Where Charlotte Solves a Murder on Board

A Tempest at Sea by Sherry Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is excellent.

I love me some good Sherlock pastiche of any kind, and this series has been consistently good. A few times in the previous books I've lamented the focus drifting a bit from Charlotte (the sort-of Sherlock in this series) and her brilliant work--"Charlotte being awesome," as I think of it--to her sister or the bad guys or whatever, and that's fine, but I really prefer lots of Charlotte. I'm very happy that she's front and center here.

There are other people doing things, of course, especially in the first half, but from that point on we get more and more of her insight and sharpness, and that's what I'm here for. We have a kind of Death on the Nile situation, with a murder on a ship traveling to Gibraltar being solved by an inspector who happens to be on board. The movements of various people on that fateful night are gradually revealed, along with their concerns and motivations and relationships. That level of detail can be overwhelming, but it's well handled here, and the resolution and explanation are very good.

This is a lot of fun. Great mystery, well told, lots of Charlotte being awesome: all the stars. There's also a bit of love interest, a bit of a young woman asserting her independence, and friends helping friends. It's a great time.

Recommended for all right-thinking people.

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