Twenty-something Enola Holmes is back with another daring mystery in Enola Holmes 3, set in bustling 1890s London just as England teeters on the brink of social upheaval and political tension. Now an independent detective with her own reputation, Enola overhears whispers surrounding an elusive missing heirloom tied to a powerful aristocratic familyβone that could alter the realm of inheritance rights forever.
What begins as an eccentric “lost locket” case takes a dramatic turn when Enola uncovers a web of corruption and privilege that stretches into Parliament. As she digs deeper, she realizes that the missing heirloom is connected to a network of hereditary power brokers determined to suppress female agency and stifle new voicesβprecisely the kind of entrenched patriarchy sheβs battling.
Enola enlists the help of her friendsβLestrade, Tewkesbury, and a fiercely resourceful all-girls boarding school sheβs secretly mentoringβto outsmart the conspirators. With clever disguises, coded telegrams, and daring rooftop chases, they piece together hidden clues: who really owns wealth in Victorian societyβand who gets to write the legacy.
Meanwhile, Sherlock Holmes returns, pulled back into London’s politics himself. His relationship with Enola is strained by differing views: she fears being overshadowed, while he struggles to fully recognize her as his equal detective. Their quiet tension reflects a larger struggle for recognition of womenβs intellect in the public sphereβand a call for mental equality as urgent as any crime.
Enola Holmes 3 is a clever, spirited continuation of the seriesβpacked with sharp wit, period detail, and daring insight. With a richer exploration of womenβs rights, social reform, and the power of detection beyond empire, it confirms that the greatest mysteries often hide in plain sightβuntil someone brave enough dares to solve them.