A novel of suspense featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes

Laurie R. King's latest Mary Russell novel is marketed as " a novel of suspense," and that is a very accurate description. This is by no means a whodunnit, but it is an exciting story with a couple of flaws that keep it from being first-rate.
This story takes Mary Russell and her illustrious husband, Sherlock Holmes, to India in 1924. They are searching for a missing British agent named Kimball O'Hara, the adult version of Rudyard Kipling's Kim. O'Hara has disappeared somewhere in northern India and the trail is cold. Nevertheless, Russell and Holmes set out to find him, and of course they do.
One of the great strengths of this series is that it is NOT a Sherlock Holmes knock-off. These are stories about Mary Russell, and Sherlock Holmes appears at appropriate moments. Mary begins by learning another exotic language in record time-- this time it is Hindi-- and the couple wander through northern India as itinerant performers, magicians and jugglers. Eventually they split up, and Mary resumes her real identity (without giving away that she is Mrs. Holmes) to visit a maharaja with his own zoo, a collection of dwarves, and a love for the sport of pig-sticking. Mary starts out with a low opinion of this "sport," but her introduction to pig-sticking is one of the best parts of the story.
Mary is sure that the maharaja is up to no good, but she has to make a hasty exit before she gets enough proof. She and Holmes join up again, then Holmes is dragged off by the maharaja's minions. Of course, it's up to Mary to get him back and find Kimball O'Hara, which she does. And yes, the maharaja really is up to no good and gets his comeuppance, as well.
After a rather slow start (an overdose of history and politics to get everyone up to speed), the story moves along quickly and is fun to read. As usual, the part that has the couple masquerading as performers is very entertaining, and along the way one learns much about Indian culture and customs.
The weaknesses are an overabundance of characters, most of whom are underdeveloped and turn out to be superfluous anyway, and too great a reliance on coincidence to provide information and solve problems. Everything in the story happens just too easily. No obstacle is too difficult to be overcome in a couple of pages. That cost the book one star, in my opinion, but if you aren't very picky about things like that, you may find the book better than I have rated it.

A lovely read for the reader of academic or classic literature needing a reprieve. Plenty of Allusions to keep the literary mind from disembarking before arrival- yet an entertaining novel of intrigue suspense and action. Plenty to learn about India in this time period. A lovely blend of fun and the literary.

This story builds wonderfully on two classics - Sherlock Holmes and Kipling's Kim. Laurie King's Marry Russell is a great expansion on Arthur C Doyle's Holmes character and blending Kim is a read that is hard to put down.

The period and the country provide a very different background from 'modern' mystery stories. This provides a new level of intrigue.
There will have been a large amount of research carried out to give authenticity to this story. A very evocative and exciting novel.

Again, a brilliant idea, beautifully executed. To repeat myself yet again, I am generally disapproving when a writer plucks up another writer's characters and makes use of them. But that's largely because it's usually done so horribly badly, and is so rarely done with any respect for the original author, the characters, or the reader. Laurie R. King can do whatever she wants, take whatever characters or historical figures she likes, and bring them into her books in whatever manner she likes, because she has earned my trust. She does her homework, she knows what she's doing, and she has complete respect for the original material or real person, as the case may be. If anyone from Tom Sawyer to Bilbo Baggins to Harrison Ford appears in a Holmes/Russell novel, I will have faith that she has her reasons and can pull it off. (Maybe Indiana Jones, when Russell is in her 40's ...that would be awesome.)

The idea behind The Game was to me at first as wild as bringing Bilbo Baggins into the storyline, but only because I don't know the Kipling novel. (Note to self ...) In any event, it's wonderful. Kimball O'Hara here is a legend among those in the know (which Holmes, of course, is, and Mycroft moreseo), and it is to find out what has become of him that Holmes and Russell make their way to India. There they face danger and adventure of quantity and quality to please even Doyle - tigers, and madmen, and those who are not what they seem, spies and daredevil pilots and a rajah who collects the unusual, be it an artifact or a human being (and Holmes is unusual). A new story arc begins with The Game, wherein a new enemy is introduced - perhaps - and Homes and Russell become aware of a new threat trailing them. Meanwhile, the story takes them in and out of various deep disguises and personas, and separates and reunites them, and causes Mary to make a change which will cause untold anguish in Holmes ... It's a great yarn, and, more than that, an excellent book.

