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Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes #8
Locked Rooms
“A truly bravura performance [with] all the magnetic appeal of the best of the original Conan Doyle novels.”— The Strand Magazine
En route to San Francisco to settle her family’s estate, Mary Russell, in the company of husband Sherlock Holmes, falls prey to troubling dreams—and even more troubling behavior. In 1906, when Mary was six, the city was devastated by a catastrophic earthquake. For years Mary has insisted she lived elsewhere at the time. But Holmes knows better.
Soon it is clear that whatever unpleasantness Mary wanted to forget hasn’t forgotten her. A series of mysterious deaths leads Russell and Holmes from the winding streets of Chinatown to the unspoken secrets of a parent’s marriage and the tragic “accident” that Mary alone survived. What Russell discovers is that even a forgotten past never dies . . . and it can kill again.
En route to San Francisco to settle her family’s estate, Mary Russell, in the company of husband Sherlock Holmes, falls prey to troubling dreams—and even more troubling behavior. In 1906, when Mary was six, the city was devastated by a catastrophic earthquake. For years Mary has insisted she lived elsewhere at the time. But Holmes knows better.
Soon it is clear that whatever unpleasantness Mary wanted to forget hasn’t forgotten her. A series of mysterious deaths leads Russell and Holmes from the winding streets of Chinatown to the unspoken secrets of a parent’s marriage and the tragic “accident” that Mary alone survived. What Russell discovers is that even a forgotten past never dies . . . and it can kill again.
432 pages, Paperback
First published June 21, 2005
536 people are currently reading
4,584 people want to read
About the author
Laurie R. King
137 books6,695 followersEdgar-winning mystery writer Laurie R. King writes series and standalone novels. Her official forum is
THE LRK VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB here on Goodreads--please join us for book-discussing fun.
King's 2018 novel, Island of the Mad, sees Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes travel from London's Bedlam to the glitter of Venice's Lido,where Young Things and the friends of Cole Porter pass Mussolini's Blackshirts in the streets. The Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series follows a brilliant young woman who becomes the student, then partner, of the great detective. [click here for an excerpt of the first in the series, The Beekeeper's Apprentice] The Stuyvesant and Grey series (Touchstone; The Bones of Paris) takes place in Europe between the Wars. The Kate Martinelli series follows an SFPD detective's cases on a female Rembrandt, a holy fool, and more. [Click for an excerpt of A Grave Talent]
King lives in northern California, which serves as backdrop for some of her books.
Please note that Laurie checks her Goodreads inbox intermittently, so it may take some time to receive a reply. A quicker response may be possible via email to info@laurierking.com.
THE LRK VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB here on Goodreads--please join us for book-discussing fun.
King's 2018 novel, Island of the Mad, sees Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes travel from London's Bedlam to the glitter of Venice's Lido,where Young Things and the friends of Cole Porter pass Mussolini's Blackshirts in the streets. The Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series follows a brilliant young woman who becomes the student, then partner, of the great detective. [click here for an excerpt of the first in the series, The Beekeeper's Apprentice] The Stuyvesant and Grey series (Touchstone; The Bones of Paris) takes place in Europe between the Wars. The Kate Martinelli series follows an SFPD detective's cases on a female Rembrandt, a holy fool, and more. [Click for an excerpt of A Grave Talent]
King lives in northern California, which serves as backdrop for some of her books.
Please note that Laurie checks her Goodreads inbox intermittently, so it may take some time to receive a reply. A quicker response may be possible via email to info@laurierking.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,014 reviews
February 3, 2016
After the adventure in The Game, are Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes on a route to San Francisco to settle some legal affairs surrounding the inheritance of Mary's family's estate. But, Mary is having awful nightmares as the ship is closing in on San Francisco. Could the nightmares have something to do with the city and the horrible earthquake that devastated the city? But, as far as Mary knows her family not even there during the earthquake, or were they?
Mary has always lived with the guilt of causing her family's death in a car accident when she was young. And, now she is traveling back to San Francisco, for the first time since her parents and younger brother died. Her nightmare is causing her sleeping problems and she is wondering what is causing them? She decides in San Francisco to see the psychiatrist that helped her after her family's death, and she is horrified to learn that the women have been murdered. Why would anyone kill her and could it have something to do with Mary's family?
There is much going on in this book and it's interesting to learn more about Mary's family, about her life before she came to England to stay with her aunt after her family died. The story is suspenseful and secrets are revealed as the story progress. Looked Rooms is one of my favorite books in this series, sure I have a lot of them. But, this is one that has a really intensive story and learning more about Mary's past is great.
Mary has always lived with the guilt of causing her family's death in a car accident when she was young. And, now she is traveling back to San Francisco, for the first time since her parents and younger brother died. Her nightmare is causing her sleeping problems and she is wondering what is causing them? She decides in San Francisco to see the psychiatrist that helped her after her family's death, and she is horrified to learn that the women have been murdered. Why would anyone kill her and could it have something to do with Mary's family?
There is much going on in this book and it's interesting to learn more about Mary's family, about her life before she came to England to stay with her aunt after her family died. The story is suspenseful and secrets are revealed as the story progress. Looked Rooms is one of my favorite books in this series, sure I have a lot of them. But, this is one that has a really intensive story and learning more about Mary's past is great.
October 25, 2022
A very interesting and enjoyable read which takes us back into Mary's past and explores not only her childhood, but the death of her family and San Francisco at the start of the 20th century.
