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===''The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline''===
===''The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline''===
This time, Enola returns to her lodgings to a very unpleasant surprise: somebody has kidnapped her landlady, Mrs. Tupper. A twisted trail of secret messages, past scandals and a most interesting person known as 'the Bird' will lead her to the truth... that is, if she can only avoid Sherlock's grasp a while longer. Will Enola's brothers ever understand why she runs from them?

===''The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye''===
===''The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye''===
Finally, on Enola's sixth case, Sherlock concludes that Enola has matured rapidly into a capable young woman and helps his sister not only to find her quarry but also to finally convince Mycroft of her skill.
Finally, on Enola's sixth case, Sherlock concludes that Enola has matured rapidly into a capable young woman and helps his sister not only to find her quarry but also to finally convince Mycroft of her skill.

Revision as of 23:03, 9 March 2012

The Enola Holmes Mysteries
The Case of the Missing Marquess
The Case of the Left-Handed Lady
The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets
The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan
The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline
The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye
AuthorNancy Springer
LanguageEnglish
GenreYoung adult
PublisherPenguin Young Readers
Published2006—2010
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)

The Enola Holmes Mysteries is a series of juvenile detective novels by American author Nancy Springer, starring Enola Holmes, the fictional fourteen-year-old sister of Sherlock Holmes. The first book, The Case of the Missing Marquess, and the fifth, The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline, were nominated for the Edgar Awards for Best Juvenile Mystery in 2007 and 2010, respectively.[1][2][3]

Series Overview

On Enola's fourteenth birthday, her mother disappears, and Sherlock and Mycroft, Enola's brothers, conclude that her mother left on her own accord. Enola is devastated, but eventually discovers elaborate ciphers written by her mother, which lead her to conclude that she left to live with gypsy and escape the confines of Victorian society. Furthermore, Enola finds that her mother left considerable resources for her to escape. When Mycroft insists on having Enola go to boarding school and learn to be a proper lady, she decides to run away to London instead. Throughout the series, Enola solves numerous missing persons cases, including a rescue of Dr. John Watson, while eluding her brothers' best efforts to recapture her.

The Case of the Missing Marquess

When Enola's mother disappears, Enola calls on her elder brothers Sherlock and Mycroft, who dismiss her as stupid and unimportant. Horrified by her brothers' plans to send her to a boarding school and the prospect of wearing a corset, she escapes. Dressed as a widow, she runs across Inspector Lestrade who is working on a case with Sherlock Holmes about the disappearance of a young Viscount, Lord Tewksberry. Nearly blowing her cover, she finds a secret hiding place that seems to be the young Viscount's hideaway. Concluding that he ran away, she sets off to look for him. Upon arriving in London, Enola discovers that the city is not the magical place of her imagination. The same people who took the Viscount, who had no street smarts, kidnap Enola. After escaping, she bribes a woman to buy her and "Tewky" clothing. Hiding in plain sight (a police station right in front of Sherlock's nose), Enola runs off, leaving only a sketch of a boy and a girl on a beach.

She sends a coded message via the personal column to her mother, who responds by saying that she has gone to live with the gypsies. The epilogue reveals that Enola has taken on two personas, one known to the poor, and the other to the wealthy. To the poor, she's the mute "Sister" and to the rich, Ivy, the secretary to a private investigator.

The Case of the Left-Handed Lady

Enola solves a case about the disappearance of Lady Cecily.

The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets

Sherlock Holmes' companion, Dr. John Watson, has gone missing. Enola discovers a bouquet of flowers intended for Dr. John Watson. Using the language of the flowers, she detects a sinister threat and sets out to find the missing doctor and his kidnapper.

The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan

Enola must answer a most curious cry for help from an old acquaintance: Lady Cecily Alistair. But even as she works to free her friend, Enola is becoming perilously close to being caught by her two older brothers...

The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline

This time, Enola returns to her lodgings to a very unpleasant surprise: somebody has kidnapped her landlady, Mrs. Tupper. A twisted trail of secret messages, past scandals and a most interesting person known as 'the Bird' will lead her to the truth... that is, if she can only avoid Sherlock's grasp a while longer. Will Enola's brothers ever understand why she runs from them?

The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye

Finally, on Enola's sixth case, Sherlock concludes that Enola has matured rapidly into a capable young woman and helps his sister not only to find her quarry but also to finally convince Mycroft of her skill.

In the end, the Holmes siblings fully reconcile with the help of a final coded message from their mother, a Spartan Scytale decoded using a bicycle. With that resolution, Mycroft, further impressed with Enola's sophisticated business arrangements and satisfied that her current residence at the Professional Women's Club is a safe home for her, grants Enola her liberty and agrees to fund her advanced education. Enola in turn forgives Mycroft, accepts his offer while announcing she is likely continuing her career as a private investigator. For himself, Sherlock enthusiastically accepts Enola as a colleague in his profession and notes that he eagerly awaits to see what she will accomplish in the future.

Books

  1. The Case of the Missing Marquess (2006)
  2. The Case of the Left-Handed Lady (2007)
  3. The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets (2008)
  4. The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan (2008)
  5. The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline (2009)
  6. The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye (2010)

See also

References

  1. ^ Milligan, Michael. "Edgar Award Winners and Nominees Database". TheEdgars.com. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  2. ^ "2007 Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominees". New Mystery Reader Magazine. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  3. ^ "2010 Edgar® Nominees". TheEdgars.com. Retrieved 16 October 2011.