A Study in Silks

3.5/5 stars

Evelina Cooper is the niece of Sherlock Holmes. But not in the world we know, in an excellently crafted and fleshed-out world where steam power dominates and those who control it, the Steam Barons, rule nearly all. The Steam Barons decide who has power and who does not, and they harshly suppress any other forms of power, technological and magical. This gives them unprecedented control, and the ability to make even the nobility bow to their will. But not everyone is happy with this. There's a thriving black market for mechanical items and a shadow organization trying to undermine the Steam Barons. And, in hiding, there are magicians.

This leads us to Evelina, living with the Roths (best friend Imogen, rakish Tobias, and their show more parents, the quiet Lady Bancroft and the mercurial Lord Bancroft). A servant girl is killed and mysterious intruders abound. There are plots upon plots, all of them leading back to that one, dead, servant. Evelina wants to solve the mystery herself, Lord Bancroft wants her distracted so she can't, and a Steam Baron has hired Sherlock Holmes to investigate something that will lead him straight to the Roth's doorstep. The mystery is oh-so-tangled, and at the end, even when it is solved, some things remain unclear and many things are painful for those left standing.

I like this book because of the world building, because the characters make hard decisions, and because even though I figured out parts of the mystery I had no idea about the ultimate solution. I like Evelina, with her circus and magic background, and her determination to get an education, and for her willingness to pay the cost. I liked her magical and technological friends, Mouse and Bird. The villain was truly evil, the Steam Barons frightening, and the love both uplifting and sad.

I'm very interested to see what happens with Imogen. I'm suspicious of her dreams of being confined in a box. With the mysterious automatons Lord Bancroft tried to hide, the one Tobias destroyed, and that so much magic and mystery took place when Imogen was so ill and her twin sister died. I wonder what she is. Is she Imogen or is she a creation of technology and magic?

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The past few years we've seen an insurgence of popularity for Sherlock Holmes. We've also seen a growth in strong female protagonists in all sorts of literature. A Study in Silks brings those together. The story follows the adventures of Evelina Cooper as she comes of age in London Society while also trying to solve a murder and other mysterious that may or may not be related. In addition to catering to the newly invigorated popularity of Sherlock Holmes and female heroines, this book also covers the Steampunk fascination as well as dabbling in magic and mysticism of the urban fantasy genre.

The book quickly and elegantly establishes the relationship and character of Evelina Cooper as the niece of Sherlock Holmes who grew up in a circus, show more has magical abilities at her fingertips, enjoys tinkering with gears and motors and is now living as a guest in the home of Lord and Lady Bancroft. A lot of details that come together to make an interesting character. Due to her circus upbringing, Evelina is not likely to have a chance in high society. But the more "respectable" nature of her Holmes relations and her friendship with the daughter of Lord Bancroft has given her the possibility of at least socializing in higher circles with the remote chance of eventually being admitted as a member of that higher echelon of society. Of course, that all hinges on how respectable Evelina keeps herself and whether or not she can hide the fact that she possesses magical talents (a force which is shunned and despised in society) or that she has unladylike desires such as going to school or inventing machines.

Since we are in a "Steampunk" alternate London. the book sets up a new form of political and economic influence known as the Steam Barons. Essentially London is segmented into neighborhoods each beholden to a different Steam Baron for the energy to run their households and businesses. The Steam Barons provide electricity, heat, water and even a degree of "protection" to those who respect them and pay their dues. This group is very wary of magic for its defiance of science and they definitely don't take kindly to amateur tinkers coming up with their own inventions outside of control of the Barons. Naturally this means that Evelina's natural tendencies may not fit well in this society.

Before too long, the book has thrown us a few mysteries to be solved. First, Evelina stumbles across evidence of a mixture of "dark magic" and mechanical inventions within the Bancroft home. Second, a young woman is found murdered in the front foyer of that same home. Even worse, though no one else can detect it, Evelina discovers traces of magic on the corpse. The murder and the presence of magic could both mean ruin for the family. With this in mind alongside her innate curiosity, Evelina sets out to solve the mystery.