Laurie King makes that world come alive and explores every facet in delightful detail.
Laurie King makes that world come alive and explores every facet in delightful detail.
June 22, 2011
I cannot say enough good things about the Mary Russell series. I am a die-hard Sherlock Holmes fan and picked up the first book with trepidation - how could anyone do justice to the great detective? - but I was amazed. King not only honors Holmes, but deepens the character. Mary is a perfect counterpoint and complement and a brilliant, strong character in her own right. The historical detail and frankly, richness, of this series is astounding. In Locked Rooms, the couple travels to San Francisco, the site of Mary's childhood and death of her family. Mary struggles with memories and dreams, while Holmes investigates the cold case of the murder of two family servants...which leads to questions about the car crash that killed Mary's family. Excellent period piece. So much history is seamlessly written into the tale - the earthquake of 1906, Prohibition, flappers and dissolute youth, Chinatown of the '20s: even Dashiell Hammett appears as a major character in the story. Simply magnificent.
September 3, 2012
This episode in the Mary Russell series finds Russell and Holmes in San Francisco, where Russell is to attend to business related to her parents' estate. As Russell gets closer to San Francisco, she becomes increasingly disturbed by nightmares which appear to be linked to childhood events. Once the pair arrive, they naturally become embroiled in a mystery, which is resolved with the assistance of a band of Irregulars, including young crime fiction writer and former Pinkerton's detective, Dashiell Hammett.
There's lots to love about the series in general and this book in particular. King writes very fine prose which is a joy to read and her evocation of place and time is superb. In this novel, San Francisco in the mid-1920s and at the time of the 1906 earthquake comes vividly alive. I particularly enjoyed the setting, having visited San Francisco earlier this year. In addition, she continues to develop her central characters. In this episode, Russell shows great vulnerability, which is an interesting change, and plot developments mean that part of the narrative is from Holmes' perspective, which is an added bonus. I really like the way King makes Holmes her own creation by distancing him from Conan Doyle's Holmes within the text, while having him retain enough of the original Holmes' characteristics to be recognisable. Also, Dashiell Hammett is worked into the plot in an interesting an inventive way. References to "the thin man" to describe the tubercular Hammett made me smile.
There are some less satisfying elements of the novel. The plot is coincidence layered with implausibility. Also, the resolution is not exactly very exciting. Moreover, King hovers on the edge of having her characters display attitudes which appear anachronistic for the period in which the novel is set.
In the hands of a less skilled writer, this could be fairly ordinary crime fiction. However, I don't read crime fiction for verisimilitude and I don't read this series for the plot. As long as King delivers interesting characters and a great setting in her elegant prose, I'm there. Once again, I regret that it took me so long to decide to read this series. On the other hand, it's great to still have a few more to read before I get to the stage of hanging out for the next instalment.
December 26, 2013
I greatly enjoyed this, and decided to give this full marks. The series is basically Sherlock Holmes fanfic, with the great detective given a female romantic and professional partner. So many ways it could have gone wrong, but I never have felt King's creation Mary Russell was a Mary Sue--for all her capabilities she has had her vulnerabilities, and I think this installment is among the most personal and introspective of the books, and I loved that aspect. One thing I've enjoyed about the books so far, and this is the eighth of them, is that King keeps changing things up so they're fresh. Even the narrative technique is different in this one, consisting not only of Russell's first person narrative, but third person from other perspectives.
And, as usual--and it's infectious--you can tell King has a blast with these, this one perhaps more than usual. The Moor has the Sherlock Holmes novel The Hound of the Baskervilles for its basis. The Game was set in India under the British Raj and was a homage to Kipling's Kim. This one takes place in 1924 San Francisco. King is a California native and resident and she even slips an ancestor who survived the famous 1906 quake into the narrative as a character. She writes San Francisco with evident affection, and even included Dashiell Hammett, the one time Pinkerton Agent and mystery writer, as a character. There's even a playful reference to Conan Doyle, Holmes' creator... er, I mean biographer. This novel isn't quite the favorite some of the other Russell novels have been--The Beekeeper's Apprentice, A Letter of Mary and Justice Hall--but boy was this a pleasure. It was a treat in particular to get more of Holmes from his own perspective.
And, as usual--and it's infectious--you can tell King has a blast with these, this one perhaps more than usual. The Moor has the Sherlock Holmes novel The Hound of the Baskervilles for its basis. The Game was set in India under the British Raj and was a homage to Kipling's Kim. This one takes place in 1924 San Francisco. King is a California native and resident and she even slips an ancestor who survived the famous 1906 quake into the narrative as a character. She writes San Francisco with evident affection, and even included Dashiell Hammett, the one time Pinkerton Agent and mystery writer, as a character. There's even a playful reference to Conan Doyle, Holmes' creator... er, I mean biographer. This novel isn't quite the favorite some of the other Russell novels have been--The Beekeeper's Apprentice, A Letter of Mary and Justice Hall--but boy was this a pleasure. It was a treat in particular to get more of Holmes from his own perspective.
January 26, 2025
The problem with revisiting a series you haven't read in a few years is that you invariable start an installment and learn that you've already read it.
How disappointed I was when I discovered I'd already read Locked Rooms... but upon flipping through the chapters, I remembered what a really great read it is, especially for those who are interested in learning more about Russell's family. So far, this has been my favorite Laurie R King novel.
