BOOK REVIEW: A Study In Charlotte – by Brittany Cavallaro

Title: A Study In Charlotte
(Charlotte Holmes #1)
Author: Brittany Cavallaro
Genre: YA, Mystery, Retelling
First published: March 1st 2016
Finished reading: June 8th 2016
Pages: 321

“We weren’t Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. I was ok with that, I thought. We had things they didn’t, too. Like electricity, and refrigerators. And Mario Kart.”

As soon as I first heard about this book I HAD to add it to my wishlist straight away, and not just because of the beautiful cover. Even though I’m ashamed to admit I have never read the original Sherlock Holmes stories, I am of course familiar with the general details around Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. A promise of a retelling involving the great-great-great-grandchildren of the original duo made me want to read A Study In Charlotte straight away. And I’m glad I did, because I really enjoyed this fast-paced and entertaining retelling! It really shows that the main characters Charlotte and Jamie are based on the original characters, and I loved the constant bickering between them. The character development is well executed, although I do think the story could have done without the romance. Still, the prose is easy to read and I loved the references to the old Sherlock Holmes cases. Without doubt recommended! And even if you are not familiar with the original story, you will most likely enjoy this novel by Brittany Cavallaro anyway. I’m already looking forward to the sequel that will be published next year.

Jamie Watson is forced to move back to Connecticut and leave his life in London behind when he is offered a rugby scholarship to the prep school Sherringford. He hasn’t talked to his father in years and it quite unhappy he now finds himself just an hour away from his old house, but that is not the only complication. Charlotte Holmes, the great-great-great-granddaughter of the famous detective, is also attending Sherringford and Jamie has heard it’s safer to stay far away from her. Their first meeting doesn’t go that well and it seems they are destined to be rivals rather than potential partners… But when a student dies under suspicious circumstances and both Jamie and Charlotte seem to be suspects, they are forced to work together anyway. The details seem to come straight out of one of the original Sherlock Holmes stories, and it’s up to them to find a way to clear their names before they are framed for murder… But danger is never far away.

A Study In Charlotte has turned out to be a really entertaining Sherlock Holmes retelling, and I will be looking forward to the sequel. It really shows that the main characters were based on the original Holmes and Watson and I loved their dialogues and constant bickering. The prose is easy to read, the story has a fast pace and I liked most of the plot twists (although the ending wasn’t really that surprising). Recommended!