On the one hand, I really enjoy how Springer brings Victorian London alive -- how cool to spend some time learning about Rudyard Kipling as a phenomenon, the terrors of rabies before treatment, the flower vendors of the city and how they lived, the oddity of people dressing up as Oscar Wilde. It's nice to see Enola and Sherlock's relationship growing. I enjoyed Enola's bloody-minded response to Ruddy's behavior. I loved the women's club and how that works as a place of refuge for Enola. On the other hand, this was a little slow moving and more convoluted than it needed to be. Sometimes I really enjoy this, but not at present -- I may be outgrowing Enola, for all I have very much enjoyed the series until now.

Advanced Readers' Copy provided by Edelweiss. ( )

Enola meets Rudyard Kipling and it is not a happy event. Some good insights into early rabies treatment and intervention. ( )

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this review copy. I’ve enjoyed this series but this was not my favorite. ( )

When Rudyard Kipling bursts into Enola's office looking for help in finding his missing friend, he is appalled to be confronted by a female. Unwilling to hire a young woman, he turns to Sherlock Holmes. Enola is not one to be overlooked and sets off on her own to learn the truth behind the disappearance of the young American. Can the missing man be rescued from his apparent fate and returned to his friends and loved ones?

Enola is back and she is more than ready to prove she is her brother’s equal! Enola’s studies are interrupted once again by a mystery. Too bad it is not her case. However, that small detail has never stopped Enola before, and she throws herself into the streets of London to find the clues. She goes through an immense wardrobe, dressing as a street waif, a fashionable lady, a student, and as Oscar Wilde.

The mystery itself was interesting, though it did linger a bit long on the horrors of rabies. It introduced an interesting villain, one I am hoping we will see again. There was also a bit of action in the end with Enola engaging in a knife fight.

I can’t decide which one I enjoyed more: reading it for myself or listening to the audiobook. They both were so much fun! The narrator for the audiobook has such a lovely voice to listen to.

I would definitely recommend this to fans of the series and those who enjoy young adult historical fiction. I received a free copy via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. ( )

In the latest Enola Holmes mystery, Rudyard Kipling bursts into Dr Ragostin’s detective agency. He wants to hire them to find a missing friend. However, when Enola tries to get information from him, he demands to speak to a man. When he learns that she is the one and only detective, he storms out. Later, she learns he has hired her brother, Sherlock, who has always refused to recognize her own detecting skills.

Never one to give up easily and determined to prove herself to both Kipling and Sherlock, she decides to do her own search. While searching for clues, she encounters a rabid dog and hears a rumour it bit a man recently who was trying to scare it off. Could the man be Kipling’s friend and, if so, where is he now?

I first encountered Enola Holmes in a movie and, even though it was clearly aimed at a YA audience, I enjoyed it so much, I decided to check out the books. Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose is the ninth in the series, the fourth I have read, and a very entertaining edition to the series. The story takes Enola and the reader through one of London’s worse slums as well as to a high society gala, to a medical laboratory where Dr Jacob Lister is trying to develop an inoculation against rabies, a disease which, at the time was an automatic death sentence (trigger warning: medical animal experimentation), and into the hands of a deadly cult.

This is a fast easy read and I finished it in one day. Enola is a likeable and strong protagonist, the mystery as well as the historical details are interesting and, despite being, like the movie, aimed at a YA audience, it works for all ages. If, like me, you are a fan of anything Holmes, I recommend this book highly. I received an audio version of this book narrated by Tamaryn Payme who does a wonderful job.

I received an audiobook from Netgalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review ( )