(Reviewed 6/9/09)
How disappointed I was when I discovered I'd already read Locked Rooms... but upon flipping through the chapters, I remembered what a really great read it is, especially for those who are interested in learning more about Russell's family. So far, this has been my favorite Laurie R King novel.
(Reviewed 6/9/09)
January 9, 2020
I can’t get enough of these characters and their travels and exploits. I love how King weaves real life characters and fictional characters by other authors into her stories. I love her humor and her portrayal of her characters all wrapped around historical events and locations. San Francisco and the background of the 1906 earthquake and fires came to life in this story set in 1924.
March 28, 2025
Locked Rooms (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes #8), Laurie R. King (1952- ), 2005.
The eighteen books:
Sherlock Holmes with his new partner, Mary Russell. Good stories. Likeable characters. More fun than the Arthur Conan Doyle stories that inspired them. Each book is distinct: set in many and varied physical, social, religious, linguistic, and literary environments. World War I, anti-colonial struggles, natural disasters; prominent real people, occasional fictional characters of other authors. Insightful and fun! Eighteen novels plus short stories, and they keep getting more compelling:
Later books build on, and have spoilers for, earlier ones. Read them in the following order (the Arthur Conan Doyle canon is completely optional, with the sole exception that "The Gloria Scott" should be read before Laurie R. King's novel #14, The Murder of Mary Russell). And you don't have to have previously met the other authors' fictional characters that appear in King's books. If you have, you'll enjoy remeeting them here.
1 background, optional. A Study in Scarlet (novel, 1887, introduces Sherlock Holmes and his friend Dr. John Watson), The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter (short story, 1893, introduces Mycroft Holmes), The Adventure of the Final Problem (short story, 1893, introduces Professor James Moriarty), The Adventure of the Empty House (short story, 1903, set in 1894, explains Holmes' doings 1891–1894), and The Adventure of the Lion's Mane (short story, 1926, Holmes has retired to Sussex), by Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930).
1. The Beekeeper's Apprentice (1994. Events 1915.04.08–1919.07, England, Wales, Palestine). Sherlock Holmes (b. early 1861), retired to the East Sussex Downs, meets young Mary Russell (b. 1900.01.02), who becomes his apprentice. Purported to have been written by Mary Russell in the late 1980s. Holmes on 1915.04.08 says he's 54, and on 1920.12.26 that he's 59. Holmes lives half a mile from the sea (book 9, The Language of Bees, chapters 1 & 8) near Birling Gap, in East Sussex, https://www.google.com/maps/@50.8,0.0... northeast of the mouth of the Cuckmere river: puts him about at the end of Crowlink Lane, southwest of Friston.
5. O Jerusalem (1999. Events 1918.12.30–1919.02, Palestine). Fifth-written and fifth-published Mary Russel/Sherlock Holmes novel, fleshes out an interlude in book one. It's also a prequel for book six. If you're reading the Kindle edition of /O Jerusalem/, start at the cover. Before the table of contents are: Map of Jerusalem and of Palestine; Arabic Words and Phrases; A Note about Chapter Headings; "Editor's Remarks," "Author's Prologue."
2. A Monstrous Regiment of Women (1995. Events 1920.12.26–1921.06, England.)
Mary Russel's War (2016. Events 1906–1925. Ten short stories. Stories #1–9 can be read after book 2, A Monstrous Regiment of Women. Story #10, Stately Holmes, should be read after book 12, Garment of Shadows.)
"The Marriage of Mary Russell" (2016. Events 1921.02), short story #4 of 10 in /Mary Russell's War/ (2016).
Ozymandias (1818, Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1792–1822): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozymand...
"Mary's Christmas" (2014), short story #1 of 10 in /Mary Russell's War/, (2016). Mary reminisces about her childhood (1906–1913.12)
Background for "Mary Russell's War," very optional. The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist (short story, 1903), and The Valley of Fear (novel, 1915), Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930); Raffles: The Amateur Cracksman (1899), E.W. Hornung (1866–1921) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...
"Mary Russell's War" or "My War Journal" (2015. Events of 1914.08.04–1915.04.08), short story #2 of 10 in the collection, /Mary Russell's War/ (2016). Includes spoilers for The Valley of Fear.
"Beekeeping for Beginners" (2011. Events 1915.04.08–1915.05), short story #3 of 10 in /Mary Russell's War/ (2016).
"Mrs. Hudson's Case" (1997. Events 1918.09–1918.10), short story #5 of 10 in /Mary Russell's War/ (2016).
"A Venomous Death" (2009. Set in October, in or after 1921), very short story #6 in /Mary Russell's War/ (2016).
"Birth of a Green Man" (2010. Set sometime between June 1917--see book 10, The God of the Hive, chapter 52--and September 1924), very short story #7 in /Mary Russell's War/ (2016).
"My Story, or, The Case of the Ravening Sherlockians" (2009, Events of 1989–2009--note that Sherlock Holmes, born early in 1861, is 148 years old in 2009, and still alive. He must still be alive, as his obituary hasn't appeared in The Times of London. Conan Doyle tried to kill him in 1891, and his fans wouldn't have it.), short story #8 in /Mary Russell's War/ (2016).
"A Case in Correspondence" (2010, Events of 1992.05.03–1992.05.19), short story #9 in /Mary Russell's War/ (2016).
