Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche - the seventh Enola Holmes mystery

It's been eleven years since the last Enola Holmes book was published.  That's more than a decade since author Nancy Springer provided us with one of her uniquely peculiar stories starring the irreverent and unstoppable younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes.  When The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye was published and I read it, I pretty much expected that to be the end of the series.  And for quite a while, that was.  Until Netflix aired the movie based on the first book.  It was an enjoyable adaptation, and while the movie featured quite a bit more of Sherlock than the book did, it still managed to capture the true spirit of Nancy Springer's character.  And obviously it inspired new interest in the series, because here we are with the seventh book in the Enola Holmes series.  It's been quite a wait, but it was well worth it!

Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche brings about a number of changes to the series.  First, and foremost, is the fact that Enola no longer needs to hide from and constantly try to evade her brothers.  Sherlock and Mycroft are fully aware of their younger sister's detective adventures, and they have resolved themselves to allow her to have her independence and pursue her own livelihood, even though that is not what proper young girls do in the late 19th century.  Second, and more on the superficial side of things, is the change in publishers and cover art.  While prior books sported more obviously painted covers, this latest book features a cover whose image of Enola is somewhat reminiscent of Millie Bobby Brown's version of Enola in the Netflix film.  Additionally, the title drops "The Case of the..." and merely utilizes Enola's name to headline the mystery title.

The mystery in this book involves a young woman who has just been notified that her twin sister is dead; however, she does not understand what happened, as she knows she would feel it if her sister was gone, and the fact that her sister's husband had her cremated without even telling anyone raises questions in her mind.  Enola is only too happy to take the case, especially when her brother inspects the supposed ashes of the woman's sister and announces that the remains belonged to an animal, not a human! Enola does what she does best - disguises herself as a woman on a mission to discover her family tree, which leads her to Dunhench Hall, where the Earl of Dunhench (the man who married her client's twin sister) resides.  Enola manages to deceive her way into the home, despite the period of mourning the house is under, and she quickly learns that the Earl does not seem to be mourning much at all.  Unfortunately for Enola, he also sees through her disguise, and soon enough, she finds herself captive in the house!

There's plenty of adventure in this book, and while the villain in the story is not necessarily a surprise or even a secret from the reader, the truth about what happened to the missing woman (as well as the Earl's previous wife!) is what Enola and her brother endeavor to find out before it's too late.  Enola has plenty of opportunity to utilize her talent for disguising herself, and she even puts the talent to use on her client when they concoct a daring plan to trick the Earl into revealing himself.  And ultimately, it is the clue of the "black barouche" that provides the answer to where Enola's client's sister has disappeared to, and it will take all her wits (as well as those of her brother) to outwit this dangerous Earl and thwart his plans for his poor wife.  Now, I'll be honest here - I had no idea what the word "barouche" meant, so I had to look it up.  The dictionary describes a barouche as a four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage with a collapsible hood over the rear half, a seat in front for the driver, and seats facing each other for the passengers, used especially in the 19th century.  Thus, reading this book further expanded my vocabulary (although when I will ever get the chance to use this word again remains to be seen!).  

Hopefully, Springer has more books planned, as I rather enjoyed re-entering the world of Enola Holmes.  Plus, there were a few things in the story that made me go, "Hmmmm..."  Like, for instance, the client's twin sister was named "Flossie."  Could the author have been a fan of the Bobbsey Twins growing up, and this is a nice little nod to the younger Bobbsey Twin girl?  Then there is the name of Enola's client - Letitia Glover.  Since her twin sister, Felicity, had the nickname of Flossie, wouldn't it stand to reason that Letitia would have a nickname - perhaps Lettie?  And if so, would that be a nod do the Dana Girls' nemesis from the Stratemeyer series?  Maybe I'm just looking for connections where they don't exist, but it would be a pleasant surprise to find out that Springer enjoyed reading the same mystery stories I did growing up and decided to throw in a few Easter eggs for other fans!

The one thing, however, I did not particularly like was the fact that the front listing of books in the series has the original six books listed.  The problem is, the sixth book in the series, rather than being The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye, it is listed as The Case of the Disappearing Duchess.  A quick search online reveals that for reasons unknown, the current publisher decided to change the name of the sixth book in the series.  You can still find Gypsy Goodbye on Amazon and other booksellers online, but at the same time, you can find the same book with its new title as well.  Sadly, I suspect that the publisher changed the name due to the reference of "gypsy" in the title, and it leaves me wondering if any elements or words within the story itself have been changed to appease today's politically-correct, woke climate.  The book is a period piece, and it in no way demeaned or insulted any person or group of people with its title, and this growing trend to cancel, erase, and otherwise overwrite anything that could potentially offend someone is ridiculous.  I guess I should be glad I got the book back in 2010 when it originally came out, so that I have it in its original, intended condition.

But, aside from that, The Black Barouche was a great way to bring Enola back to readers, and now that she is back, I'm looking forward to seeing more of her!

RATING:  10 uncharacteristically awkward watercolor paintings out of 10 for reviving such a wonderful series with a superbly written mystery that leaves the reader wanting for more!