Hi, this is Sherry Thomas and I am so excited to share with you a bit about my new book A RUSE OF SHADOWS, the eighth outing for Charlotte Holmes, whose life has been very busy and adventurous indeed since she first established herself as sister and oracle to that sadly debilitated—and nonexistent—sage Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective.
Charlotte is in a bit of a pickle this time as she finds herself the only suspect in a murder investigation. Can she wriggle off the hook? And what about the plans she has to free the man her sister loves from Moriarty’s deadly grip?
A is for August. High summer, the Season is almost finished, most of the Ton has left for the country, yet Charlotte is forced back to London.
R is for Revenge. Someone has retribution in mind for Charlotte Holmes, consulting detective—and she knows it.
U is for Us. Charlotte and Lord Ingram, friends since adolescence, have grown closer and closer. Is this the book when they go from “you and me” to “us”?
S is for Sponsor. Charlotte is looking for a missing man who sponsors young boxers. Where is the man? Why does he sponsor boxer? Does he even like boxing?
E is for English trifle. Charlotte has a sweet tooth. It’s summer, of course she will have trifles. (Okay, it’s a berry fool in the book, structurally and ingredient-wise simpler than a trifle, but close enough.)
O is for Orphans. Two of the three young boxers sponsored by the missing man are orphans. How did they survive London’s harsh streets? Were they just lucky or did they have help?
F is for Foreigner. The third young boxer is Italian, living in England at a time when Italians are mocked and ostracized.
S is for Safe Deposit Boxes (or safety deposit boxes, in American English). There are safe deposit boxes in this story, but where are they and who has the keys?
H is for Hunger. Charlotte is mostly just hungry for cake, but those around her long for validation, safety, acceptance. A few are dead set on vengeance. And a few only wish they could be reunited with loved ones who have disappeared from their lives.
A is for Aix-en-Provence, in the South of France. Charlotte’s sister Livia is there, hoping to help free her beloved Mr. Marbleton. But can that happen?
D is for Deadly. “I am a queen upon this board and I do not play to lose,” Charlotte once told Lord Ingram. But it is a deadly game and getting deadlier with every passing day.
O is for Oven-like temperatures. Aix-en-Provence is prodigiously warm in August, especially in those pre-air-conditioning days. But the heat is also on Charlotte. She is suspected of a murder in this book. Can she clear her own name?
W is for Widows. Some women become widows because Fate is unkind. Other women do so by the dint of their own herculean efforts. We meet both kinds in this book.
S is for Secrets. So many secrets will come to light, secrets of the past, secrets of the present, secrets of the heart, past and present.
Lady Sherlock #8
Charlotte Holmes is accustomed to solving crimes, not being accused of them, but she finds herself in a dreadfully precarious position as the bestselling Lady Sherlock series continues.
Charlotte’s success on the RMS Provence has afforded her a certain measure of time and assurance. Taking advantage of that, she has been busy, plotting to prise the man her sister loves from Moriarty’s iron grip.
Disruption, however, comes from an unexpected quarter. Lord Bancroft Ashburton, disgraced and imprisoned as a result of Charlotte’s prior investigations, nevertheless manages to press Charlotte into service: Underwood, his most loyal henchman, is missing and Lord Bancroft wants Charlotte to find Underwood, dead or alive.
But then Lord Bancroft himself turns up dead and Charlotte, more than anyone else, meets the trifecta criteria of motive, means, and opportunity. Never mind rescuing anyone else, with the law breathing down her neck, can Charlotte save herself from prosecution for murder?
Mystery Historical [Berkley, On Sale: June 25, 2024, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593640432 / eISBN: 9780593640449]
Reverse timeline with flashbacks makes this gender-bending Sherlock Holmes book a challenge
Sherry Thomas writes both historical romance and young adult fantasy.
On the romance side, she is one of the most acclaimed authors working in the genre today, her books regularly receiving starred reviews and best-of-the-year honors from trade publications. She is also a two-time winner of Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA® Award.
On the young adult fantasy side, there isn’t much to report yet, her debut book, THE BURNING SKY, book 1 of the Elemental Trilogy, has received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and been named to the Autumn ’13 Kids’ Indie Next List.
Sherry writes in her second language. She learned English by reading romance and science fiction—every word Isaac Asimov ever wrote, in fact. She is proud to say that her son is her biggest fanboy—for the YA fantasy, not the romances. At least, not yet…
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