3 background, very optional. Almost any Dorothy L. Sayers (1893–1957) mystery.
3. A Letter of Mary (1996. Events of 1923.08.14–1923.09.08, England.)
4 background, optional. The Hound of the Baskervilles (novel, 1902), Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930).
4. The Moor (1998. Events of 1923.10–1923.11, Dartmoor, Devon, England.) Includes spoilers for The Hound of the Baskervilles.
The moor is Dartmoor, in southwest England, setting of The Hound of the Baskervilles:
6 background, very optional. The Purloined Letter (1844), Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849)
6. Justice Hall. (2002. Events 1923.11.05–1923.12.26, England, France, Canada.) Includes spoilers for O Jerusalem.
Introduces
7 background, optional, but good. Kim (novel, 1901), Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936). Online: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Kim
7 background, optional. Hind Swaraj (1901), Mohandas Gandhi (1869–1948). Online: https://www.mkgandhi.org/ebks/hind_sw...
7. The Game. (2004. Events 1924.01.01–1924.02, Northern India: Simla in Himchal Pradesh; Khalka in Haryana; Khanpur in Punjab.) The game is international espionage, called the Great Game by Kipling in Kim.
Introduces Kimball O'Hara, b. 1875.
8 background, very optional. The Maltese Falcon (novel, 1930), Dashiell Hammett (1894–1961). Sam Spade short stories: "A Man Called Spade," 1932, "Too Many Have Lived," 1932, "They Can Only Hang you Once," 1932, all collected in A Man Called Spade and Other Stories, 1944, and in Nightmare Town, 1994; and "A Knife Will Cut for Anybody," published 2013. Continental Op stories: The Big Book of the Continental Op, 2017, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
8 background, optional. Entry Denied: Exclusion and the Chinese Community in America, 1882–1943 (1994), Sucheng Chan (1941–).
8 background, entirely optional but well worth reading: Right Ho, Jeeves (novel, 1934), P.G. Wodehouse (1881–1975), online at:
http://www.online-literature.com/pg-w...
Or any similar Wodehouse--Right Ho, Jeeves, is particularly good.
8. Locked Rooms (2005. Events 1924.03–1924.05, San Francisco.)
Eighteen years after the San Francisco earthquake and fires, April 18, 1906.
9 background, optional. A Scandal in Bohemia (short story, 1891) and The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter (short story, 1893), Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930).
9 background, very optional. The Varieties of Religious Experience, 1902, William James (1842–1910).
9. The Language of Bees (2009. Events 1924.08–1924.08.30 and 1919.08–1920.03, England, Scotland.) ends "to be continued" in 10. The God of the Hive (2010. Events 1924.08.29–1924.10.31, England, Scotland). Includes spoilers for A Scandal in Bohemia (1891) and The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter (1893).
11 background, optional. The Pirates of Penzance (comic opera, 1879), W.S. Gilbert (1836–1911)
11. Pirate King (2011. Events 1924.11.06–1924.11.30, Lisbon; Morocco.)
Heath Robinson (a kind of British Rube Goldberg): https://www.pinterest.com/drumseddie5...
12. Garment of Shadows (2012. Events 1924.12–1925.01, Morocco.)
13. Dreaming Spies. (2015. Events 1925.03–1925.04, 1924.04, Japan & Oxfordshire). This one ends in confusion: it's unclear what happens.
Thomas Carlyle: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
14 NECESSARY background for The Murder of Mary Russell: THE GLORIA SCOTT (1893): online here, in print and audio, https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/40/the-mem... 8400-word short story in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle. The story, its characters and events, are the foundation of the Mary Russell book, which gives a different perspective on them. Holmes says it's his first case. (In Conan Doyle's telling it's set in about 1885; yet he's been in Baker Street since about 1881. Conan Doyle is careless about dates. Laurie R. King takes trouble to make them as self-consistent as she can.)
14 background, optional. His Last Bow (1917), The Five Orange Pips (1891), A Scandal in Bohemia (1891), The Man with the Twisted Lip (1891), The Sign of the Four (1890), The Adventure of the Final Problem (1893), Arthur Conan Doyle. (Events and/or characters of these stories are mentioned in The Murder of Mary Russell.)
14 background, entirely optional, but good stories: the Horatio Hornblower stories by C. S. Forester: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horatio...
14 background, optional. Oliver Twist (1838 novel), Charles Dickens (1812–1870)
14 background, optional. The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841), Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849)
14. The Murder of Mary Russell. (2016. Events 1925.05.13–1925.05.18 and backstory 1852–1915.04.08 Britain, Atlantic, Australia.) Has spoilers for The Gloria Scott and The Five Orange Pips by Conan Doyle, and for The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe. We find out more about Holmes' housekeeper, Clara Hudson, b. 1856.05.09 (chapter 39), and Billy Mudd, b. about 1872 (chapter 27: age 8 in October 1880), and Clara Hudson meets Sherlock Holmes 1879.09.29 Sunday (chapter 19). Dr. John Watson comes to Baker Street, 1881.01. 1891.04 Holmes disappears at the Reichenbach Falls. 1894.04 Holmes reappears. 1901.01.22 Queen Victoria dies. 1903 Holmes relocates to East Sussex.
15 background, optional. The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax (1911), Arthur Conan Doyle.
