The Case of the Missing Marquess

Springer, N. (2006). The Case of the Missing Marquess: An Enola Holmes Mystery. New York, NY: Puffin Books.

Plot Description:
Raised by her aristocratic, yet unconventional mother, the fourteen year old Enola Holmes has led a life untouched by the rules of young ladies of her day. But when her mother goes missing, Enola's brothers, Mycroft and Sherlock (the great detective), whom she has not seen since she was a little girl, find the lifestyle Enola and her mother have been living unsuitable for their young sister. With the threat of boarding school looming over her, Enola flees the control of her brothers and sets out to find her missing mother. Enola becomes entwined in another missing person mystery encountering her own adventures and proving to her brother Sherlock that he is not the only detective in the family.

Review:
The Case of the Missing Marquess: An Enola Holmes Mystery is a wonderful mystery led by the witty and adventurous Enola Holmes. The reader is captivated by the author's descriptive writing style, being able to visualize the damp English countryside and almost smell the slums of London. In addition, the reader is encouraged to solve the mystery along with Enola through the questions she poses and the ciphers she must solve. This book was a great read and the author cleverly does not solve all the mysteries laid out in the book making the reader long for the next book in the series.

Genre:
Mystery

Reading Level:
Ages 9 - 12

Similar Books:

Subjects/Themes:
Missing Persons, Single-Parents, Mothers, Mystery, History

Character Names/Descriptions:
Enola Holmes: With her mother missing, Enola facing boarding school, runs off in search of her mother encountering additional mysteries she must solve along the way. She is master of disguise, clever with ciphers, and very talented at drawing caricatures. She is also the sister of the famed detective, Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes: Sherlock is the great detective and sister to Enola.

Viscount Tewksbury, Marquess of Basilwether (Tewky): Tewky is a well off twelve year old boy who runs away to work on a ship. He leads his family to believe that he has been kidnapped, thus attracting the attention of Enola Holmes.

Annotation:
When her mother goes missing, Enola Holmes, sister of the great detective Sherlock, runs off to find her. On the quest to find her mother, Enola encounters other mysteries which command her attention and lead her off on dangerous adventures. Through her skills of disguise, solving ciphers, and drawing caricatures Enola proves that Sherlock is not the only great detective in the family.