The third in the Lady Sherlock series, THE HOLLOW OF FEAR by Sherry Thomas is all I could hope it would be. I'm a huge Arthur Conan Doyle fan, and I'm pretty picky about which Holmes re- imaginings. I've adored Laurie R. King's Mary Russell series, and I also am a big fan of Sherry Thomas' Sherlockian world. This is such a fun and kicky gender-swapped Holmsian tale. Disgraced gentlewoman and private detective Charlotte Holmes has created a fictitious brother, Sherlock, whom she "helps" with his investigations. Moriarty once again makes an appearance here, as does Mrs. Watson.

Charlotte must prove her dear friend Lord Ingram's innocence, when he stands accused of murdering his wife, the icy and estranged woman he married instead of marrying his childhood companion Charlotte. Inspector Treadles (the stand-in for Inspector Lestrade), as well as his superior, are delving into Lord Ingram's life, as are some London busybodies. Charlotte must manage all of these accusers while maintaining her disguise as a man. This is a very tricksy tale, and I don't want to give too much away about it. I think every reader should go into this not expecting anything in particular. I will say I was blown away with what Thomas does with this story, and it raised the hairs on the back of my neck, even more, when I was reading.

Thomas is traditionally a romance author, but this Lady Sherlock series has been a mystery series with a soupcon of romance thrown in. However, Thomas says of THE HOLLOW OF FEAR, "this is the one in which the romance between Charlotte Holmes and her good friend Lord Ingram really picks up steam." Between the many twists and convolutions and the sexual tension, this book kept me balanced on my tiptoes panting to turn the next page. Thomas' THE HOLLOW OF FEAR is a mystery tour de force!