15 background, optional. Ten Days in a Mad-House (1887), Nellie Bly (1864–1922)
15 background, optional. The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896), H.G. Wells (1866–1946)
15. The Island of the Mad. (2018. Events 1925.06 Venice, and backstory 1922–)
Pierrot: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierrot
Julian and Maddalo (1818, Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1792–1822): https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem...
16 background, optional. The Purloined Letter (1844), Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849)
16. Riviera Gold. (2020. Events 1925.05–1925.08; backstory 1877.04) Has spoilers for The Gloria Scott by Arthur Conan Doyle and The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe. Continues the story of Mrs. Hudson from novel 14, The Murder of Mary Russell.
17 background, optional. The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire (1924), Arthur Conan Doyle; Dracula (1897), Bram Stoker; The Monkey's Paw (1902), W.W. Jacobs, online here: https://www.kyrene.org/cms/lib/AZ0100... .
17. Castle Shade (2021. Events 1925.08, Romania.) Includes spoilers for The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire and The Monkey's Paw. We meet Queen Marie Alexandra Victoria of Romania (1875-1938) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_o... (who wrote several books https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ) and her daughter Ileana (1909-1991) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princes...
Bran castle:
http://www.bran-castle.com/
on google maps:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bra...
in Transylvania:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bra...
18 background, optional. A Study in Scarlet (novel, 1887, introduces Sherlock Holmes), A Scandal in Bohemia (1891, Introduces Irene Adler), The Man with the Twisted Lip (short story, 1891, introduces a Lascar), The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter (short story, 1893, introduces Mycroft Holmes), The Adventure of the Final Problem (short story, 1893), The Adventure of the Empty House (short story, 1903, set in 1894, explains Holmes' doings 1891–1894), and The Adventure of the Lion's Mane (short story, 1926, Holmes has retired to Sussex), by Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930); The Moonstone (1868), Wilkie Collins (1824-1889).
18. The Lantern's Dance. (2024. Events 1925.09.10- , France.) Has spoilers for 1. The Beekeeper's Apprentice, 5. O Jerusalem, The Marriage of Mary Russell, 9. The Language of Bees, 10. The God of the Hive, and for A Scandal in Bohemia.
Background for "Stately Holmes," optional. A Visit from St. Nicholas (1823), Clement Clark Moore (1779–1863): https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem... . A Christmas Carol (1843), Charles Dickens (1812–1870): http://www.gutenberg.org/files/46/46-... (control-+ to make it readable). A Scandal in Bohemia (1891); The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone (1921), Arthur Conan Doyle.
"Stately Holmes" (2016. Events 1925.12), short story #10 in /Mary Russell's War/ (2016). Includes spoilers for 6. Justice Hall, 9. The Language of Bees, 10. God of the Hive, and 12. Garment of Shadows, and for A Scandal in Bohemia (1891), Arthur Conan Doyle.
The author's website:
autobiography:
https://laurierking.com/author-pages/...
I love my job. Never would I have believed, when I was a dreamy child, that one day I would be paid to tell myself stories.
Chronology: https://laurierking.com/books/russell...
(née Richardson, b. 1952.09.19).
Order of books: https://www.orderofbooks.com/authors/...
wikipedia entry on Laurie R. King: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurie_...
The eighteen books:
Sherlock Holmes with his new partner, Mary Russell. Good stories. Likeable characters. More fun than the Arthur Conan Doyle stories that inspired them. Each book is distinct: set in many and varied physical, social, religious, linguistic, and literary environments. World War I, anti-colonial struggles, natural disasters; prominent real people, occasional fictional characters of other authors. Insightful and fun! Eighteen novels plus short stories, and they keep getting more compelling:
Later books build on, and have spoilers for, earlier ones. Read them in the following order (the Arthur Conan Doyle canon is completely optional, with the sole exception that "The Gloria Scott" should be read before Laurie R. King's novel #14, The Murder of Mary Russell). And you don't have to have previously met the other authors' fictional characters that appear in King's books. If you have, you'll enjoy remeeting them here.
1 background, optional. A Study in Scarlet (novel, 1887, introduces Sherlock Holmes and his friend Dr. John Watson), The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter (short story, 1893, introduces Mycroft Holmes), The Adventure of the Final Problem (short story, 1893, introduces Professor James Moriarty), The Adventure of the Empty House (short story, 1903, set in 1894, explains Holmes' doings 1891–1894), and The Adventure of the Lion's Mane (short story, 1926, Holmes has retired to Sussex), by Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930).
1. The Beekeeper's Apprentice (1994. Events 1915.04.08–1919.07, England, Wales, Palestine). Sherlock Holmes (b. early 1861), retired to the East Sussex Downs, meets young Mary Russell (b. 1900.01.02), who becomes his apprentice. Purported to have been written by Mary Russell in the late 1980s. Holmes on 1915.04.08 says he's 54, and on 1920.12.26 that he's 59. Holmes lives half a mile from the sea (book 9, The Language of Bees, chapters 1 & 8) near Birling Gap, in East Sussex, https://www.google.com/maps/@50.8,0.0... northeast of the mouth of the Cuckmere river: puts him about at the end of Crowlink Lane, southwest of Friston.
5. O Jerusalem (1999. Events 1918.12.30–1919.02, Palestine). Fifth-written and fifth-published Mary Russel/Sherlock Holmes novel, fleshes out an interlude in book one. It's also a prequel for book six. If you're reading the Kindle edition of /O Jerusalem/, start at the cover. Before the table of contents are: Map of Jerusalem and of Palestine; Arabic Words and Phrases; A Note about Chapter Headings; "Editor's Remarks," "Author's Prologue."
