages or so, Cavallaro threw this in. It’s absolutely hilarious and really livened the otherwise depressive nature this book was taking. So far we had Jamie who is in a relationship he doesn’t feel, he’s missing his one, true friend even though he knows he shouldn’t and yet here he is cracking a joke. And it’s a joke that completely suits him rather than the obviously hilarious nature of his counterpart Charlotte. It’s something he would say! And it just made me laugh! It gave me hope that the book was headed in a better direction.
I’m sorry but when Watson was framed for spray painting, WATSON WUZ HERE, it was too good! We see his uptight reactions to this and honestly how he dealt with it was too funny!
“Seriously?” The words flew out of me. “Are you serious? Are you actually, totally serious?”
My father looked faintly worried. “Jamie,” he said.
“’Wuz.’ They spelled it ‘wuz.’ ‘Wuz’! I’m in AP English! I read a lot! I read books. Big fucking books! I read Tolstoy, and Faulkner, and – ‘wuz’?”
Detective Shepard bit his lip. “You haven’t been anywhere near the museum?” he asked, busying himself with his notebook. “Recently?”
“I didn’t even know we had a museum!” I was sounding sort of shrill. “Why on earth do we have a museum?”
I’m sorry but this was just so classic! I’m so proud that Jamie put both his dad (who should have known better than to think he did it) and the Detective (who let’s face it can’t do his job without a teenagers help aka the one he’s accusing right now haha) in their place. This freak out was so well deserved and it was nice to see Jamie speak out rather than hide. He doesn’t have Charlotte at this point to stand up for him and I was glad that he no longer needs her. This was just so good! (I’ve probably said that too much, but I love this quote!)
We already know how disappointed Alistair is of his daughter but to see through her eyes how she feels about it, took it to another level. Before then, it seemed a little typical, you know your parents expect more from you, but here it’s different. Charlotte’s chapters really help explain how she truly feels about it because it’s her thoughts rather than what she tells others. For a character like hers, this was a very important addition because we have already seen her and how easy it is for her to just slip into another disguise and be a different person. Here we see who Charlotte is rather than who she wants you to see!
“’Caught’ is a prosaic way of saying it. Really I was sent to rehab. The nuclear option, my father had said, the man who’d taught me to spot a lie and clean a gun and make myself into another person because I myself was never quite right, would never be. Better then to be another girl. He always was so disappointed that I was still his daughter underneath the disguise.”
You can literally feel the toll it takes on her! And although she has wronged several people, true friends can see past that to the real person and that’s why her bond with Jamie is so important! She is better because she knows him. She can be herself around him!
Ted= Lucien Moriarty??? Holy Crap!! I’m pretty sure I had to reread this scene at least three times because I couldn’t believe what I was reading! Talk about a twist! And damn Jamie was pretty civil during it, so props to him because I don’t think I could be that composed considering his arch enemy (is that who he is to him?) had just married his mom! Like what? (I still don’t think I’m over it haha) And how about them checking Shelby into a rehab/prison masquerading as a horse riding school?! Like what?? The hits just kept on coming! Jamie’s life was definitely not easy in this book (but he handled all things considered pretty well) And this was not the time to not have his best friend at his side.
Chapter 19 was a very important chapter as it revealed what happened between August being shot and the beginning of this book. We weren’t told any specifics of what went down between everyone after this happened, until this chapter. I’m still not over how Alistair Holmes tied Jamie up and was going to set him on fire…like what?! And because I wasn’t already fully shocked, how about when Hadrian Moriarty comes to the rescue??!!! Like this chapter was killing me with the all the bombs that were being dropped. Charlotte choosing to take the fall for Milo’s mistake in killing August was apparently just the tip of the iceberg for Jamie (and let’s face it for the readers too).
Who didn’t love it when Jamie fought back against Lucien and used his very line against him? That was epic! And Charlotte bursting in to save Watson, only to see this, was great! Truly great!
“I want you to know that I’m not going to kill you,” I said, putting my knees down onto his chest. He was conscious, breathing, but there was blood spilling down his forehead into his eyes. “But I want you to know—I don’t have any problems hurting you until you listen to me.”
His breathing was coming hard. “You little shit,” he gasped, and at that moment the bathroom door flew open.
Charlotte Holmes was standing there in a red dress, pointing a pistol at Lucien Moriarty with both hands. The door snapped shut behind her.
“Oh,” she said. “I didn’t know you had this covered.”
I fell in love with these books with all the humour in them. And although this book started off dark it never let the humour die with it.
“Mind?” I laughed, bitterly. “I don’t know about Holmes, but yes, please, for Christ’s sake, drag him home in irons. That fucker just married my mother.
Well put Watson. Couldn’t have said it any better!
Anna being Lucien’s daughter wasn’t too hard to figure out but I was a little shocked when we found out that Elizabeth (Holmes’ stand in, let’s be real) was working with her to get intel from Watson. I wouldn’t say it stung to find that out because I honestly didn’t really like her character at all, but it hurt to see Jamie find it out. But it’s Jamie so I knew forgiveness was just around the corner because she was there for him and cared for him when Charlotte was running around Europe.
Setting up your own daughter to be bait was typical Lucien Moriarty behaviour. Telling Watson that it was really his sister was pretty evil so that bullet he got was well deserved. Because apparently marrying his mother just wasn’t enough to get back at him for knowing Charlotte Holmes.
This book was crucial to Jamie’s character and I was glad to see how much he has grown! This book really proves that you don’t need both a Sherlock and a Watson to solve a mystery and I liked that. Too much credit goes to Sherlock Holmes when solving crimes and not enough to his partner, Watson and this book rectified that.
I can’t wait for the next book, A Question for Holmes!! Holmes and Watson are finally reunited and I’m pretty sure we finally see them take the plunge and start dating so I can’t wait to see how that factors into their next mystery!