From Publishers Weekly Sherlock Holmes takes
on a young, female apprentice in this delightful and well-wrought addition
to the master detective's casework. In the early years of WW I,
15-year-old American Mary Russell encounters Holmes, retired in Sussex
Downs where Conan Doyle left him raising bees. Mary, an orphan rebelling
against her guardian aunt's strictures, impresses the sleuth with her
intelligence and acumen. Holmes initiates her into the mysteries of
detection, allowing her to participate in a few cases when she comes home
from her studies at Oxford. The collaboration is ignited by the kidnapping
in Wales of Jessica Simpson, daughter of an American senator. The
sleuthing duo find signs of the hand of a master criminal, and after
Russell rescues the child, attempts are made on their lives (and on
Watson's), with evidence piling up that the master criminal is out to get
Holmes and all he holds dear. King ( A Grave Talent ) has created a
fitting partner for the Great Detective: a quirky, intelligent woman who
can hold her own with a man renowned for his contempt for other people's
thought processes. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information,
Inc.--This text refers to the Hardcover
edition.
From School Library Journal YA-At 15, Mary
Russell is tall and gangling, bespectacled and bookish. In 1915, the
orphaned heiress is living in her ancestral home with an embittered aunt
she has plucked from genteel poverty to act as a guardian until she
reaches her majority. In order to escape the woman's generally malevolent
disposition, she wanders the Downs. On one such outing, she trips over a
gaunt, elderly man sitting on the ground, "watching bees." This gentleman
turns out to be Sherlock Holmes, and the resulting acquaintance evolves
into a mentoring experience for the young woman. The story is well written
in a style slightly reminiscent of Conan Doyle's, but is also very much
King's own. The plot is somewhat predictable, but the characterizations
are excellent and the times and places are skillfully evoked. Readers come
to understand much of Holmes that was unexplained by Dr. Watson. These
additions are entirely plausible, and the relationship between the great
detective and his apprentice is delightful. Readers see much of Sussex,
London, and even of student life at Oxford and the conditions of Romanies
(Gypsies) in Wales. Wartime Britain is accurately evoked, and the whole is
a lot of fun to read. While a fitting addition to the Holmes oeuvre, the
narrative is delightfully feminist. It is likely to please YAs already
entranced by Sherlock Holmes and will surely attract a few new
fans. Susan H. Woodcock, King's Park Library, Burke,
VA Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text
refers to the Hardcover
edition.
After the death of her family, Mary
Russell, a fifteen year-old, moves to a farm with her "evil" aunt.
In one of her walks around the area she meets the famous Sherlock
Holmes, who is retired and dedicates his hours to the study of bees.
Right from the start the two main characters in the book match their
wits and Holmes is surprised by the potential he sees in this young
woman. He then decides to tutor her and introduce her to the art of
investigative work. In the next few years, they go through a few
cases and Mary goes away to Oxford to continue her studies; but at
one point they are faced with a more dangerous opponent, who wants
to kill not only Holmes, but also Mary; even Dr. Watson and Mycroft
are in danger. If you want to know the rest, you better read the
book!
In my opinion the author does a very good job in maintaining the
particular characteristics that define the characters in Arthur
Conan Doyle's books, especially in the case of Sherlock Holmes. It
is amazing how you feel that the deductive work is done by exactly
the same detective you knew from the past, and with the added
benefit of a fresh mind assisting him!
I was very pleased to see the ingenious way in which Laurie King
connected this new series with the Conan Doyle's work. She concocted
a story about her receiving the manuscripts of the different stories
in the series some time ago, and that she is merely the editor. The
manuscripts were of course written by the enchanting Mary Russell.
Finally, let me tell you that, since I am an avid chess player, I
thoroughly enjoyed the way in which Holmes uses a chess game with
Mary to explain the strategy he was planning to utilize in one of
their cases.
I will definitely continue reading the books in this series, and
if you haven't started yet, I recommend you do it now!
This is the book to start with to discover
Laurie R King. Intelligent, witty and fun. Excellent research is
seamlessly incorporated into an excellent mystery. King takes an
ubsurd notion to team Shelock Holmes up with a 13 year old girl-
amazingly it works. It gives you some idea of the talent King
presents with later works. Warning- if you read this one, you have a
bunch more reading to do before you run out of excellent Laurie R
King books.
I spent my summers of
high school reading whatever I could get my hands on, and fell in
love with Sherlock Holmes my sophomore year. I was ecstatic when I
discovered "The Beekeepers Apprentice" just a few years later and
have followed Laurie King's series ever since. The heroine, Mary
Russell, is an intelligent young woman, who manages to find
satisfaction in life dispite some painful obstacles. She encounters
Sherlock Holmes one afternoon, and they immediately establish quite
a rapport. The mysteries in this book entertaining, and King does a
great job re-creating Holmes dry sense of humor. What strikes me
about the series, now that I can reflect back as an adult, is what a
fantastic role model Mary is. She makes intelligence something to be
envied and admired, which should be encouraging to all women,
regardless of age. I often wonder how much time I spend trying to
expand intellectual pursuits verses how much time I spend worrying
about if my hips look too big. I wish I had a bit more Mary Russell
in me! If you're a fan of mysteries or the incomparable Mr.
Holmes, then you NEED to read this book. You won't regret
it!
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A delightful twist on an old favorite,
April 18, 2005
This isn't your
conventional mystery; it's more of a novel involving detection.
Having said that, it is also very well-written and a delight. Myself
a writer, I tend to be a tough critic, but Ms. King has done a very
good job here. Her characters are well-developed and interesting,
she knows how to build suspence, and she keeps the pace up
throughout. Quite charming. I'm eager to read more of her work.
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Couldn't put it down - a very fast read,
April 9, 2005
This book was a pleasant
opportunity to revisit one of my favorite fictional characters. I've
read several books by authors other than Doyle that featured Holmes
and each one didn't quite ring true to the original. Ms. King neatly
explains away any difference in the way Holmes is portrayed, by
writing that Mary Russell's accounts would, of course, be vastly
different than Watson's.
I'm looking forward to rest of the
series. So far I've only finished this one and the second, A
Monstrous Regiment of Women.
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