2. A Monstrous Regiment of Women (1995. Events 1920.12.26–1921.06, England.)
Mary Russel's War (2016. Events 1906–1925. Ten short stories. Stories #1–9 can be read after book 2, A Monstrous Regiment of Women. Story #10, Stately Holmes, should be read after book 12, Garment of Shadows.)
"The Marriage of Mary Russell" (2016. Events 1921.02), short story #4 of 10 in /Mary Russell's War/ (2016).
Ozymandias (1818, Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1792–1822): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozymand...
"Mary's Christmas" (2014), short story #1 of 10 in /Mary Russell's War/, (2016). Mary reminisces about her childhood (1906–1913.12)
Background for "Mary Russell's War," very optional. The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist (short story, 1903), and The Valley of Fear (novel, 1915), Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930); Raffles: The Amateur Cracksman (1899), E.W. Hornung (1866–1921) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...
"Mary Russell's War" or "My War Journal" (2015. Events of 1914.08.04–1915.04.08), short story #2 of 10 in the collection, /Mary Russell's War/ (2016). Includes spoilers for The Valley of Fear.
"Beekeeping for Beginners" (2011. Events 1915.04.08–1915.05), short story #3 of 10 in /Mary Russell's War/ (2016).
"Mrs. Hudson's Case" (1997. Events 1918.09–1918.10), short story #5 of 10 in /Mary Russell's War/ (2016).
"A Venomous Death" (2009. Set in October, in or after 1921), very short story #6 in /Mary Russell's War/ (2016).
"Birth of a Green Man" (2010. Set sometime between June 1917--see book 10, The God of the Hive, chapter 52--and September 1924), very short story #7 in /Mary Russell's War/ (2016).
"My Story, or, The Case of the Ravening Sherlockians" (2009, Events of 1989–2009--note that Sherlock Holmes, born early in 1861, is 148 years old in 2009, and still alive. He must still be alive, as his obituary hasn't appeared in The Times of London. Conan Doyle tried to kill him in 1891, and his fans wouldn't have it.), short story #8 in /Mary Russell's War/ (2016).
"A Case in Correspondence" (2010, Events of 1992.05.03–1992.05.19), short story #9 in /Mary Russell's War/ (2016).
3 background, very optional. Almost any Dorothy L. Sayers (1893–1957) mystery.
3. A Letter of Mary (1996. Events of 1923.08.14–1923.09.08, England.)
4 background, optional. The Hound of the Baskervilles (novel, 1902), Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930).
4. The Moor (1998. Events of 1923.10–1923.11, Dartmoor, Devon, England.) Includes spoilers for The Hound of the Baskervilles.
The moor is Dartmoor, in southwest England, setting of The Hound of the Baskervilles:
6 background, very optional. The Purloined Letter (1844), Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849)
6. Justice Hall. (2002. Events 1923.11.05–1923.12.26, England, France, Canada.) Includes spoilers for O Jerusalem.
Introduces
7 background, optional, but good. Kim (novel, 1901), Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936). Online: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Kim
7 background, optional. Hind Swaraj (1901), Mohandas Gandhi (1869–1948). Online: https://www.mkgandhi.org/ebks/hind_sw...
7. The Game. (2004. Events 1924.01.01–1924.02, Northern India: Simla in Himchal Pradesh; Khalka in Haryana; Khanpur in Punjab.) The game is international espionage, called the Great Game by Kipling in Kim.
Introduces Kimball O'Hara, b. 1875.
8 background, very optional. The Maltese Falcon (novel, 1930), Dashiell Hammett (1894–1961). Sam Spade short stories: "A Man Called Spade," 1932, "Too Many Have Lived," 1932, "They Can Only Hang you Once," 1932, all collected in A Man Called Spade and Other Stories, 1944, and in Nightmare Town, 1994; and "A Knife Will Cut for Anybody," published 2013. Continental Op stories: The Big Book of the Continental Op, 2017, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
8 background, optional. Entry Denied: Exclusion and the Chinese Community in America, 1882–1943 (1994), Sucheng Chan (1941–).
8 background, entirely optional but well worth reading: Right Ho, Jeeves (novel, 1934), P.G. Wodehouse (1881–1975), online at:
http://www.online-literature.com/pg-w...
Or any similar Wodehouse--Right Ho, Jeeves, is particularly good.
8. Locked Rooms (2005. Events 1924.03–1924.05, San Francisco.)
Eighteen years after the San Francisco earthquake and fires, April 18, 1906.
9 background, optional. A Scandal in Bohemia (short story, 1891) and The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter (short story, 1893), Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930).
9 background, very optional. The Varieties of Religious Experience, 1902, William James (1842–1910).
9. The Language of Bees (2009. Events 1924.08–1924.08.30 and 1919.08–1920.03, England, Scotland.) ends "to be continued" in 10. The God of the Hive (2010. Events 1924.08.29–1924.10.31, England, Scotland). Includes spoilers for A Scandal in Bohemia (1891) and The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter (1893).
11 background, optional. The Pirates of Penzance (comic opera, 1879), W.S. Gilbert (1836–1911)
11. Pirate King (2011. Events 1924.11.06–1924.11.30, Lisbon; Morocco.)
Heath Robinson (a kind of British Rube Goldberg): https://www.pinterest.com/drumseddie5...
