Elementary
Updates should start coming in more quickly now that I've received a title upgrade to Miss Literacy, MLIS. I look forward to a promising new career and the return of an animal long since thought to be extinct: my social life.
As a graduation present to myself, I decided to take on a series that's been tempting me for some time based on numerous raves I've read over the years - Laurie R. King's Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes historicals. Mysteries are exceedingly tough to write well, and historicals even more so - mysteries set in the past have to adhere to the accuracy demands for historical fiction in addition to all the standard plotting rules for contemporary (plot must make sense, villain must have a motive, aliens cannot arrive in chapter 13, etc.). Many authors can get one or the other right but not both - I've read "historical" mysteries that would play on Lifetime with only minor changes in costuming and "mysterious" historicals that wait until p.122 of a 200-page book to get around to having an actual mystery to solve.
Thankfully, Ms. King proves equally adept at both aspects and also acquits herself quite admirably at the additional challenge of reinterpreting one of the greatest icons of detective fiction. She kicked off the series in 1994 with The Beekeeper's Apprentice, and has since followed it up with seven others.
Mary Russell could very well be one of my favorite characters of all time - she's intelligent (and of no small ego about it), snappy, reckless, and an ideal foil for the fusty, isolated Holmes. King introduces us to Russell as a tomboyish 15-year-old with a past, and the underlying tension of her difficult life and loneliness provides a perfect impetus for her relationship with Holmes. Meanwhile, Holmes sees in Russell an opportunity to mold a young, unspoiled mind into a keen detecting mind. Russell's apprenticeship begins apace and she soon stands at Holmes' side in investigating the disappearance of an American senator's young daughter (rather hilariously named Jessica Simpson - the dangers of reading books 12 years after initial publication). However, the abduction becomes more than it seems and the case lingers even after Russell takes up studies at Oxford.
Like many first entries in historical mystery series, a fair amount of ground is given to setting up the backstory and developing the relationship between Russell and Holmes. While new mystery writers are frequently (and correctly) admonished to "get to the action," King's facility as a writer allows her to lay the groundwork while still keeping her audience engaged. By the time the main case got underway, I couldn't help but continue forward to see how this new pair would solve it (and how their relationship would change as a result).
A solid first entry into a series that definitely inspires further reading, and a worthy addition to the long-standing Holmes canon. 5/5.
As a graduation present to myself, I decided to take on a series that's been tempting me for some time based on numerous raves I've read over the years - Laurie R. King's Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes historicals. Mysteries are exceedingly tough to write well, and historicals even more so - mysteries set in the past have to adhere to the accuracy demands for historical fiction in addition to all the standard plotting rules for contemporary (plot must make sense, villain must have a motive, aliens cannot arrive in chapter 13, etc.). Many authors can get one or the other right but not both - I've read "historical" mysteries that would play on Lifetime with only minor changes in costuming and "mysterious" historicals that wait until p.122 of a 200-page book to get around to having an actual mystery to solve.
Thankfully, Ms. King proves equally adept at both aspects and also acquits herself quite admirably at the additional challenge of reinterpreting one of the greatest icons of detective fiction. She kicked off the series in 1994 with The Beekeeper's Apprentice, and has since followed it up with seven others.
Mary Russell could very well be one of my favorite characters of all time - she's intelligent (and of no small ego about it), snappy, reckless, and an ideal foil for the fusty, isolated Holmes. King introduces us to Russell as a tomboyish 15-year-old with a past, and the underlying tension of her difficult life and loneliness provides a perfect impetus for her relationship with Holmes. Meanwhile, Holmes sees in Russell an opportunity to mold a young, unspoiled mind into a keen detecting mind. Russell's apprenticeship begins apace and she soon stands at Holmes' side in investigating the disappearance of an American senator's young daughter (rather hilariously named Jessica Simpson - the dangers of reading books 12 years after initial publication). However, the abduction becomes more than it seems and the case lingers even after Russell takes up studies at Oxford.
Like many first entries in historical mystery series, a fair amount of ground is given to setting up the backstory and developing the relationship between Russell and Holmes. While new mystery writers are frequently (and correctly) admonished to "get to the action," King's facility as a writer allows her to lay the groundwork while still keeping her audience engaged. By the time the main case got underway, I couldn't help but continue forward to see how this new pair would solve it (and how their relationship would change as a result).
A solid first entry into a series that definitely inspires further reading, and a worthy addition to the long-standing Holmes canon. 5/5.
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