Book Review: Mrs. Sherlock Holmes

I immediately declared this book "a fascinating read" but, after I'd gotten further into it, wished I could retract my enthusiastic recommendations. The beginning of Mrs. Sherlock Holmes was truly intriguing as the story of this tireless female detective was introduced. I was fascinated by the missing person case of Ruth Cruger, who disappeared off the New York streets in February of 1917. However, the further I read, the more the background information, weaving in and out of the story of Ruth Cruger in order to highlight the career of Grace Humiston, somewhat muddied the waters. Sadly, the book became more difficult to follow and a bit less compelling.

I think I would have preferred a book focused exclusively on the Cruger case, instead of bringing in various other cases and widening the scope to reveal the detective prowess of Grace Humiston. Alas, it would have been titled differently and would have, indeed, been a very different book. I appreciate the historical digging this author did to uncover the story of the first female U.S. district attorney and the first female detective to work with the New York Police Department. All in all, it still tapped my curiosity, just wish it had held my enthusiastic interest throughout the tale instead of losing it in a jumbled mess of details and separate cases.