12. Garment of Shadows (2012. Events 1924.12–1925.01, Morocco.)
13. Dreaming Spies. (2015. Events 1925.03–1925.04, 1924.04, Japan & Oxfordshire). This one ends in confusion: it's unclear what happens.
Thomas Carlyle: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
14 NECESSARY background for The Murder of Mary Russell: THE GLORIA SCOTT (1893): online here, in print and audio, https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/40/the-mem... 8400-word short story in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle. The story, its characters and events, are the foundation of the Mary Russell book, which gives a different perspective on them. Holmes says it's his first case. (In Conan Doyle's telling it's set in about 1885; yet he's been in Baker Street since about 1881. Conan Doyle is careless about dates. Laurie R. King takes trouble to make them as self-consistent as she can.)
14 background, optional. His Last Bow (1917), The Five Orange Pips (1891), A Scandal in Bohemia (1891), The Man with the Twisted Lip (1891), The Sign of the Four (1890), The Adventure of the Final Problem (1893), Arthur Conan Doyle. (Events and/or characters of these stories are mentioned in The Murder of Mary Russell.)
14 background, entirely optional, but good stories: the Horatio Hornblower stories by C. S. Forester: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horatio...
14 background, optional. Oliver Twist (1838 novel), Charles Dickens (1812–1870)
14 background, optional. The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841), Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849)
14. The Murder of Mary Russell. (2016. Events 1925.05.13–1925.05.18 and backstory 1852–1915.04.08 Britain, Atlantic, Australia.) Has spoilers for The Gloria Scott and The Five Orange Pips by Conan Doyle, and for The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe. We find out more about Holmes' housekeeper, Clara Hudson, b. 1856.05.09 (chapter 39), and Billy Mudd, b. about 1872 (chapter 27: age 8 in October 1880), and Clara Hudson meets Sherlock Holmes 1879.09.29 Sunday (chapter 19). Dr. John Watson comes to Baker Street, 1881.01. 1891.04 Holmes disappears at the Reichenbach Falls. 1894.04 Holmes reappears. 1901.01.22 Queen Victoria dies. 1903 Holmes relocates to East Sussex.
15 background, optional. The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax (1911), Arthur Conan Doyle.
15 background, optional. Ten Days in a Mad-House (1887), Nellie Bly (1864–1922)
15 background, optional. The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896), H.G. Wells (1866–1946)
15. The Island of the Mad. (2018. Events 1925.06 Venice, and backstory 1922–)
Pierrot: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierrot
Julian and Maddalo (1818, Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1792–1822): https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem...
16 background, optional. The Purloined Letter (1844), Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849)
16. Riviera Gold. (2020. Events 1925.05–1925.08; backstory 1877.04) Has spoilers for The Gloria Scott by Arthur Conan Doyle and The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe. Continues the story of Mrs. Hudson from novel 14, The Murder of Mary Russell.
17 background, optional. The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire (1924), Arthur Conan Doyle; Dracula (1897), Bram Stoker; The Monkey's Paw (1902), W.W. Jacobs, online here: https://www.kyrene.org/cms/lib/AZ0100... .
17. Castle Shade (2021. Events 1925.08, Romania.) Includes spoilers for The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire and The Monkey's Paw. We meet Queen Marie Alexandra Victoria of Romania (1875-1938) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_o... (who wrote several books https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ) and her daughter Ileana (1909-1991) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princes...
Bran castle:
http://www.bran-castle.com/
on google maps:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bra...
in Transylvania:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bra...
18 background, optional. A Study in Scarlet (novel, 1887, introduces Sherlock Holmes), A Scandal in Bohemia (1891, Introduces Irene Adler), The Man with the Twisted Lip (short story, 1891, introduces a Lascar), The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter (short story, 1893, introduces Mycroft Holmes), The Adventure of the Final Problem (short story, 1893), The Adventure of the Empty House (short story, 1903, set in 1894, explains Holmes' doings 1891–1894), and The Adventure of the Lion's Mane (short story, 1926, Holmes has retired to Sussex), by Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930); The Moonstone (1868), Wilkie Collins (1824-1889).
18. The Lantern's Dance. (2024. Events 1925.09.10- , France.) Has spoilers for 1. The Beekeeper's Apprentice, 5. O Jerusalem, The Marriage of Mary Russell, 9. The Language of Bees, 10. The God of the Hive, and for A Scandal in Bohemia.
Background for "Stately Holmes," optional. A Visit from St. Nicholas (1823), Clement Clark Moore (1779–1863): https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem... . A Christmas Carol (1843), Charles Dickens (1812–1870): http://www.gutenberg.org/files/46/46-... (control-+ to make it readable). A Scandal in Bohemia (1891); The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone (1921), Arthur Conan Doyle.
"Stately Holmes" (2016. Events 1925.12), short story #10 in /Mary Russell's War/ (2016). Includes spoilers for 6. Justice Hall, 9. The Language of Bees, 10. God of the Hive, and 12. Garment of Shadows, and for A Scandal in Bohemia (1891), Arthur Conan Doyle.
The author's website:
autobiography:
https://laurierking.com/author-pages/...
I love my job. Never would I have believed, when I was a dreamy child, that one day I would be paid to tell myself stories.
Chronology: https://laurierking.com/books/russell...
