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Series Review
An Inspired Partnership
1915. Now in late middle-age, Sherlock Holmes has retired to a quiet life of beekeeping, moderate depression and solitary walks on the Sussex downs (see photo top left). Then, one fine April day, an obnoxious fifteen year-old girl, dressed as a boy, hurtles into his life and changes everything. Mary Russell, co-hero with Sherlock Holmes in the 13 books in the Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Mystery Books series, is Holmes's equal in everything except age and experience. Both are fiercely intelligent, independent, stubborn, arrogant, tall, witty and lonely. Holmes takes Russell on first as an apprentice, teaching her everything he knows about deduction, disguise and danger, then as a partner, and finally as a spouse.
I would rather spend time with Laurie R. King's Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell than with almost any other mystery characters I can think of. That's how much I like these books.
Russell and Holmes are more or less British--Russell has an American father-- and the world they move in is British (whether at home in England or abroad in the further reaches of the former British empire). The time between World Wars I and II is an exciting time for British women, who are moving into the workplace in large numbers, and a troubling time for British men, who are uncomfortable with the social upheaval. It adds up to a fascinating context for the Holmes/ Russell relationship at the heart of the mystery books in this series
Wonderful, witty mysteries. Holmes and Russell are each more brilliant, eccentric and arrogant than the other, which makes for entirely entertaining reading. Terrific evocation of British life--at home and in the farther reaches of the Empire--between World Wars I and II.
Series Guide
I have a distinct preference for the books in the first half or so of the series (#1 through #8) because my favorite aspect of the series is the way Russell and Holmes spar with each other. In the later mysteries, Holmes and Russell work separately to bring the story to a satisfying conclusion. It's all very well crafted but not as satisfying to me.
Book Reviews
Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Series
(From newest to oldest; Dates refer to publication in the US in English;
# refers to series order)
Above, from top to bottom:
Sussex downs, England, location of Holmes's cottage; Russell Square, London, location of Russell's first city apartment; Oxford University where Russell studied
Garment of Shadows (2012, Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Mystery Books #13)
by Laurie R. King
King's usual fine storytelling but not my favorite because Russell and Holmes are apart for most of the story. Local detail (North Africa) fantastic as always.
Pirate King (2011, Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Mystery Books #12)
by Laurie R. King
New York Times BESTSELLER
Ahoy Matey! Russell at sea without Holmes--wonderful story, funny but again, Holmes and Russell too much apart for me to give this five hearts.
The God of the Hive (2010, Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Mystery Books #11)
by Laurie R. King
Mary, Mycroft and Holmes resolve the problems visited on them in the prior book (#10). A great read, as always.
The Language of Bees (2009, Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Mystery Books #10)
by Laurie R. King
A little too much of the occult for my taste, but Mary takes a ride by aircraft that is not to be missed!
(Bestsellers. Cozies. Historical. Female Hero. Set between World Wars I and II.)
The Game (2004, Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Mystery Books #7)
by Laurie R. King
New York Times BESTSELLER
Mycroft sends our intrepid duo to India where they have adventures worth of Kim. I just loved it!
King creates a rich, rich world.
Justice Hall (2002, Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Mystery Books #6)
by Laurie R. King
All is revealed about the Hazr brothers who took Russell and Holmes on a lively jaunt through Palestine in #5. Wonderful, big family saga takes us from the trenches of World War I to Paris to the outrageous entertainments of upper class Britons. One of my favorites.
(Bestsellers. Cozies. Historical. Female Hero. Set between World Wars I and II.)
O Jerusalem (1999, Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Mystery Books #5)
by Laurie R. King
Possibly my favorite. A jaunt through the Holy Land with two inscrutable Bedouin brothers at the behest of a mysterious spymaster. Great, vivid local description. The novelistic version of surround sound.
(Bestsellers. Cozies. Historical. Female Hero. Set between World Wars I and II.)
The Moor (1998,Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Mystery Books #4)
by Laurie R. King
What a great story! Set on the mysterious Dartmoor. And very, very funny.
A Letter of Mary (1996, Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Mystery Books #3)
by Laurie R. King
Two entwined mysteries--one about an ancient artifact with revolutionary potential, the other about a cold-blooded killer. Couldn't put it down.
Indexes
A Monstrous Regiment of Women (1995,Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Mystery Books #2)
by Laurie R. King
WINNER! Nero Wolfe Award for the Best Novel
Terrific story! Great scene of Holmes in drag. Mary goes undercover. And much, much more...
The Beekeeper’s Apprentice (1994, Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Mystery Books #1)
by Laurie R. King
FINALIST! Agatha Award for Best Novel
A great beginning to a great book and a great series:
'I was fifteen when I met Sherlock Holmes, fifteen years old with my nose in a book as I walked the Sussex Downs, and nearly stepped on him.'
