The Last of August by Brittany Cavallaro

****1/2

From the Publisher:

In the second brilliant, action-packed book in the Charlotte Holmes trilogy, Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes are in a chase across Europe to untangle a web of shocking truths about the Holmes and Moriarty families.

Jamie and Charlotte are looking for a winter break reprieve in Sussex after a fall semester that almost got them killed. But nothing about their time off is proving simple, including Holmes and Watson’s growing feelings for each other. When Charlotte’s beloved Uncle Leander goes missing from the Holmes estate—after being oddly private about his latest assignment in a German art forgery ring—the game is afoot once again, and Charlotte throws herself into a search for answers.

So begins a dangerous race through the gritty underground scene in Berlin and glittering art houses in Prague, where Holmes and Watson discover that this complicated case might change everything they know about their families, themselves, and each other.

Source:  Electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson are the ancestors of the Sherlock Holmes and James Watson.  Holmes and Watson were thrown together in A Study in Charlotte when they were suspects in a fellow student's murder.  The story continues in The Last of August.  I'd love to tell you that this is a standalone, but the truth is, if you haven't read A Study in Charlotte you are going to miss a lot in August.  

When Holmes' Uncle Leander goes missing, she insists he's become the latest casualty in the family's war with the Moriarty family.   When Mrs. Holmes is poisoned, Holmes and Watson are sent to Holmes' brother Milo.  They decide to use Milo's resources to find Leander, including Holmes' first love, August Moriarty.  

There is a lot going on in The Last of August and I've struggled with this review because I want to convey how gloriously awesome this book is without giving away a single thing, because you really need to enjoy each twist as it happens in the book.  I've read a lot of mysteries and this ranks as one of the best.  Cavallaro experts weaves the threads of this complex mystery together to a stunning conclusion.  I guess the only thing I can say is go read this series now.  Right now!  

~ Shel