This is the seventh in the Mary Russell series of period cozy mysteries.

Mary Russell and her husband, famed detective Sherlock Holmes are enjoying a quiet evening at home recuperating from their adventures related in the previous novel, JUSTICE HALL. It was the first day of January 1924 and the only events the couple had planned were the celebration of Mary's 24th birthday and a trip to London to visit Sherlock's brother Mycroft who had recently been seriously ill. Mary feared the peace was too good to last, and she was right. Mycroft, in his strictly unofficial capacity in the Foreign Office, told them that an agent that Sherlock had worked with during the time he had been assumed dead, was missing. Mary realized that yet another adventure was in the offing, one that she was more inclined to pursue when she found that Mycroft was suggesting they travel to India, not Russia and the missing agent was Kimball O'Hara, better known to the world as Kim.

Once in India Mary and Holmes pursued their investigations in a variety of disguises, ranging from itinerant entertainers to wealthy tourists. Once again Mary and Sherlock separate to follow different threads of the case, with the focus on Mary's adventures. The pace is exciting with a few twists and turns to surprise the reader. It is, like the rest of the series, a fun read.

This is a charming series that rises far above the rather unlikely premise of Sherlock Holmes befriending a lonely teenager who becomes first his apprentice and later his wife. The banter between Sherlock and Mary is worthy of Nick and Nora Charles, and the cases they work on, while not the intricate puzzlers of the original canon, will still hold a surprise or two for the reader. These are charming fun novels but the series does have a strong overall arc so for maximum enjoyment the stories do need to be read in as close to publication order as possible,

1924. Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes gets a New Year’s visit from Mycroft Holmes with a strange package from an English spy called Kimball O’Hara, more known as the Kim Kipling wrote about. He has withdrawn from the “Great Game” of espionage and disappeared. So Russell and Homes travels to India to search for the missing Kim.

I like this book very much, a missing spy, India and Mary Russell that has to disguise herself to save Sherlock Holmes. It's a wonderful entertaining and engrossing book.

Shortly after the First World War, in 1924, the Labour party has triumphed in England and as a result rumors about what the future will bring are abundant, creating an ambiance of political turmoil. In this setting, Mary Russell and her husband, the famous Sherlock Holmes, travel to London to visit Mycroft, whose health has deteriorated and is cause for concern. Upon arrival Mary and Holmes are presented with three documents Mycroft had received: a soldier's clearance certificate, an original enlistment and a birth certificate. These three items relate to none other then Kim O'Hara, the famous character of Kipling's book. Several rumors about Kim reached England, including that he is held prisoner by a maharaja and that he got ill and died.
Mycroft is worried about the possibility that O'Hara is using the Russians as a tool to free India and since he "cannot" travel, because of his health, he asks his brother and Mary to travel to India on his behalf and unravel the mystery. During the trip to India, Mary establishes a relationship with Sunny Goodheart, who is accompanied by her mother and her mysterious brother Tom. Holmes starts suspecting right away that there is something wrong about Tom and they follow him to the land of the maharaja of Khanpur where further events develop.
Laurie King presents an exotic land, where people practice sports like pig sticking and maharajas rule at their wanting and can indulge every desire they or their guests have. On top of this, the author throws in a mystery to complete the mix.
The second half of the novel is very good, with a good pace and events that are unfolding constantly keeping the reader interested. The beginning of the novel is very slow though, and the journey to India is excessively detailed without any clear point. Even though there are amazingly vivid descriptions of places, people and food, it is still not clear to me what is the objective of spending almost half the book in describing the odyssey to India.
What I think the novel lacks is the usual deductive work Holmes and Russell are involved in. Instead the novel is more an adventure with spies involved, than a mystery involving the celebrated British detective and his sharp wife. Overall, the book is good, but in my opinion the quality has decreased considerably when compared to the first book in the series. For those of you that have been following this series since its beginning, I recommend you read this one too, but try not to have very high hopes. For those of you that are not acquainted with the series I would recommend that instead of this book you read "The Beekeeper's Apprentice".

