You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Brilliant some familiar characters and a problematic puzzle with some high adventure into the wilds of America. Still full of fun and tension.
I love these Russell/Holmes books. And Laurie R. King is excellent at writing early 20th century historical fiction (which begs the question: how didn't I find her earlier?). The only reason this book doesn't get 5 stars is because it took so long to get to the real meat of the plot - which was, of course, incredibly interesting. The first half of the book, however, seemed like about 50 pages too many of treading water. Once we met the chaplain, everything tumbled forward as inexorably as all her other books do - I read the entire second half in one sitting (ending, brilliantly, at 230am). Both Russell and Holmes, of course, are wonderful.
This is the 6th in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series. It picks up very shortly after the 5th book's conclusion and, indeed, involves two of my favorite characters from the series (outside of Holmes and Russell): Ali and his brother Mahmoud. In fact, the attraction of this particular entry in the series is not Russell or Holmes or even the mystery that permeates this story. Rather it is those two "supporting" characters and the mystery of their lives and backgrounds. Throw in the setting itself, Justice Hall and you have the makings of a great novel. I did not award 5 stars simply because I listened to the audio version of this one and I found the narrator's voice a bit tedious at times. And I didn't care for her voice for Sherlock at all. I suspect reading the book versus listening to it might well have bumped it up to the 5 star level for me.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5 stars, I loved this episode of Mary Russell and Sherlock. The characters are lively and the story is heartbreaking and makes you care deeply about the resolution. I wouldn't say there was much Sherlockian detecting going on, but it was still a good time.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
I enjoyed this one quite a lot. It *almost* made up for how tedious the previous book in the series was.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced