{"id":32303,"date":"2026-09-29T09:01:03","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T13:01:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/?p=32303"},"modified":"2026-09-29T09:03:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T13:03:18","slug":"review-the-vanished-sister-by-sherry-thomas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2026\/09\/29\/review-the-vanished-sister-by-sherry-thomas\/","title":{"rendered":"Review \u2764\ufe0f The Vanished Sister by Sherry Thomas"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-32303\" data-postid=\"32303\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-32303 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    \t\t\t<!-- module_row -->\n\t<div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_3xsq388 tb_first tf_w tf_clearfix\">\n\t    \t\t\t<div class=\"row_inner col_align_top gutter-narrow tb_col_count_2 tf_box tf_rel\">\n\t\t            <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-1 tb_7hc3388 first\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module image -->\n<div  class=\"module module-image tb_b337388 rounded drop-shadow customBorderRad_top image-center auto_fullwidth tf_mw\" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div class=\"image-wrap tf_rel tf_mw\">\n\t\t    <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"960\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-vanishing-sister-sherry-thomas.jpg?resize=640%2C960&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-post-image wp-image-32304\" title=\"the-vanishing-sister-sherry-thomas\" alt=\"the-vanishing-sister-sherry-thomas\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-vanishing-sister-sherry-thomas.jpg?w=1000&amp;ssl=1 1000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-vanishing-sister-sherry-thomas.jpg?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-vanishing-sister-sherry-thomas.jpg?resize=683%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 683w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-vanishing-sister-sherry-thomas.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/image-wrap -->\n    \n    \t<\/div>\n<!-- \/module image --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_l5ez388 customBorderRad_bottom repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">It\u2019s been three years since Charlotte Holmes struck a decisive blow against Moriarty&#8217;s operations in Britain, three years of relative calm and benign developments. In a buoyant mood, everyone gathers at Lord Ingram&#8217;s seaside cottage in North Devon for what promises to be a perfect summer holiday. Until Mrs. Watson receives an invitation from Mrs. Carstairs, her long-estranged sister, to attend a house party nearby.<\/span><br><br><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Mrs. Carstairs has married spectacularly well. She is the mistress of a great manor, a doyen of all domestic arts, and still an unforgettable beauty. Now she clamors for a reconciliation with her sister. Mrs. Watson does not trust Mrs. Carstairs&#8217;s motives. Yet she cannot help but feel tremors of the old admiration for this once-beloved sister.<\/span><br><br><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Then Mrs. Carstairs disappears without a trace. The next day a woman is discovered floating on the waves, her build and coloring matching those of Mrs. Carstairs. But her husband insists that the corpse fished out of the Bristol Channel cannot be his wife. So where is the real Mrs. Carstairs? Would she have purposely dragged Mrs. Watson into a murder investigation? Or was it Sherlock Holmes&#8217;s involvement that she needed from the very beginning?<\/span><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-2 tb_ivp7388 last\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_wktj388  repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-25879 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/smitten-top-pick-banner-1-2.png?resize=296%2C72&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"296\" height=\"72\"><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong>\u00a0Sep 29, 2026<br><strong>Series:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>The Lady Sherlock Series<br><\/em><strong>Book: <\/strong>9<br><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong> Warm<br><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0Penguin Group<br><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Berkley\u00a0<br><strong>Price:<\/strong> $12.99<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"s2\"><i>One down, and one to go&#8230; Thomas builds the suspense and starts the wrap-up to Charlotte Holmes adventures.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"s2\">Let me start out by saying, from reading this book, I can sense the end. <strong>Charlotte, Mrs. Watson, Lord Ingram, Livia<\/strong>&#8230; honestly, this entire cast of characters has grown and changed so much over the course of years and the books themselves. They are reaching the point that it\u2019s almost time to move on, but their enemy Moriarty is still eluding them. Though for Sherlock fans heads up that the spectre of Moriarty although present in this story, doesn\u2019t play a front and center role. No, this book is all about Mrs. Watson\u2019s sister, Justina.<\/p>\n<p class=\"s2\"><b>Justina <\/b>married well, and she\u2019s played a big role in Mrs. Watson\u2019s life, with various interactions that have occurred over the years. There are few flashbacks to illustrate such, and the mystery is as much as Justina requesting Mrs. Watson\u2019s appearance at a house party along with Justina\u2019s sudden disappearance a few days later. When a woman\u2019s body washes up on the shore, looking similar to her sister, but almost unidentifiable, Mrs. Watson asks Charlotte to help her discover the truth. A truth that may not bring peace but could bring with it suffering. Unearthing secrets and mysteries isn\u2019t always a happy affair.<\/p>\n<p class=\"s2\"><b>Thomas<\/b> strikes again with a fabulous mystery, with many twists and turns. Halfway through, I had so many questions, and whenever I believed I had discovered the mystery itself, I was then shown how I had no real idea. This book didn\u2019t produce winners, per se. Though I do believe it helped shape Mrs. Watson and Charlotte\u2019s futures, with them making decisions on how to move forward based on the circumstances and events they were exposed to. This book has a big emotional toll, a reminder of how choices we make, even with the best intentions, can shape and form relationships with the ones we care the most for in horrible ways.