ENOLA HOLMES AND THE CLANGING COFFIN, by Nancy Springer, Wednesday Books, Feb. 10, 2026, Paperback, $13.99 (young adult)
Enola Holmes returns when the rescue of a young woman sends her into battle with Sherlock against his most deadly, implacable enemy in Enola Holmes and the Clanging Coffin, by Nancy Springer.
In February 1891, London, Enola Holmes―the much younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes―is attending a burial when she hears the faint sound of a handbell in the graveyard. It is not in Enola’s nature to ignore such oddities, no matter the occasion and when she investigates further, as is the Holmes’ family instinct, she discovers something absolutely chilling. The ringing bell is attached to the tombstone erected over a recent gravesite and someone, buried within, is pulling the string to ring the alarm.
Galvanized into action, Enola and her companions swiftly and successfully unearth the coffin within, freeing a still-living young woman, one Trevina Trairom. Enola, by predilection and by trade a Scientific Perditorian, a finder of lost things, finds herself comforting and protecting this young girl. The girl herself is a mystery – she remembers very little, including her identity, and has no idea who has buried her alive, much less why.
While protecting this mysterious girl from an enigmatic enemy, she discovers that Sherlock is engaged in a related mystery. Enola joins Sherlock in his battle against the scourge of London, the Napoleon of Crime himself, Professor Moriarty. Facing her most brutal foe ever, determined to protect and unravel the secrets surrounding the mysterious Trevina, Enola takes her place more fully than ever as a proud member of the Holmes family. —Synopsis provided by Wednesday Books
Never have I read a series where the author has so fully realized a character than in that of Enola Holmes. Nancy Springer has captured Enola’s voice to a tee. She practically jumps off the page.
And in Enola Holmes and the Clanging Coffin readers will come across one of the best Enola books in years. Perhaps it is the tie-in with Sherlock and Moriarty. Perhaps it’s because Enola’s world feels full of wonderful characters and settings. Perhaps it’s because Enola herself is older. Perhaps it’s all of the above.
What I do know, is I utterly enjoyed Enola Holmes and the Clanging Coffin from beginning to end. It is, in short, delightful in all the right ways.
Enola Holmes and the Clanging Coffin is the 10th book in the series, with Volumes 7-10 being re-released as The New Adventures of Enola Holmes. The first six books are considered middle grade and the later ones young adult. However, If your reader has read them in order, I wouldn’t hesitate to hand Books 7-10 to upper middle readers.
The books are smart, full of intrigue, move quickly and are just plain fun.
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