The Last of August

By: Brittany Cavallaro

Narrated by: Graham Halstead, Julia Whelan

Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

In the second brilliant, action-packed book in the Charlotte Holmes series, 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.

©2017 Brittany Cavallaro (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

worth listing to.

at first i was wary on listing to the audiobook... i have trouble hearing. have hearing aids for that but i couldn't listen to this with hearing aids and do chores so i use Bluetooth and set my hearing aids aside. even then, i enjoyed it. live the way she writes already, and then the narrator, Graham did a marvelous job. It fit James character perfectly. Charlotte's POV was difficult. i didn't like the narrator as much. but its one of my fav chapters other than that. worth listing to.

So much teen angst...

The entire premise of the series is very Sherlock Holmes fan fic-y, which in general doesn’t bother me too much (as a Sherlock fan) but in this book Watson drove me absolutely crazy with his dramatic teen angst and I found the sex stuff very cringy. I was very glad the author gave that chapter to Charlotte so we could skip over the details. In fact, the chapter with Charlotte as the narrator was a bright spot in the book for many reasons, and mostly because she actually knew what was going on, whereas Jamie was too caught up in his feelings to figure anything out. The end was so rushed and confusing, and yet I had guessed at least one part of the ending very early. I wish they had let Jamie in on at least some of the details before the last 10 minutes. And yet, I’ll read the next book anyway, hoping we’re past most of the angst and hoping the pacing is better... I still have questions.

Great second book

I thought the book was a great and truly immersive. The thought of going to art auctions in Europe and meeting new people is what makes this book great.

just as great as the first novel

I'm not going to give you any spoilers, but if you enjoyed the first novel, you will really enjoy this 2nd edition to this book series... But you really have to pay attention to all of the characters, because the ending is very confusing... It's definitely worth a read

Like August as a character but not the plot

I just don’t think this book is the compelling continuation of the first that it could have been. I don’t really mind the teenage angst, but the main mystery of the book just isn’t that gripping, and the “twists and turns” either fall flat or are simply confusing. Jamie and Charlotte are still very charming characters though, and I like reading about August.

riveting, poetic, and complex

A morally ambiguous, psychologically complex, and riveting page-turner that takes, even more so than the first book in the series, the first genuinely unique take on Sherlock Holmes that I have encountered in decades. First rate.

Inhaled this book!

I listened to this book faster than I’m proud of! As good as the first in the series & I loved hearing Charlotte’s voice as well. 10/10.

Not as good as the first book

Not much adventure until the end, and then everything happened so quickly I wasn’t exactly sure what was going on. The angst from Jamie gets tiring as well. However, the ending being confusing, now I am going to have to listen to the third book which was perhaps the author’s intent

Not My Favorite

First, let me say it's not a terrible book. It just wasn't as good as the first one was. I enjoyed the humor and Charlotte and Jamie's relationship. There was more action as well! I loved the Europe setting, art forgery, and Charlotte's chapters! Of course Jamie was a plus! The narrators were really good too! However, it was extremely confusing and kind of slow. It copied some plot points from the first book. Although, it wasn't my favorite, I'll still be reading the third book.

Not as good as the first, but still a fun read.

As someone who adored A Study in Charlotte (5 stars). I have to say, The Last of August was a bit of a disappointment for me.

I felt that I wasn't nearly as engaged in the mystery surrounding this novel; I had to restart the book at one point as I lost focus and became confused about the sudden introduction of art theft.

Additionally, in regards to Jamie and Charlotte's relationship, I felt that their constant bickering throughout the novel was slightly offputting as a reader.

However, with that in mind, The Last of August got into the groove around the 50% mark, and I became more engaged in the novel's plot. I owe this fact partly to Graham Halstead and Julia Whelan's fabulous narrating.

Overall, while I enjoyed The Last of August, In my view, it was not nearly as captivating as book #1. Although being the Sherlock nerd that I am, I am still keen to read the next instalment, "The Case For Jamie."