The book does a lot of "world building" by establishing and manipulating history and relations between the various powerful influences. The plot continues to get more and more intricate as time goes on. By the end of the book there are multiple different mysteries to be examined and solved. As a reader, it was not a difficult leap of faith to assume that these different mysteries would be interrelated but the author did a good job of keeping each thread unique and individual such that there always seemed to be the possibility of more than one distinct problem to be solved. And in fact, even though these various mysteries were related in many ways, they also stood on their own with plenty of intrigue and problems.

In addition to a TON of intricate plot points and world building, the book is also filled with a lot of characters. While Evelina is definitely the main character of the book we also spend some time navigating the streets of London through the Point of View of some of the secondary characters. None of the characters receive the same treatment and backstory as Evelina but most of these secondary characters are rather interesting and have multi-faceted motivations and characteristics. Not terribly surprising (given that we are dealing with a story of a young woman about to "come of age" in society), there are a couple of primary male characters each vying for the affection of young Evelina. The love triangle isn't at the forefront of the story and each of these characters also have solid actions in the core plot of the book, but there is definitely a romantic plot full of intrigue and entanglements.

Amid all of her adventures with Steam Barons, street thugs and magical beings Evelina shows herself nervous but capable. About midway through the book we meet a strange new character named Dr. Mangus. He apparently has old ties to the Bancroft family and has come to London searching for….something. His motivations are unclear and it seems evident that he isn't tied to the murder but it is also readily apparent that he isn't someone to be trusted. Before long it becomes clear that he will be Evelina's nemesis. As Sherlock has his Moriarty, Evenlina will have her Mangus, or at least so it seems.

Speaking of Sherlock, he does make a small cameo in this novel. Throughout the course of Evelina's investigation there is always the possibility that Holmes may show up. She communicates him and Dr. Watson via letters and it seems he is off working on a case in Bohemia. When he does finally show up in person, Holmes seems willing to act as a bit of a sounding board for Evelina to help her solve the case. Naturally he does stick his ego out a bit to point out some "obvious" things that may have been missed, but mostly he lets Evelina do her work.

The Steampunk, historical romance, Holmes-ian mystery and urban fantasy elements were all enjoyable and well crafted. The biggest problem I had was that it felt like the author was trying to do "too much." She did a good job of drawing all of the elements together and making a cohesive and interesting story but part of my wondered if perhaps some portions could have received better treatment if another portion had been excluded. At the same time, the way everything fit together is very intriguing and I really had a lot of fun with it. I did like Evelina as a character. She's not as analytical and emotionally disjointed as her Uncle Sherlock and as a result the way she approaches the adventure and the mystery results in a number of problematic situations.

There were also a number of times that I felt like things were stretched a bit too far or came about due to some very convenience coincidences. Still, the plot was engaging and left me wanting more which seems odd considering this novel is over 500 pages. It did feel a bit long and disorienting at times, especially when doing the heavy world building with the Steam Barons and the magical elements. The plot and characters were well enough executed that even the lengthier segments could be overlooked for overall enjoyment. The book does end with a pretty hefty cliffhanger and a number of dangling threads to be resolved. Fortunately you don't have to wait long for the sequel. The book is actually part of a trilogy and it looks like the author and publisher are set to release books two and three over the next two months.

Overall this was a fun mystery adventure with a lot of exciting elements all bundled together into a single package. I look forward to seeing what happens next.

****
3.5 out of 5 stars show less

What a perfect book for me. Steampunk and mystery with a touch of Sherlock Holmes are just what the doctor ordered!

This is a gritty world, one where the class divide is broad and enforced harshly. Evelina Cooper is a wonderful heroine, niece to Sherlock Holmes, and doing her best to be part of the best of Society despite her ... eclectic ... background. I loved the mystery, loved the heroine, and admired the world-building. The writer knows her craft, and it shows.

Highly recommended for fans of steampunk who enjoy a dose of mystery with a spunky main character.

an enticing addition to the steampunk/mystery milieux!

So first we had all things Austen, both on and off stage and in alternate universes. Now, it seems we have the off stage world surrounding Sherlock with a hitherto unknown member of his family, his niece Evelina. We've been bombarded by film and television recently, why not an alternate Victorian era populated by loved figures from yesteryear amidst steampunk paraphernalia and intrigue. As Evelina says towards the end, 'this is a time when steam barons dominate the Empire.'
Corporate monopolies and bullying, political clout, bribery and corruption, the pursuit of alternative fuels, the determination of those who have, to hold at all cost. Obviously nothing has changed in this show more alternate world. Even the great Sherlock is threatened.

