The Last of August Review

The Last of August is the second book in the Charlotte Holmes series by Brittany Cavallaro, falling into the mystery genre.

"Watson and Holmes: A match made in disaster.

Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes are looking for a winter-break reprieve after a fall semester that almost got them killed. But Charlotte isn’t the only Holmes with secrets, and the mood at her family’s Sussex estate is palpably tense. On top of everything else, Holmes and Watson could be becoming morethan friends—but still, the darkness in Charlotte’s past is a wall between them.

A distraction arises soon enough, because Charlotte’s beloved uncle Leander goes missing from the estate—after being oddly private about his latest assignment in a German art forgery ring. The game is afoot once again, and Charlotte is single-minded in her pursuit.

Their first stop? Berlin. Their first contact? August Moriarty (formerly Charlotte’s obsession, currently believed by most to be dead), whose powerful family has been ripping off famous paintings for the last hundred years. But as they follow the gritty underground scene in Berlin to glittering art houses in Prague, Holmes and Watson begin to realize that this is a much more complicated case than a disappearance. Much more dangerous, too.
What they learn might change everything they know about their families, themselves, and each other."-Goodreads

What better way to kick off the Christmas season than with a book that takes place during that time and a art forgery case? The story follows Jamie and Charlotte over their Christmas break, and I must say, they surely had a very adventurous holiday vacation, though I prefer not to have a psychopath watching my every move.

Jamie's beginning to become a better detective, even if he's still not the best at it. He has grown a lot; he's getting better at understanding the crazy world that Holmes lives in. And though I'm not surprised that there's a relationship prospective, and I would like them to end up together, I felt like it almost happened to fast. Charlotte only showed signs once or twice in the first book, and here she is admitting she doesn't know how to handle her feelings. (Their future relationship would have an interesting dynamic to it because of them being detectives.)

Cavallaro did an excellent job keeping me hooked in the mystery, wanting to know what had happened to Lysander as what would happen with the Moriartys. And let me tell, most of them are as cunning and crazy as Professor Moriarty. I also see traits from Mycroft in Charlotte's brother, Milo, like how he control the government and believes he has everything together. Her writing made me feel like I was in Germany and see a different side to England. I was slightly shocked at the ending, about the solving of it. However, I also felt like the ending could have been wrapped up better for the plot that finished with the second book. I felt like some of it could  have been better explained and then only the necessary left to carry the story.

The Last of August was a wonderful second book in the Charlotte Holmes series, and I look forward to seeing what mystery Jamie and Charlotte have to resolve next.

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