Enola Holmes has become one of the most popular movies on Netflix today because of the quality of storytelling and acting that its two movies have been able to show over the last two years. Of course, this movie franchise is only going to get bigger because of the success that its movies were able to garner. This means that fans of the movies might want to dive deeper into the Enola Holmes lore by reading the source material.
Like a lot of different movies and series today, Enola Holmes was adapted from the books of American author Nancy Springer, who was able to add a twist to the classic Arthur Conan Doyle by adding a younger sister to the mix. In that regard, the entire storyline focuses more on Enola than on her older brother Sherlock. So, if you’re looking to read the Enola Holmes books to learn more about her story, we are here to talk about the reading order.
How many Enola Holmes Books are there?
There are nine Enola Holmes books in total. The first book was released in 2006 and the last book in the reading order so far was released in 2022. All books focus on Enola Holes, the younger sister of the already popular detective Sherlock Holmes. Having said that, let’s take a look at the reading order of the Enola Holmes books.
Enola Holmes reading order at a Glance
- The Case of the Missing Marquess (2006)
- The Case of the Left-Handed Lady (2007)
- The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets (2008)
- The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan (2008)
- The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline (2009)
- The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye (2010)
- Enola Holmes and the Boy in Buttons (2021)
- Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche (2021)
- Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade (2022)
What is the best way to read Enola Holmes Books?
The best way to read Enola Holmes books is in release order which is chronological order as well. Every subsequent book follows the narrative of the last books, just like the movies.
Enola Holmes books in order by release date
The good thing about the Enola Holmes books is that they aren’t necessarily difficult to read because they were meant for teenagers and young adults. Nevertheless, they are still quite interesting for adults. And another good thing about these books is that you don’t even need to read them in the correct order because you only have to follow the release order.
The Case of the Missing Marquess
The first book of the Enola Holmes Mysteries series is The Case of the Missing Marquess, which was published back in 2006. This book was what introduced younger audiences to Enola Holmes, the 14-year-old younger sister of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes. And this is also the book that was adapted by Netflix into the successful Enola Holmes movie.
As the movie shows, this book follows the story of Enola as she escaped from finishing school so that she could go looking for her missing mother. And along the way, she met Lord Tewkesbury, who was being chased by kidnappers that became the subject of intrigue for Enola.
The Case of the Left-Handed Lady
While the first Enola Holmes movie followed the first book in the Enola Holmes novel series, Enola Holmes 2 had a different story as it focused more on the events surrounding the Matchgirls’ Strike. Nevertheless, the second book of the novel series is called The Case of the Left-Handed Lady, which follows Enola’s exploits as she goes searching for Lady Cecily.
In this book, Enola had become an amateur detective tasked with searching for a left-handed girl who suddenly disappeared. This is where it is similar to Enola Holmes 2 but is quite different because of the fact that, in this book, Enola is trying to evade her older brother Sherlock instead of actually working with him.
The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets
Yet to be adapted by Netflix, the third book in the series is The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets, which follows Enola still hiding from Sherlock and Mycroft, who both want to bring her back to finishing school. However, Enola had to take on a new case when she discovered that Dr. Watson, her brother’s good friend and right-hand man, was missing.
In that regard, this took her on an adventure where she discovered in the Watson residence a bizarre bouquet of flowers that all represent death. As such, she believed that Watson’s life might be in danger, as she acted quickly to save him from certain death.
The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan
The fourth book in the series is The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan. This book sees the return of Lady Cecily as an important character as she is the one that Enola now has to help in her current case.
Lady Cecily became a hostage in an orphanage because she was set to be married against her will. In that regard, Enola has to find a way to help her friend escape from an ordeal that she has no control.
The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline
The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline is the fifth book in the Enola Holmes series and is one that follows another missing person case. This time, the one who is missing is Mrs. Tupper, who has been kidnapped.
In that regard, Enola now has to find a way to get Mrs. Tupper back. What makes this case a mystery is the fact that her old crinoline dress is somehow linked to Florence Nightingale, who we all know is historically the founder of modern nursing.
The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye
Originally, The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye was supposed to be the final book of the entire Enola Holmes mystery novels, as Nancy Springer was supposed to end the series in six books. Nevertheless, the success of the movie convinced her to write more books about her famous character.
The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye follows the story of Enola as she takes on the missing case of Lady Blanchefleur del Campo. However, Enola also received a message from her long-lost mother. On top of that, this is also the book that allows us to see Enola finally trying to find a way to reconcile with her two brothers.
Enola Holmes and the Boy in Buttons
Released in 2021, Enola Holmes and the Boy in Buttons is the book that was supposed to be the midway story between the sixth and seventh novels. In this book, Enola now has a porter named Joddy, who wears a uniform full of buttons and is often substituted by her younger brother named, Paddy, whenever he is sick.
However, Paddy ends up disappearing one day from the job, and it is up to Enola to try to find this while the older brother Joddy is still ill. She has to travel to a rougher part of the city of London to find the buttons on the uniform but not the boy. As such, she has to find a way to save the missing boy, who she believes is in danger.
Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche
Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche is the seventh book of the series. In this book, she is now 15 years old and is finally an independent woman that is now living all on her own in the big city of London as a professional sleuth. And the case that she now has to tackle involves Miss Letitia Glover, who shows up on Sherlock’s doorstep to try to find a way to find her twin sister.
Enola steps up to take the case instead of her brother, as she learns that the missing sister is Felicity Glover, who married the Earl of Dunhench and had already died. But Letitia believes that her sister is still alive. And it is now up to Enola to find the truth behind this case.
Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade
The eighth book in the Enola Holmes series is Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade, which was published in August 2022. In this book, Lady Cecily returns as an important character as she is once again in danger and is in need of her friend Enola’s help. As such, Enola helps Lady Cecily escape from her controlling father and is taken to her secret office. But the problem right now is that Sherlock was hired by Cecily’s mother to find them, and this ends up with Cecily disappearing from both Enola and Sherlock.
As such, Enola now has to find Lady Cecily again, as she believes that her dual personality can get her into trouble. Of course, she has to contend with her own brother, who was hired to bring Lady Cecily to her father.
Where to read Enola Holmes books?
You can get all the books in the series on Amazon. It’s a great preparation for all the magnificent movies to come!
Do you need to read Enola Holmes books in order?
To follow the storyline and the growth of the characters, you should read the books in the correct order. Luckily for you, we’ve provided you with the release order of the books which is coincidentally the chronological order as well.
Are Enola Holmes Books connected?
Yes, the books are connected, each new installment in the series follows the same characters and builds upon the greater central story – establishing Enola as a detective who is on par with her brother.
Will there be more Enola Holmes books?
Original Nancy Springer wanted to write as many books as possible about Enola Holmes until she eventually settled on 6 books to wrap up the story of this brilliant character. Now, with Enola being brought to the big screens and character already being resurrected for additional books, there’s no reason to believe we won’t get more Enola Holmes books. Of course, this is just a hunch as nothing official has been stated.
