Justice Hall

Here's an excerpt from the review:

This is the 6th book in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series. This particular book deals with English inheritance law, World War I trench warfare and battlefield (in)justice, and it also brings back two characters from the 5th book, O JERUSALEM.

As with most of the other books in this series, the case doesn't really begin to develop until the 2nd half of the book (but of course, that is how things go in real life - you often don't know exactly what it is your are looking into and then suddenly things begin coming together). The middle of the book is where it got REALLY interesting for me - I couldn't put it down and read until way too late at night.

The rest of the review, along with some interesting links, is posted at my blog.

- Heather J.
Age 30+ ... A Lifetime of Books

Review: The Beekeeper's Apprentice

Hi everyone! I'm so excited to post my first contribution to the Baker Street Challenge Blog. Here's a snippet of my review of The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King:

In The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, Laurie R. King introduces Sherlock Holmes to the most unlikely companion – a young woman with an intellect that matches the legendary detective in every way. Holmes is well-known for his lack of tolerance for the mental acuity of others – so for Mary Russell to have won his admiration, respect, and affection is a remarkable feat. This series needs to achieve two objectives to succeed – the character of Holmes has to be true to the canon and Russell has to be a true equal to him in mind and mettle.

You can read the rest of my review here.

The other Ruth at Booktalk & More.

O Jerusalem

In this 4th Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell adventure, we go back in time a few years. While working on the major case in THE BEEKEEPER'S APPRENTICE (the 1st book in the series), Holmes and Russell took a work-related trip to the Middle East. What exactly they did there was glossed over in that book ... and now we get the details.

You can read my full review here.

- Heather (from Age 30+ ... A Lifetime of Books)

The Moor

I recently finished another in the Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell series ...

Since this is the 4th in the SH/MR series, I didn’t read the back of the book - I'm already into the story by now. Because of that, I assumed that "The Moor" referred to in the title would be like Morgan Freeman’s character in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. (This makes lots of sense when you consider Russell’s Jewish background and her keen interest in the Middle East.) You can imagine my surprise when the book turned out to be about the actual moor – as in, a place in England –and not a Saracen. Oops.

This was my very favorite in the series so far. If you like THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, you will like this story. You can read my complete review here.

- Heather (from Age 30+ ... A Lifetime of Books)

A Letter of Mary

I've finished my 2nd book for this challenge, A LETTER OF MARY, by Laurie R. King. This is the 3rd in the Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell series.

Here's an excerpt from my review:

What I enjoyed about this particular book was the abundance of red herrings. Holmes and Russell have at least three distinctly different suspects for the murder of Ms. Ruskin and they can’t seem to figure out which is the real murderer. Whenever one suspect becomes a more likely candidate, something happens to change things yet again. And what I originally thought would be the focus of the story in the end turned out to be more of a side note. I love being surprised like that.

You can read the complete review at my blog if you like.

- Heather (from Age 30+ ... A Lifetime of Books)

How are the rest of you progressing with this challenge?

A Monstrous Regiment of Women

A MONSTROUS REGIMENT OF WOMEN, by Laurie R. King, is the 2nd book in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes (MR/SH) series. Here is an excerpt from my review:

One of the things I enjoy about the MR/SH books is the way King brings so much of "current events" into the stories. In this particular book, World War I has been over for a few years and there are changes in society as a result: women in the workforce (or who had been during the war), women wanting to do more meaningful work than staying at home, fewer men in general, shell-shocked soldiers, drug abuse, etc. All of these elements make their way into this book - and the case - at various points.

If you'd like to read the complete review, click here.

I very much enjoyed this book and I've already started the next one, A LETTER OF MARY.

Author Guest Post

For those who are interested, I interviewed author Laurie R. King on my blog today. Laurie writes the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes books. She's currently touring the blogosphere in preparation for the publication of the 9th MR book, THE LANGUAGE OF BEES.

Come on over to my blog and see what Laurie has to say.

I'm currently reading the 2nd of the Mary Russell books, A MONSTROUS REGIMENT OF WOMEN ... I should have a review for you all soon!

- Heather J.
Age 30+ ... A Lifetime of Books

Laurie R. King Guest Post at Bookish Ruth

I'd like to invite everyone to check out Laurie R. King's guest post on my blog, Bookish Ruth. Ms. King has just launched The Fifteen Weeks of Bees, which celebrates the fifteenth anniversary of the publication of The Beekeeper's Apprentice, the 150th birthday of Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and the release of the ninth Mary Russell book, The Language of Bees (April 28, 2009).

Click here for a fascinating look at the genesis of Mary Russell.