Laurie R. King takes us to exotic India just after the dawn of the new year in 1924 as she continues her series featuring Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes. Holmes, as crafty as ever --- doubly so now, paired with Russell, whose skills are nearly as well honed as his own --- sets about the task of finding Kimball O'Hara (from Rudyard Kipling's tales), who has been missing for three years.
"He's real, then?"
"As real as I am," said Sherlock Holmes.
With scant time to prepare for their journey, the couple heads out, first traveling by train, then boarding a cruise ship. Their slow trip allows them time to formulate a strategy and observe their fellow shipmates. One of the passengers, and his family, attracts their attention. After a few days of observation, he seems worthy of closer inspection. Fortunately, they have a British contact in the country who handles research and provides a bit of political polish.
Once off the ship, posing as gypsy magicians, Holmes and Russell trudge across the countryside toward the state of Khanpur. Finally, of necessity, they split up. Mary ingratiates herself with the suspect family, having run into them unexpectedly, and travels in style to visit Khanpur's maharaja while Holmes continues on the road with his rickety wagon and a young assistant.
To Mary's surprise, the maharaja, a darkly handsome man with a streak of the spoiled child in him, has many more --- and varied --- guests than she would ever have guessed. As she watches him, she marvels at his excesses, ranging from obscene feasts with endless courses of clashing flavors to vast stores of unused toys. He amuses himself with exotic animals, expensive airplanes and human oddities. Living ever more on the edge, the maharaja finds more dangerous games to challenge himself and his guests --- among his favorites, a nasty sport called pig sticking. When asked to join, Mary cannot resist the temptation and barely lives through the day.
Laurie R. King gently warms her readers up, guiding them across the rugged Indian landscape and diverting their attention with tricks of juggling, levitation and sleight-of-hand. About the time you start to think Holmes and Russell are no closer to finding O'Hara, suddenly the story gathers speed and builds to a wild crescendo in the last half. Rich in magic, mystery and intrigue, THE GAME is a tantalizingly clever story.
--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers

Russell and Holmes set out on another exotic adventure, this time to British ruled India. All the elements are there to make the reader speed through the pages enjoying every historically rich morsel. Great secondary characters; the Goodhearts, Americans traveling to India, a Maharajah with a quirky personality, a zoo and village of dwarfs, Nesbitt a ripe old English chap of Her Majaesty's Army and best of all Kimball O'Hara....yes Kim, of the Rudyard Kipling book fame. Russell is on her own most of the time, honing her skills as a detective and using the various tools she has learned from Holmes during her apprenticeship with him. This is not your typical "who dunnit", it is rather a slow, rich unraveling of a complicated tapestry that always comes to an exciting conclusion with at least one surprise thrown in that leaves the reader wanting more. Well done!

Laurie King has created a marvelous mystery series featuring Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes. King's plots are tightly constructed and intricate, her characters vivid and true to the lore of the original Holmes, and her mastery of the English language compels me to say that her books are well worth their price. A statement not often true - since book store shelves are currently weighted down with so many trite, bland, predictable books.
I feel that I should also mention King's mastery of location. King has done her homework and gives riveting and exquisite detail to each setting in the series. Whether you find yourself nestled within a cozy cottage sipping tea; shivering from the chill tramping through the morning mist on the moor; struggling through a crowded bazaar assaulted by a cacophany of street vendor cries and the aromatic scents of spices for sale; awakening to the swish of camels' feet and the creak of leather against wood leaving the Bedouin camp; being charmed by the tingling of goat bells pulling carts down dusty lanes; or absorbed by the lushness and darkness of Kipling's India - you will never be disappointed or dismissive of each book's background.
In other words, King writes good solid entertaining literature. Not drivel.

Absolutely fantastic! I can't believe the amount of research the author must have done to make bring this novel to life. I can't wait to read book eight in the series.

Sherlock Holmes and his partner, Mary Russell, must enter India to look for Kimball O'Hara, the man known as Kim from Rudyard Kipling's novel of the same name. The dangers mount as they find themselves part of the mad game of the Maharaja of Khanpur. The book kept me guessing to the very end.

