I should have skipped this, but I was hoping that maybe, just maybe Cavallaro could pivot this series. With talk of a fourth book coming out I wanted something interesting out there in the world of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson. Instead this Young Adult pastiche in the world of Sherlock Holmes is lacking across the board. We somehow have no development of Charlotte and Jamie, there are no real deductions to be made, we still have Charlotte and Jamie in a toxic friendship and we get to see Jamie's father in his own messed up relationship with a Holmes. 

 

"The Case for Jamie" is the third book in the Charlotte Holmes series. Told in first person points of view by Jamie and Charlotte this time you have back and forth chapters with the not dynamic duo before they finally get to confront another Moriarty.  

 

Jamie is feeling lost and angry after the events of "The Last of August". He is rightfully over the Holmes family and a year later is settled back in school with a girlfriend. FYI, Jamie treats his girlfriend appallingly and at this point I am wondering if he is a undercover MRA or what. There is no there there this time. Jamie is asked to help find Charlotte by his uncle and father because reasons. I am thinking they are alluding to the fact that Jamie is in love or was in love with her or something. Instead of Jamie actually pushing back on this BS he does eventually get involved and becomes a suspect (again) when a series of pranks goes on.

Charlotte and her POV chapters were pretty freaking soulless. I hate her entire family. I know these people are mythical and all, but when Charlotte recounts being told her mother was disappointed that she was raped cause she thought Charlotte could handle herself better, her brother making excuses about how nothing is his fault, and her father is just an absent asshole. There is nothing interesting about the Holmes besides all of them seem to be devoid of feelings. Charlotte is focused on keeping Jamie safe (again) and tracking down another Moriarty. 

 

There is nothing to say about the secondary characters. They are not well developed at all. I didn't like Jamie's father and started to hate Charlotte's uncle. There seemed to be some repercussions for Jamie's father at the end of the book, and once again Jamie barely seems to care.

 

I honestly felt for August's family. He was a good person who had his life ruined because he romantically rejected Charlotte. Then her brother killed him. He is mentioned multiple times throughout this book, but I felt like no one really gave a damn he was dead and should not be. 

 

The writing was okay, the flow was slow. I think this book was hampered by having alternating chapters between Jamie and Charlotte. Charlotte just recaps things in her chapters that readers should already know about.

The ending was whatever. We have Jamie and Charlotte reunited again and I just don't care enough to read if there is a fourth book. 

Not good.

Trying not to laugh about the fact my Kindle just shit off due to low battery. Maybe it’s even tired of me reading bad books. This is not really bad per se, it’s just boring. The POV’s or Jamie and Charlotte, so each chapter alternates between them.

 

It’s been at least a year plus since the events in the last book and we do have Jamie back at school wanting nothing to do with the Holmes family and Charlotte on the tail of Lucien Moriarty.

Note: Although this is Book 2 in the series, it works fine as a stand alone.

Jamie Quinn, family practice lawyer, returns in this sequel to Death by Didgeridoo. She’s handling cases that she’s trained for (mostly divorces) until someone ends up dead and her divorce client is a suspect. Once again, folks turn to Jamie to untangle a murder mystery. She calls in her associate, an annoying man who just happens to be good at his job as a private eye, Duke Broussard. To add to the mess, Jamie wishes to find her long lost father, or at least, learn a bit more about him. As with Book 1 in the series, this mystery is set in modern day Hollywood, Florida.

I think I enjoyed this book even more than Book 1 because there were two plot lines; the main plot followed the murder investigation and the minor plot was the search for info on Jamie’s father. Plus there was a little side romance that added to the story and was not distracting from the main plot. The story starts with a judge dismissing Jamie’s motion in a divorce case. Becca and Joe have 2 kids and now Becca has to allow Joe to see them on Friday. She has a bit of a melt down when Joe, once again, threatens to sue for sole custody of the kids. Plenty of nasty things are said back and forth and one of these lovely people ends up dead.

The story was easy to get into and it was quite fun riding around in Jamie’s head as she tried to solve the murder mystery, while at the same time untangling the mystery of her long lost father. Duke Broussard alternately irritates Jamie and perks her up. He’s a good friend, even if he can be a bit annoying at times. I really enjoyed the back and forth between these two. While the ending was a little predictable, this is a great read for day off in a porch swing, or curled up by a fire.

The Narration: Martz once again was a good voice for Jamie. She imbued the role with emotion as needed. I loved her accent for Duke.

This is another quick read in the series. Jamie is back to practicing law and getting over her melancholy from her mother's passing. The time line was a little jumpy at times.

In addition to trying to help her divorce client who is accused of her husband's murder, Jamie is also looking for her father. Oh yeah, throw in a little dating. For such a short read there really is a lot going on.

I generally like these books but find them too short, wish there were more show and less tell. They are all from Jamie's POV, which limits the scope of the narrative.

Not huge mysteries, but fun to read. Fabulous supporting cast in her friends Grace and Duke. I also love smarmy lawyer Nick!

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Carrie Lee Martz, who is great. I really enjoy the texture of her voice and the pace of the read. I like the way she plays with Duke's voice, he is quite the character. The only thing I really didn't like are the sound moments, ie a sigh when somebody sighs. They just take me out of the read.

Overall, another entertaining book in the series. I really hope the third is coming out in audio soon!

Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.