The Abduction of Pretty Penny by Leonard Goldberg

Have you watched the Enola Holmes movie on Netflix yet? I fell in love with it and wanted to dive into the world of Sherlock Holmes books as soon as possible!

Thank you Minotaur Books for my gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

Synopsis: Joanna and the Watsons are called in by the Whitechapel Playhouse to find Pretty Penny, a lovely, young actress who has gone missing without reason or notice. While on their search, the trio is asked by Scotland Yard to join in the hunt for a vicious murderer whose method resembles that of Jack The Ripper. It soon becomes clear that The Ripper has reemerged after a 28-year absence and is once again murdering young prostitutes in Whitechapel. Following a line of subtle clues, Joanna quickly reasons that Pretty Penny has been taken capture by the killer. But as Joanna moves closer to learning his true identity, the killer sends her a letter indicating her young son Johnny will be the next victim to die. Time is running out, and Joanna has no choice but to devise a most dangerous plan which will bring her face-to-face with the killer. It is the only chance to protect her son and rescue Pretty Penny, and save both from an agonizing death.

This is book number 5 in the series, and I definitely need to go back and read the others. I hadn’t heard about this series, mostly because I hadn’t dabbled into the world of Sherlock Holmes, but it’s wonderful! You can easily read this as a stand-alone novel, so if you haven’t read any of the previous books, you are fine to dive right in. I actually really enjoyed the historical context scattered throughout the book. Of course, since this is book number 5, the character development is a little flat. That is to be expected, but I was wanting a little bit more. The ending didn’t take my breath away, but I still had a fun time reading this and want to read more!

4/5 Stars