We enter into Evelina's world via her stealthy sojourn in the attics of Lord Bancroft's house where stored belongings, 'made elephantine humps in the darkness. Attics were for storage...memories and the occasional secrets.' (I did enjoy this opening descriptor.)
Evelina is staying with her best friend Imogene. She is using the attics as a place to work on her automations. Evelina, we find out has an, 'unladylike fascination with mechanics' she has imbued with magic. In this world magic is deemed immoral and illegal. Evelina has inherited magic from her circus grandmother's side of the family. Attics indeed are places for secrets!
She is nearly caught by grooms sent to find trunks containing Lord Bancroft's souvenirs from Austria--a dismembered female body--an automation. The magic that emanated from the clockwork girl felt very wrong to Evelina. More secrets! Secrets that could bind and destroy.
This fateful evening brings together many events. The murder of a maid, the advent of a friend from her circus days lurking in her bedroom, the involvement of Lord Bancroft, even Imogen's brother Tobias' mad scheme with automotive giant squid. Toby is the last person to see the maid Grace alive. All events connive to fling Evelina into a burgeoning mystery of murder and foul sorcery. She is hemmed about by powerful entities from the steam barons to the uncomfortable Dr. Magnus. Evelina determines to solve the mysteries.
By the way, it took me a while to understand the significance of oath occasionally muttered by several of the young men, ' Disconnect me!' Then the light went on.
Her friend Imogene is intelligent, stalwart and endearing, game for anything. Beneath her fragility is a will of iron.
Some mysteries are solved, others left hanging but as Evelina whispers to Imogen, 'this isn't the end...not by a long shot.'
I for one am ready to leap into book 2, A Study in Darkness, I could barely put 'Silks' down, Darkness beckons!

A NetGalley ARC show less

An interesting blend of fantasy and steampunk. This is the first book I've read where magic and technology have been blended together into a unique whole.

I found the characters to be annoying twits at times, which goes to show how well Mrs. Holloway wrote the characters. They are victims of their time and station in life, and the author was able to capture that beautifully in her books. I was impressed with how she was able to make the protagonist both a flighty airhead sighing over boys and pretty dresses, while at the same time making her intelligent and witty. It's not often you find someone able to do so.

Every time you think you've got the case solved, another cog is thrown into the works, and things take an interesting turn. The show more book doesn't end in any way you expect, and leaves you eagerly wanting more. I can't wait to start the second book. show less

I must thank Del Ray for granting me the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Though I received the e-book for free that in no way influences this review. Though the rating system is limited to whole numbers I give this book 3.5 stars!

Potential Jacket Description:
Evelina Cooper, the niece of the great Sherlock Holmes, is poised to enjoy her first Season in London Society. But there’s a murderer to deal with — not to mention missing automatons, a sorcerer, and a talking mouse.

In a Victorian era ruled by a council of ruthless steam barons, mechanical power is the real monarch and sorcery the demon enemy of the Empire. Nevertheless, the most coveted weapon is magic that can run machines—something Evelina has

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secretly mastered. But rather than making her fortune, her special talents could mean death or an eternity as a guest of Her Majesty’s secret laboratories. What’s a polite young lady to do but mind her manners and pray she’s never found out?

But then there’s that murder. As Sherlock Holmes’s niece, Evelina should be able to find the answers, but she has a lot to learn. And the first decision she has to make is whether to trust the handsome, clever rake who makes her breath come faster, or the dashing trick rider who would dare anything for her if she would only just ask.

I found the aspect of solving a crime through the eyes of the infamous Sherlock Holmes' young niece intriguing, though it took a little while to really grab my attention. That is not to say that the book was boring for it was far from it. Anytime you combine some sort of Victorian-era with magic, machinery, murder, mystery, and the hormones of young adults you know you are bound for an interestingly chaotic ride! For me the characters are what really made this story sing, for they all had depth, many different facets, and were either likeable or tended to make my skin crawl.