Was the "Kim" of Rudyard Kipling's espionage classic a fictional character? According to Sherlock Holmes in this excellent book: "He's as real as I am!" That line alone was worth the purchase price of the book. Once again, Ms. King has given us an excellent tale of suspense and adventure featuring the intrepid Mary Russell and her husband Sherlock Holmes. In this one we are transported to British India in 1924 on a search for the missing Kimball O'Hara, the grown-up urchin of Kipling's book. Along the way we meet the usual odd assortment of characters, every one of which is well-drawn, and not just a cipher. The action moves along at a fast pace, and certainly keeps the reader turning pages quickly. There's also a very good history lesson embedded in the book, one worth knowing about the course of empire. As always, I highly recommend this series, and will await the publication of the next installment with impatience.

In 1924 Kimball O'Hara vanishes in India while Mycroft Holmes receives a package of Kim's documents that makes him concerned that an international crisis may be brewing. He sends his brother Sherlock and his sister-in-law Mary Russell (who kept her own last name) to India to learn what happened to Kim, an English spy. On the voyage out, they meet wealthy American communist bore Tom Goodheart and his traveling companions, his mother and sister heading to see his friend, Maharaja "Jimmy" Jumalpandra, ruler of the Indian state of Khanpur. Holmes and Mary do their best to avoid the pompous know it all Yank.
In India the couple masquerade as native magicians helped by Mary's ability to speak Hindi, a language she learned during the voyage. As they follow the clues the married couple wonders if Kim purposely disappeared or is a victim of foul play. Their avoidance of Tom ends when their path takes them to the Goodhearts and their enigmatic benefactor Jimmy for somehow the communist sympathizer and his Maharaja comrade are connected to Kim.
Besides the fact that Kim is the grown up star of the Rudyard Kipling classic, fans will appreciate the depth of detail that sweeps the reader back to early 1924. The story line is fun to follow as Mary more than Sherlock (is he over the hill?) begins piecing together the puzzle. Thus she is the strength of this historical mystery but she is so perfect that Holmes looks like he belongs in a rocker sitting in Sussex. Still Laurie R. King provides an enjoyable foray into the Jewel of the British Empire.
Harriet Klausner

This is an improvement over the previous "Justice Hall," but it's still a disappointment compared to the first couple of King's Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes stories. It almost reads like two different authors wrote the first 80% and final 20% of the book respectively. The front 80% groans under the weight of enervatingly lavish, detailed descriptions of places, events, and politics in India: nothing much happens, and we get introduced to some amusing characters whom you know Will Assume Unexpected Importance Later. This part of the book is impressive in terms of the research that must have gone into it, but for those who like *mysteries*, it's a long slog, very much like "Justice Hall."
In the second part of the book, after Russell and Holmes meet up again in the context of the Maharajah's castle, plot details get neatly resolved with the same handiness and speediness with which the action suddenly moves along. Too many coincidences here, and too many telling details from earlier in the book unresolved. Do we suspect a rush job on the ending to meet a publication schedule?

Another worthy Mary Russell story. Decent enough, held my attention.
Death by Misadventure- A Sherlock Holmes Novella

I'm hugely enjoying the Laurie King Russell/Sherlock book series, and would recommend it to any book lover (at least, any who don't HAVE to have sex or violence on every other page). The story is well written, the characters pull you in, and the plot is sound. I have to carefully plan when to begin one of these, because I already know I won't get much done until it's finished.

Mary Russell, the much younger, part jewish and equal on all terms, wife of Sherlock Holmes is on another exciting case. This one takes them to India via cruise ship in search of Kimball O'Hara, the now grown up Kim of Kipling fame. On the way, the meet a suspicious American, with mother and sister in tow; a precocious youth who joins them in their quest and an Indian Price who is more than meets the eye.
The games afoot!
I love these books for their adventure, the history and the characters. Ms. King remains as true to the original Holmes as I would ever want and creates new stories with the fabulous character of Mary Russell.
If you are new to this series, I'd start at the beginning with The Bee Keeper's Apprentice. If not, I would get this book as quickly as possible.

