This Sherlock Holmes story retains many of the characteristics/characters from Arthur Conan Doyle. The most delightful difference Mirabella Hudson. Holmes and Watson have been friends approximately 9 months. Holmes is still looking for cases to earn him name recognition, while Watson is a lady’s man. Now Holmes needs a laboratory assistant
We meet Mirabella Hudson, the niece of his house keeper. She is seventeen years old, opinionated, intelligent with a high knowledge of chemistry and a desire to attend university. London University was the only university admitting women. In 1880, only four women had BA university degrees and in 1881 two had BSc. Mirabella Hudson respected and admired Holmes and salivating with envy over his modern laboratory. Much like many people, after being in Holmes presence, Mirabella Hudson admiration is replaced with annoyance, aggravation, and intolerance with all that made Holmes, Sherlock Holmes.
This is Holmes’s first international case. He must protect and discover who desires to kill the Montenegro Princess, who is attending a women’s finishing school. Now Holmes promotes Hudson from, housekeeper/lab assistant to field work assistant.
The action of the story centers on the privilege women in the school and events which put their lives in danger. Holmes receives a crash course in the fire arms and martial arts training. It is her intelligent and problem-solving skills that drive the story. Hudson and Holmes verbal repartee range from insulting her intelligence and threatening to fire her. Hudson does not back down. This series involves the dynamics of their relationship as well as the solving the crime.
Many of the events and people are historically accurate. There was a Princess Jelena Petrovic-Njegos and Price Victor Emmanuel III who did marry. They were never intended for each other and it was love at first sight. This and other interesting tidbits were included in the author’s notes in the book or Kindle edition.