(Bestsellers. Cozies. Historical. Female Hero. Set between World Wars I and II.)
Locked Rooms (2005, Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Mystery Books #8)
by Laurie R. King
Fantastic! Russell and Holmes solve the mystery of her family's death which is not at all as she had assumed...Just terrific. Plus: Dashiell Hammett is a great character.
The Art of Detection (2006, Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes and Kate Martinelli Mystery Books #9)
by Laurie R. King
Really, this is a Kate Martinelli book. And no Russell. So a good read, but not the enthralling experience I expect from the Russell/ Holmes books.
(Bestsellers. Cozies. Female Hero. Set in modern San Francisco.)
Dreaming Spies (2015, Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Mystery Books #14)
by Laurie R. King
COMING IN FEB 2015
Available for Pre-order
(Bestsellers. Cozies. Historical. Female Hero. Set between World Wars I and II.)
Beekeeping for Beginners (2011, Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Mystery Books #1 1/2)
by Laurie King
Short story for the Kindle. Holmes and Russell's first meeting from Holmes's point of view.
NOT YET REVIEWED
(Bestsellers. Cozies. Historical. Female Hero. Set between World Wars I and II.)
Mrs Hudson's Case (2012, Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Mystery Books # 4 1/2)
by Laurie R. King
Short story for the Kindle
NOT YET REVIEWED
(Bestsellers. Cozies. Historical. Female Hero. Set between World Wars I and II.)
Other Books of Interest
Laurie R. King's Sherlock Holmes (2103) by Laurie R. King
King comments on Sherlock Holmes in these eight documents.The Mary Russell Companion (2014)
by Laurie R. King
A guide to all things Russell including: previously unpublished material, illustrations, even a discreet chapter on Russell and Holmes's love life. Great gift for a fanFor the KindleOmnibus Edition. Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Mystery Books #1-4 ( 2014, The Beekeeper's Apprentice, A Monstrous Regiment of Women, A Letter of Mary,The Moor)
The first four books in the series. A good value for the Kindle--you're going to read them all more than once anyway.....Plus: A nice gift.For the KindleOmnibus Edition. Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Mystery Books #5-13 (2014, O Jerusalem, Justice Hall, The Game, Locked Rooms, The Language of Bees, The God of the Hive, Pirate King, Garment of Shadows)
A good value for the Kindle--you're going to read them all more than once anyway.....Plus: A nice gift.For the KindleAugust 1924, United Kingdom
Sherlock Holmes's long-estranged son Damian enlists the aid of Russell and Holmes when his wife and child go missing.September 1924, United Kingdom
A continuation of the search begun in The Language of Bees (#10) for a malevolent and charismatic murderer.October 1924
Russell sails the Mediterranean with the players of a silent movie company who are enacting a Gilbert and Sullivan musical.November 1924
Russell awakens in an unknown city in an unknown country having lost her memory. Meanwhile, Holmes is adventuring in Morocco's Atlas Mountains.February 1925
In 1924, Holmes and Russell spent three weeks in Japan (in between India and San Francisco). A year later they learn that the investigation they had undertaken for the Emperor of Japan is far from complete...Book Summaries and Timeline
Below, I've placed the Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes Mystery Books on a timeline:
April 1915, Sussex and Oxford, England
Russell and Holmes meet for the first time. A beautiful friendship is born, an apprenticeship agreement struck and a ruthless nemesis revealed.April 1915, Sussex, England
Short story for the Kindle. Holmes and Russell's first meeting from Holmes's point of view.October 1918, Sussex, England
Short story for the KindleDecember 1918, Palestine
A romp through Palestine with secret agents Mamoud and Ali Hazr in search of a Turkish terrorist.December 1920, London, England
A religious cult captures Russell's attention. She comes into her inheritance.August 1923, Sussex and London, England
A friend from Palestine bearing a mysterious artifact is murdered in London.September 1923, Dartmoor, England
Holmes and Russell revisit the Hounds of the Baskervilles in Dartmoor.November 1923, Berkshire, England
Mahmoud and Ali Hazr, now home in England, enlist Holmes and Russell to help with a very upper class family problem.January 1924, India
Mycroft dispatches Russell and Holmes to India in search of Kimball O'Hara.May 1924, San Francisco, US
Russell and Holmes land in San Francisco to take care of some Russell family business. Russell returns to the site of the automobile accident that killed her family and discovers that things did not happen the way she remembered them. The duo enlist the aid of Dashiel Hammett.June 1924 and present day, San Francisco US
Kate Martinelli, SFPD detective and heroine of a series that bears her name, investigates the strange death of a Sherlock Holmes impersonator who owned at his death a manuscript by the Sherlock Holmes of the Russell/ Holmes Series.
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