This story is a beautiful epic, one that hints of hundreds of research hours and perhaps even weeks in India studying the setting. It's scope is impressive and the scenes move fluidly. There can be no doubt that Ms. King is an writer in control of her craft. Yet below the surface gloss, I found the story lacking a consistent and subtle purpose to its inextricable forward progress. Many of the characters seem oddly flat and the plot driven by reactions unrelated to the story line. For instance, a beam comes crashing down as Holmes and Russell walk through the marketplace in Aden, but the story finishes with no reason for it.
Just as Shakespeare has been criticized (in absentia) for allowing the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet to hang on the absence of a letter due to an unrelated epidemic, in this book the master seems to leave her craft to chance - neglecting to rein in the story or have it all fold neatly together at the end of the journey. There is no final twist - no revelation so typical of the Russell-Holmes books. Instead the threads of the story are snapped off with a jest instead of an explanation. As such, the book hangs preciously between 'mystery' and 'novel'. There is no real mystery, and yet, without more character depth, it can not really be called a novel either. At the end of the day, regardless of the location, the real reason readers return to this series over and over again is to see the humorous, unique, intimate and sensitive portrayal of the Homles and Russell partnership. In this book, it is held almost entirely in reserve, to it's own discredit. As entertainment, I would highly recommend it, but I would definitely say to read "Oh Jerusalem" first, if you really want to see Ms. King flex her considerable talents.

Laurie King, like her character Mary Russell, not only has a mind worthy of Sherlock Holmes, but also a spirit capable of bringing out the human side of the great detective. The Game takes Russell and Holmes to northern India, and finds them dealing with an Indian prince angered by British rule, as well as a believable acquaintance between Holmes and another major literary character. Anyone who finds Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes a little too cool for comfort should be delighted by Laurie King's Russell and Holmes.

The title refers to what Kipling and his famous character Kim enthusiastically calls his line of work, which is espionage. The appearance of Kim and some of his cohorts was clever, but the effect was a pale and somewhat shoddy comparison to Kipling's expertly crafted and magnificently vibrant tale. Also, too much coverage of the psychopathic villian and his sadistic activities soured any further pursuit of Holmes and left me yearning for King's Martinelli and other deeply satisfying novels, such as Folly.

I crave Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes stories. The latest installment of the series does not dissapoint. Laurie R. King has continued to grow her characters without losing any of their charm from "The Beekeeper's Apprentice."
I would certainly say that the books need to be read in their correct order. And, this new book is toeing the line (along with "A Monstrous Regiment of Women") as one of my favourite in the series.
The locations are wonderful--we meet delightful new characters, and the mystery is wonderfully complicated, per usual.

Laurie R. King's latest Mary Russell novel is marketed as " a novel of suspense," and that is a very accurate description. This is by no means a whodunnit, but it is an exciting story with a couple of flaws that keep it from being first-rate.
This story takes Mary Russell and her illustrious husband, Sherlock Holmes, to India in 1924. They are searching for a missing British agent named Kimball O'Hara, the adult version of Rudyard Kipling's Kim. O'Hara has disappeared somewhere in northern India and the trail is cold. Nevertheless, Russell and Holmes set out to find him, and of course they do.
One of the great strengths of this series is that it is NOT a Sherlock Holmes knock-off. These are stories about Mary Russell, and Sherlock Holmes appears at appropriate moments. Mary begins by learning another exotic language in record time-- this time it is Hindi-- and the couple wander through northern India as itinerant performers, magicians and jugglers. Eventually they split up, and Mary resumes her real identity (without giving away that she is Mrs. Holmes) to visit a maharaja with his own zoo, a collection of dwarves, and a love for the sport of pig-sticking. Mary starts out with a low opinion of this "sport," but her introduction to pig-sticking is one of the best parts of the story.
Mary is sure that the maharaja is up to no good, but she has to make a hasty exit before she gets enough proof. She and Holmes join up again, then Holmes is dragged off by the maharaja's minions. Of course, it's up to Mary to get him back and find Kimball O'Hara, which she does. And yes, the maharaja really is up to no good and gets his comeuppance, as well.
After a rather slow start (an overdose of history and politics to get everyone up to speed), the story moves along quickly and is fun to read. As usual, the part that has the couple masquerading as performers is very entertaining, and along the way one learns much about Indian culture and customs.
The weaknesses are an overabundance of characters, most of whom are underdeveloped and turn out to be superfluous anyway, and too great a reliance on coincidence to provide information and solve problems. Everything in the story happens just too easily. No obstacle is too difficult to be overcome in a couple of pages. That cost the book one star, in my opinion, but if you aren't very picky about things like that, you may find the book better than I have rated it.