Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade - the eighth Enola Holmes mystery

And here we are, going back into the world of Enola Holmes, the younger sister of that great detective, Sherlock Homes.  More than twelve years ago, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the first six books written by Nancy Springer.  Then they stopped.  I assumed that was the last I would see of her.  But then the Netflix film was announced, and suddenly, there was a seventh book.  And some graphic novel adaptations of her previous books.  And then an eighth book came out!  I picked it up, but I've had it sitting on the shelf for a bit and have only just now gotten around to reading it (two Netflix films later....)  And I have to admit, as much as I enjoy the films, I do enjoy delving back into the book series, since there are some major differences between the books and the films - differences that I like better in the books.

Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade brings back some of the characters from Enola's second case, the one about the "left-handed lady," most particularly that left-handed lady herself, Lady Cecily Alastair.  It seems Lady Cecily's father is none too pleased with the fact that his daughter was kidnapped and is not longer "unspoiled" for purposes of marrying her off to someone of a higher station.  His attempt to marry her off to a cousin failed, so he now has her (and her mother) under lock and key in their home, to the point where Lady Cecily has no clothing, no art supplies, nor anything else in her room that she could potentially use to escape or contact anyone for help.  But when has that ever stopped Enola Holmes?

Springer's story is not exactly one of mystery in this novel, but more one of adventure, as Enola discovers her friend's plight and determines to do whatever it takes to free Lady Cecily from her mother's control.  Springer reminds readers of Enola's growth as a character - a young girl who was on the run from her brothers and the patriarchal system that would keep her under their control has now evolved into a young woman who is no longer fearful of being discovered, who no longer has to pretend to be Dr. Ragostin's wife in order to walk freely on the streets of London, and who no longer has to be ashamed of her chosen profession as a "Scientific Perditorian" (a finder of things lost).  Over the course of the last seven books, Enola has not only aged physically, but she has matured emotionally and has gained the experience needed to make her own way in this man's world.

But poor Lady Cecily is not quite so lucky...

The story is filled with the usual Enola Holmes adventures - disguises, daring escapes, chases through the streets of London, decoding of secret messages, unexpected trips down laundry chutes, and the ever-so-wonderful confrontations with dastardly men who think they have the power over everyone!  Springer does introduce a fun new supporting cast member in this book in the form of Lady Vienna Steadwell - a tall, elderly woman who resides at the Professional Women's Club (funny how the last book I read also featured a Women's Club!) with Enola and a number of other modern women of all ages.  But Lady Steadwell isn't any ordinary woman - she was friends with Enola's mother, and she has a wealth of knowledge about the upper class members of London's high society (as well as some of those who only WISH they were part of that upper class).  She also has that same daring spirit as Enola, and it is ultimately with her help that Enola is able to help free Lady Cecily and her mother from the grasp of the very controlling Sir Eustace Alastair (and, seeing that name Eustace, I can't help think of that annoying little cousin of the Pevensie children from the Chronicles of Narnia).

The book does address one other element concerning Lady Cecily, and that is her fracturing personality.  Born left-handed, her father has been doing everything he can to force her to use her right hand, and what with the kidnapping, the nearly forced marriage, and the isolation in her room added to it, the poor young lady has formed a split-personality - the adventurous, resilient left-handed lady and the meek, submissive right-handed girl.  This changing personality adds a difficulty to Enola's plans that makes it nigh impossible to be sure things will work out as she intends.  I think Springer does a fairly nice job of addressing this situation and the manner in which "left-handedness" was viewed in the late 19th century.

Even despite the lack of a formal "mystery," I really enjoyed the read, and I already have the ninth book on my to-be-read stack, so I am looking forward to what it has in store!

RATING:  10 purple channel marker like hats out of 10 for a truly elegant escapade worth reading!