Review: A Study in Darkness

A Study in Darkness by Emma Jane Holloway

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



True to its title, A Study in Darkness is much darker than the first book, A Study in Silks. Moving from the comfortable home and vibrant social sphere where we met Evelina Cooper, we now return with her to the desperate part of London where survival is almost impossible and a string of murders is taking place (yes, it's a new take on Jack the Ripper). The cast is scattered, each one dealing with problems resulting from the scandalous events of the Season largely in isolation from one another. It's a bleak outlook.

One thing I enjoy about this series is that there are so many villains - and I'm not always sure who is really a villain and who is just misguided or coming at the world from a different point of view. It keeps me guessing. However, there is an awful lot of the villains having the upper hand in this book, with few victories. That's why I enjoyed it much less than the first, simply because it was all dark and desperate. Anyone who reads my reviews knows that I don't like to read books that are dark and depressing, so it shouldn't be surprising that I was glad to finish this one. I really didn't feel the length of the first novel, but these 475 pages began to drag. I just hope that the title of the third book, A Study in Ashes, isn't an indication of another 450 pages of completely depressing material to come.

As far as the various mysteries go, there are never really any clues that help you along. I wanted to be solving something, but instead the characters were stuck without information, hopeless and at the end of their ropes, and so was I. Sherlock Holmes makes more than a cameo appearance but he is also unable to solve anything. I'm not sure how his involvement will go over with true Holmes fans, since I haven't read any of the originals and can't judge how consistent he is with the original character. But be warned that he takes on a larger role than he did in the first novel and you could love it or hate it.

Since the ending is a cliffhanger, and all is poised for disaster, I'm glad the last book is already due out and I do have the galley in hand to read. I just need a break before plunging into whatever comes next.


**Received free arc for review.



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