Evelina is a wonderfully entertaining character. Her adult life thus far seems to be a replica of her youth as a tightrope walker in the circus. She constantly has to find that perfect balance between the world she came and the world she resides in now. Evelina met Imogen Bancroft while at a school for young ladies and the two somehow became fast friends. Imogen is the daughter of a Lord, and a member of the aristocracy, yet that never stops her from offering her unstinting love and support to Evelina. Coming from a powerful family helps, essentially forcing Society to turn a blind eye to her 'youthful folly' of not only befriending someone with a scandalous family history, but also having them as an extended houseguest. Throughout the years the two young women have continued to be mostly positive influences the one another.

Evelina struggles to fit into the world of Society, all the while missing the life she left behind. Only one or two others maybe have guessed the true reason behind Evelina's decision to leave the circus for Society life. Regardless of the increased dangers Evelina now faces, they are still less risky than had she stayed with the circus. Once she leaves the circus Evelina is forced to become even more secretive about her illegal magical abilities, abilities that could be the death of her if the wrong parties ever found out, or they could mean a life of total subservience to powerful, cruel, masters. In leaving the circus life behind she also loses the only magic teacher she ever had, making her situation that much more precarious. Especially as the situations she keeps finding herself in require that she learn to use her magic as she goes, but without accidentally exposing her abilities. Yet Evelina is strong, and even when threatened she doesn't give in or give up, she simply finds another way to reach her goals.

When a young housemaid is found murdered in the early morning hours Evelina springs into action, as solving mysteries runs in her blood. Thus begins her wild ride through the cream of Society all the way down to dangerous street thugs and cutpurses. Her journey has her careening from using illegal machinery, to magic, to the more mundane routes open to her, with each area offering a possible motive for the murder. Even a few of Evelina's illegal clockwork creations end up playing an important role in the story, exposing her to great danger at the same time. Danger that will haunt her from all directions.

Imogen's older brother Tobias is a complete rake, and forbidden fruit as far as Evelina is concerned. Not that this stops her from crushing on him, just as she has since they first met so many years ago. Tobias is a complex character, much more so than he initially appears. Just when you feel you've figured him out he shows a yet another aspect of his personality, sending you back to square one in determining his true motives. And Evelina isn't the only one hoping to figure him out - half the eligible young ladies out for their first Season desire to land him as a husband, with probably as many married women wanting him as a lover. Though not immune to his charms, Evelina is wise to his ways and tries to keep her guard up around him, only to find it slipping every so often, usually at the worst of times. As practical as she may be, after being introduced to the Queen and launched into the cream of Society Evelina nurses a fragile hope that she may now be an actual contender for Tobias to court and eventually marry.

One of the things I find so appealing about Evelina is her humanity. She has her strengths, but she also has weaknesses. So when the vilest of creatures makes overtures, offering her one of the things she wants most, she turns him down, more afraid of him than in obtaining her desire. As time goes by and the offers continue, it becomes more and more difficult for her to silence that part of her that so desperately wants answers. The more offers he makes the more worn-down Evelina's defenses are - similar to the situation she is in by living in the same house as Tobias. And her desire to crack the case before her uncle has nothing to do with being competitive and everything to do with wanting to protect the Bancroft's.

Ms. Holloway has a certain knack for creating a scene so vivid that you feel you are there at the very moment the action is taking place. The London she crafted is a splendid blend of the real and the exceptionally inventive. But then it would need to be if it is going to contain all of the mysteries Evelina encounters. As a murder mystery one would expect the story to be more action driven, yet this seems to be more character driven than not. My only real issue is that I found the pacing of the story to be a bit off, slow in places I felt did not need as much focus and faster through areas that could have been teased out for deeper intrigue. Though by the time Ms. Holloway brings Sherlock Holmes into the story the action is running rampant. Interestingly Holloway keeps him from dominating his scenes, yet he still rings true to the original. She manages to maintain that fine balance between Holmes' world and Evelina's, allowing them both credit for discoveries, and she somehow has him do it without being the typical, condescending, jackass he is notorious for being. Thankfully this is the first in a series, so we will have more time to get to know Evelina and those that come into her orbit in the following books. show less

I loved this to pieces. I really did. I made the mistake of looking at others' reviews, and I really shouldn't do that, and I'm not going to let it affect my opinion or my rating (and will do my best not to make this an out–and–out rebuttal of some of those reviews, despite some things said in them which baffled me): I enjoyed reading A Study in Silks, I enjoyed the characters and the plot and the writing, and I even, to my surprise, enjoyed the involvement of his serene consultingness Sherlock Holmes.

