The puzzle of Joanna Holmes!

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The Art of Deception (The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes Mysteries #4) by Leonard Goldberg         

Valuable art works being slashed and damaged has Joanna and husband John along with Watson (and young son Johnny) searching for the culprit. The plot becomes complicated, involving art dealers, restorers and art collections reaching into rarified circles.
As fitting, the mystery is multi-layered. Joanna Blalock-Watson is the picture of aloof intellect, removed from others, as her brain makes connections. That is softened a couple of times when Joanna's concern for her family group is evident. Son Johnny and the mention of cholera has her taking charge immediately. Loved the health regimes instituted and the social distancing. It means more at this current time. Still I find Joanna a mostly distant figure. The actual mystery the Holmes/Watsons are involved in didn't lose my interest, but for some reason I found myself dropping in and out of reading this novel. This wasn't a page turner for me. Does Joanna's aloofness play so much into the story that I felt separated and to some extent uninvolved? Perhaps this is it. Joanna's husband John (Watson's son) recounts the story. This means the writing appears once removed from the main character. Maybe that's why I have trouble identifying with Joanna. Her actions are reported through John's eyes. I am more engaged with him as he expresses or reports on Joanne's detection path and her emotional reactions. An interesting mystery, but for me Joanna is the biggest mystery.

 A St. Martin's Press ARC via NetGalley

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