Secret Letters

What an intriguing novel! I was immediately grabbed with the summary, and it was not misleading! Secret Letters was an intriguing, page flipping book that keeps you guessing! I mean, the idea of Sherlock Holmes' daughter is creative and (as far as I know) never thought of before! Dora is a sweet, yet strong heroine and the perfect detective. Her intelligence and observation skills astound me and remind me of the Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter! Peter was dashing and so considerate of Dora and sets the heart a-flutter! A wonderful tale, and I am eagerly wishing for a sequel, although it just came out so I know it will be some time. You will be missing out if you don't find some way to get your hands on this book!

I got this book, extremely excited about the whole thing. I mean who can go wrong with Sherlock Holmes? It was a great book that left me wanting to turn the next page, and the mystery was satisfyingly thought out. The only problem was when I got to the end. It was completely cut off, and left me pulling out my hair wanting things to be resolved. I looked and there isn't even a mention of a second book so unless you like cliff hangers, my advice is wait for the sequel to come out (if there is one) because it was a frustratingly abrupt ending.

Awesome book if you are into mysteries. I liked a lot and I think many other people will two.-Glenda Lee

Unfortunately this novel by Leah Scheier just didn’t manage to fully convince me. I’m not saying it’s a bad read and the historical setting actually seems to be well done. I’m just not sure if the story itself (and Dora being Sherlock Holmes’ daughter) is all that believable. I know Secret Letters is supposed to be a fictional account, but still… Also, the story had a really slow start and it took me a long time to get a proper feel for it. In fact, I put it on hold various times before I finally decided to finish it. The pace did pick up in the second half of the story as the amount of action increased, and that definitely made it easier to read and more entertaining. I just wish the romance scenes would have been left out. I would still recommend it to those who like the genre though.

My reaction: I had a lot of issues with Secret Letters, but it was still an enjoyable, entertaining enough read.To start off with, you have to take the whole book with a grain (or perhaps several) of salt. The entire premise is somewhat far-fetched; even the idea that Dora would be assisting on a mystery case requires a suspension of disbelief. She's so overconfident in her abilities, especially in the first half of the story, and really manages to bungle things up sometimes. There was more than one occasion where I'd go, "Dora, you idiot! Why are you doing this???" in my head. This makes for some very cringe-worthy scenes where you're embarrassed for her because you know she's doing or saying something stupid and it's not going to end well. (During some of these I was quite tempted to skip ahead rather than sit there thinking, "Oh no, she didn't just say that...")There were also some moments that just seemed too preposterous to be believable. For instance, some of the climactic scenes took on a comedic tone at times that I didn't feel was really appropriate. I wanted to be submerged in this dramatic setting, and instead the villains would be chuckling! Or there'd be people pointing guns all over the place and it just seemed farcical instead of full of tension, and I'd be going, "I just don't buy this, it's too ridiculous."I will acknowledge that Dora did grow on me as the story progressed. Thankfully, I think she learns a bit of humility by the end (helped along by Peter Cartwright, who is only too willing to help her realize she can make mistakes), so that was good to see. I like that she was able to recognize her failings (to some extent, anyway). And she certainly doesn't lack curiosity or chutzpah. However, I thought — for a book set in 1891 — that she sounded a little too modern-minded; a bit much was made of the fact that she didn't do what everyone expected of her. It was kind of like these points were being thrust in the reader's face, as though to say, "You'll like Dora, because she's spunky and she doesn't conform to societal standards, and she enjoys solving mysteries just like her dad!"In terms of side characters, some of them weren't very well fleshed-out at all, and I had trouble keeping track of the details — who was who, who knew what, who was related to whom, etc. Also, I found the characterization inconsistent at times. Peter has wild mood swings and is very unpredictable; in one scene, he'll be overly protective, in the next he'll be joking around. It's difficult to know how he's going to react to something. I liked him when he was teasing, but other times he seemed to be a completely different person, showing off his moody, broody side. I'm not sure if that's just his personality or if it's a reflection of the writing quality. Then there's Agatha, who is a young, pregnant girl who gives off a bit of a "lost sheep" sort of vibe. Towards the end, though, she starts sounding much older, saying things that don't seem authentic for her age and character.Best aspect: the interactions between Cartwright and Dora, which were pretty darn adorable sometimes. They've got the whole bickering-but-secretly-we-kind-of-like-each-other thing going on. It didn't reach the level of "romance" but there were certainly hints in that direction. Cartwright was probably my favourite character — he gets most of the amusing lines!I also really liked the personal stories of Cartwright and Dora that we find out towards the end, and thought they were handled quite sensitively and effectively.If I could change something... I'd make the mystery itself a whole lot easier to follow. While I appreciate the fact that it wasn't easy to guess in its entirety, it ended up being very convoluted. I got mixed up in all of the details and forgot what the characters were actually trying to solve. When it comes to mysteries, a nudge from the author in one direction or another is often helpful, even if it turns out to be a red herring (as is frequently the case). Instead, I was mired down in all the complexities.This confusion was compounded by a writing technique the author employed a few times (especially towards the end, during the climactic scenes) in which information is conveniently withheld from the reader for a while, resulting in something like the "unreliable narrator" device. I find this incredibly frustrating, especially considering this book is written in 1st-person POV. In other words, we should be on the same page as the narrator — and in some scenes I was most definitely not. More than once the reader is not told ahead of time what the plan is, and then the characters go somewhere or do something and you have no idea what their motivations or intentions are. For instance, at one point several of the characters, including Dora, end up in the cemetery for no apparent good reason, and I was left going, "Why are they in the cemetery??? I DON'T UNDERSTAND." (To be perfectly fair, I'm not sure Dora really knew exactly why everyone was hanging out in the cemetery either, but unlike me, she didn't seem particularly concerned about that fact.) Sure, we find out later what they're doing there, but for several pages the reader is left in the dark! If you're going to confuse the reader, fine — but make sure the narrator is confused too. Otherwise it makes for this odd disconnect between the narrator's reaction and the reader's.Also, the full explanation for the mystery wasn't particularly satisfying either — it felt like several different secrets got connected together in a really implausible way, instead of having been thought out well at the beginning. The blackmailing storyline, which is one of the main reasons Dora goes to London in the first place, ends up taking a spot on the sidelines; I thought this was a shame since I would have liked to have gotten more of Adelaide's story, particularly about her (somewhat troubling, from the sound of it) relationship with her husband.If you haven't read it: you're not missing that much. But sure, if you like books set in the Victorian era and couples who bicker, and you don't mind being unclear about what's going on at any given time, you might enjoy Secret Letters.If you have read it: were you as confused as I was in trying to follow the plot?Just one more thing I want to mention: It doesn't surprise me that this is a debut novel. It's pretty easy to read and some of the dialogue is quite charming, but overall the writing style is a little amateur-ish. Tell-tale signs like cliched expressions, overly dramatic metaphors, and an odd 3rd-person perspective that occasionally sneaks in there all point to the fact that this book could have used more editing, or — to be frank — a stronger, more experienced writer. Hopefully that will come with time and practice, and the next in the series (I'm assuming there will be one...) will have a higher quality of writing.Final verdict: 3 shooting stars.Disclaimer: I received this book for review from the publisher.