It is the tale of a young woman, Evelina, whose rather–upper–crust mother (Sherlock Holmes's sister) ran off with a young man from a circus background, who then died; disowned by the "better" folk, she turned to the show folk for show more support, and thus Evelina grew up performing. (I saw a review which called this niece of Sherlock Holmes who grew up performing in the circus boring. If Evelina's boring, I'm not sure what that makes me. Coma–inspiring, I suppose?) Now, though, Evelina's Holmes grandmother has – for various reasons – seen to it that she has attended finishing school and is having her Season.

One of my favorite things is a really well–turned phrase, a clever metaphor or simile. And Emma Jane Holloway excels in this area.

- - "The expectation that Evelina would also fall from grace—an event no doubt attended with all the aplomb and inevitability of cold gravy plopping from a spoon—was sufficiently acute that there were days when Evelina wanted to oblige and get it over with."

- - "One couldn’t throw a dinner bun in London without hitting a liar."

- - "The tall, lanky Edgerton moved like a giraffe on ice skates."

I loved the Society for the Proliferation of Impertinent Events.

I appreciated the characters. There was depth to them, and believability. "Tobias was intrigued. People had wanted him for his name, or his looks, or what he might do for them, but never for what he loved about himself." Poor little rich boy … no, seriously, poor Tobias, thwarted in what he most wanted to do and afraid of being forced into the wrong mold. After all, "A man has needs beyond a stuffed sheep".

Imogen's father was an interesting character. "Her hair had smelled of Cook’s baking bread, and for a week afterward his dinner rolls had carried an erotic thrill."

Imogen and her incipient love affair was adorable. "Tea is never as simple as it appears, Mr. Penner."

"Well, I understand the school closed the year you left."
Evelina cringed at the memory. "The headmistress retired after an unfortunate incident with the walking dead, but that’s a tiresome story."
– I love that that's all of it. Unless there's a prequel out there somewhere, there's just the mention, as tantalizing as her uncle's "giant rat of Sumatra".

Evelina was not a Mary Sue: always a plus. She could easily have been one – for a minute I was very much afraid that she would exhibit signs – but no: she was an intelligent teenaged girl with abilities, but not able to beat all comers and swan through unscathed.

Speaking of his deer–stalkeredness – I did not think this would work. But it did. Often the best way to keep me from being a fan is to graft one's own cutting onto a family tree where it ought not to belong – but this actually did work for me. This Holmes, dispensing very Holmesian advice to and expecting high levels of competence from his sister's daughter, is in a very similar vein to Laurie R. King's incarnation, in that – in his cool and detached way – he takes under his almost indifferent wing an orphaned girl, and expects her to rise. I found this Holmes's reactions completely believable. (Keep in mind, of course, that when I read the canon through last year I discovered that I despise the original Holmes, so close enough is … close enough.)

I did find the statement "He holds his clients’ confidentiality in high regard" as funny here as the protestations and situations in the canon; how sacrosanct is confidentiality with Watson in a corner making notes toward future publication?

All too often I have happily dived into a steampunk novel, expecting to love every minute of the ride … only to give up on it in annoyance (or finish it in annoyance). This, though, fit the bill perfectly for me: this did just about everything I'd want steampunk to do. I loved the big bad evil of the steam lobby, and the logic of how it all came about and proliferated and kept everything else down. I loved the shifting boundaries of the different–colored factions. (One thing, though: "One pays once for light and again for heat and thrice if you are so lucky as to receive electricity for your business" – how is that different from now?) I loved the crab/squid.

I saw an outraged note out there about the line "Tobias remembered some Serb had recently published a paper on wireless transmission", highly indignant that Tesla would be referred to thus… but it's from Tobias's point of view. From Tobias I would expect the prime minister to be "that chap with the monocle", if of course he had a monocle. I was pleased to catch the reference and tickled that it was there, not upset by the fact that it wasn't more pointed. (Seriously, that's the only time I'll reference another review.)

Something that did bug me, a lot, was the quote of a theatre poster (I think): "THE KNIGHTS OF TATIANA VICTORIOUS OVER THE FORCES OF KING OBERON". Tatiana??? Since when was the fairy queen Russian?

The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review. show less