<\/p>\n<p class=\"s2\">Overall, this is a great entry in the series, and I can start envisioning an endgame. For those who read this wondering who Charlotte Holmes is, you must refrain from reading this book without starting at the beginning. This is probably the closest to a standalone Lady Sherlock you could read, but you\u2019d do yourself a disservice. For those who love historicals and mysteries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"s2\"><i>~ Landra<\/i><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_cs8y388 customBorderRad repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/link.amazon\/B0dAYUDKh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a><\/span><span class=\"s2\">\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/4jvqfO9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">iBooks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/the-vanished-sister-sherry-thomas\/1148854106?ean=9780593640487\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">B&amp;N<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/the-vanished-sister\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Kobo<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Sherry_Thomas_The_Vanished_Sister?id=MnidEQAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Google Play<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n            \t    <\/div>\n\t    <!-- \/row_inner -->\n\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/module_row -->\n\t<\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s been three years since Charlotte Holmes struck a decisive blow against Moriarty&#8217;s operations in Britain, three years of relative calm and benign developments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32304,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83,112,128,48],"tags":[153,304,307,404,405,485],"class_list":["post-32303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-berkley","category-landra","category-penguin-group","category-reviews","tag-4-5-stars","tag-historical-mystery","tag-historicals","tag-recommend","tag-recommended-reads","tag-top-picks"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - 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In a buoyant mood, everyone gathers at Lord Ingram's seaside cottage in North Devon for what promises to be a perfect summer holiday. Until Mrs. Watson receives an invitation from Mrs. Carstairs, her long-estranged sister, to attend a house party nearby.<br><br>Mrs. Carstairs has married spectacularly well. She is the mistress of a great manor, a doyen of all domestic arts, and still an unforgettable beauty. Now she clamors for a reconciliation with her sister. Mrs. Watson does not trust Mrs. Carstairs's motives. Yet she cannot help but feel tremors of the old admiration for this once-beloved sister.<br><br>Then Mrs. Carstairs disappears without a trace. The next day a woman is discovered floating on the waves, her build and coloring matching those of Mrs. Carstairs. But her husband insists that the corpse fished out of the Bristol Channel cannot be his wife. So where is the real Mrs. Carstairs? Would she have purposely dragged Mrs. Watson into a murder investigation? Or was it Sherlock Holmes's involvement that she needed from the very beginning?<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/smitten-top-pick-banner-1-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"296\" height=\"72\"><\/p> <hr> <p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong>\u00a0Sep 29, 2026<br><strong>Series:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>The Lady Sherlock Series<br><\/em><strong>Book: <\/strong>9<br><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong> Warm<br><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0Penguin Group<br><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Berkley\u00a0<br><strong>Price:<\/strong> $12.99<\/p> <hr> <p><i>One down, and one to go... Thomas builds the suspense and starts the wrap-up to Charlotte Holmes adventures.<\/i><\/p> <p>Let me start out by saying, from reading this book, I can sense the end. <strong>Charlotte, Mrs. Watson, Lord Ingram, Livia<\/strong>... honestly, this entire cast of characters has grown and changed so much over the course of years and the books themselves. They are reaching the point that it\u2019s almost time to move on, but their enemy Moriarty is still eluding them. Though for Sherlock fans heads up that the spectre of Moriarty although present in this story, doesn\u2019t play a front and center role. No, this book is all about Mrs. Watson\u2019s sister, Justina.<\/p> <p><b>Justina <\/b>married well, and she\u2019s played a big role in Mrs. Watson\u2019s life, with various interactions that have occurred over the years. There are few flashbacks to illustrate such, and the mystery is as much as Justina requesting Mrs. Watson\u2019s appearance at a house party along with Justina\u2019s sudden disappearance a few days later. When a woman\u2019s body washes up on the shore, looking similar to her sister, but almost unidentifiable, Mrs. Watson asks Charlotte to help her discover the truth. A truth that may not bring peace but could bring with it suffering. Unearthing secrets and mysteries isn\u2019t always a happy affair.<\/p> <p><b>Thomas<\/b> strikes again with a fabulous mystery, with many twists and turns. Halfway through, I had so many questions, and whenever I believed I had discovered the mystery itself, I was then shown how I had no real idea. This book didn\u2019t produce winners, per se. Though I do believe it helped shape Mrs. Watson and Charlotte\u2019s futures, with them making decisions on how to move forward based on the circumstances and events they were exposed to. This book has a big emotional toll, a reminder of how choices we make, even with the best intentions, can shape and form relationships with the ones we care the most for in horrible ways.<\/p> <p>Overall, this is a great entry in the series, and I can start envisioning an endgame. For those who read this wondering who Charlotte Holmes is, you must refrain from reading this book without starting at the beginning. This is probably the closest to a standalone Lady Sherlock you could read, but you\u2019d do yourself a disservice. For those who love historicals and mysteries.<\/p> <p><i>~ Landra<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/link.amazon\/B0dAYUDKh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/4jvqfO9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iBooks<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/the-vanished-sister-sherry-thomas\/1148854106?ean=9780593640487\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B&amp;N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/the-vanished-sister\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kobo<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Sherry_Thomas_The_Vanished_Sister?id=MnidEQAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Play<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-vanishing-sister-sherry-thomas.jpg?fit=1000%2C1500&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32303"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32310,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32303\/revisions\/32310"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}