(née Richardson, b. 1952.09.19).
Order of books: https://www.orderofbooks.com/authors/...
wikipedia entry on Laurie R. King: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurie_...
March 6, 2010
My favorite one of the series. I absolutley loved finding out finally the story behind the accident that is mentioned about the whole series and explained completey. I found myself melancholy when this book ended because I wished to continue being a part Russell and Holmes day to day activities and banter.
December 23, 2008
Locked Rooms picks up pretty much immediately where The Game left off, as we learn that Russell and Holmes have left India--and instead of heading back to Britain, they've gone through Japan instead on their way to San Francisco to take care of some family business of Russell's. The transition between stories, I fear, is a bit shaky; we are told that this was part of their plan all along, and yet, having just read The Game immediately beforehand, I recollect exactly nothing in that book about how they'd intended to head to San Francisco.
There's also several bemusing references to their stop in Japan and hints that Interesting Things happened there. Russell at one point uses the phrase "complexity of events" to describe what happened there--and yet we never are told what actually happened, which was confusing and vaguely annoying to me as a reader. I was torn between wanting to yell "um, so, WHAT HAPPENED IN JAPAN?", half-wondering if I'd somehow missed a book somewhere (though I knew I hadn't), and strongly suspecting that there will in fact be a future book about What Happened In Japan. Which struck me as, well, gimmicky.
So did the use of Dashiell Hammett as a character in this plot, for that matter. See all my comments up above about reacting to the use of Kimball O'Hara as a character; they apply here, only more so since Hammett was an actual real person. As with The Game for me, so too with Locked Rooms; I am not familiar with Hammett's work or his history, so the use of him in the plot doesn't mean much to me and pretty much came across as another excuse to have Russell and Holmes meet a Famous Person.
All that said, I enjoyed Locked Rooms a lot more than I did The Game. All the problems in the previous book with Russell being omni-competent get turned on their ear here as we learn that why yes, Russell can be thrown hugely off her stride. Seeing her trying to come to terms with her past and the deaths of her parents and brother, and even fight with Holmes when he gets too close to the sensitive bits of her repressed memories? That was interesting.
And so was seeing things from Holmes' POV for once! King jumped into Holmes' head for two long chunks of the book, and it was about damned time she'd done so as well. I mean, if she's going to have her protagonist go and marry the world's most renowed detective, it's good to actually see him do some on-camera detecting--not to mention see him reacting to the stresses that Russell's going through and to have their relationship rounded out quite a bit more.
There was some measure of "convenience" to certain aspects of the plot--the 'faceless man' of Russell's nightmares turning out to be her father's shady friend, for example--but not nearly so much as in the previous book, and the far more interesting aspects of the plot helped balance things out rather nicely. The flashbacks that helped bring to life the events of the 1906 earthquake were particularly vivid, as were the descriptions of Chinatown. And I liked how things were tied in to a seemingly random incident in the previous book--the attempt on Russell and Holmes' life with the collapsing balcony in the marketplace.
All in all, two thumbs up!
There's also several bemusing references to their stop in Japan and hints that Interesting Things happened there. Russell at one point uses the phrase "complexity of events" to describe what happened there--and yet we never are told what actually happened, which was confusing and vaguely annoying to me as a reader. I was torn between wanting to yell "um, so, WHAT HAPPENED IN JAPAN?", half-wondering if I'd somehow missed a book somewhere (though I knew I hadn't), and strongly suspecting that there will in fact be a future book about What Happened In Japan. Which struck me as, well, gimmicky.
So did the use of Dashiell Hammett as a character in this plot, for that matter. See all my comments up above about reacting to the use of Kimball O'Hara as a character; they apply here, only more so since Hammett was an actual real person. As with The Game for me, so too with Locked Rooms; I am not familiar with Hammett's work or his history, so the use of him in the plot doesn't mean much to me and pretty much came across as another excuse to have Russell and Holmes meet a Famous Person.
All that said, I enjoyed Locked Rooms a lot more than I did The Game. All the problems in the previous book with Russell being omni-competent get turned on their ear here as we learn that why yes, Russell can be thrown hugely off her stride. Seeing her trying to come to terms with her past and the deaths of her parents and brother, and even fight with Holmes when he gets too close to the sensitive bits of her repressed memories? That was interesting.
And so was seeing things from Holmes' POV for once! King jumped into Holmes' head for two long chunks of the book, and it was about damned time she'd done so as well. I mean, if she's going to have her protagonist go and marry the world's most renowed detective, it's good to actually see him do some on-camera detecting--not to mention see him reacting to the stresses that Russell's going through and to have their relationship rounded out quite a bit more.
There was some measure of "convenience" to certain aspects of the plot--the 'faceless man' of Russell's nightmares turning out to be her father's shady friend, for example--but not nearly so much as in the previous book, and the far more interesting aspects of the plot helped balance things out rather nicely. The flashbacks that helped bring to life the events of the 1906 earthquake were particularly vivid, as were the descriptions of Chinatown. And I liked how things were tied in to a seemingly random incident in the previous book--the attempt on Russell and Holmes' life with the collapsing balcony in the marketplace.
All in all, two thumbs up!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2020
I enjoyed the characters, and the setting. Some of the narrative choices were infuriating, particularly how King would switch narrators, each time repeating half the story of the previous one, just from a different perspective. One step back, two steps forward. It is also not exactly a mystery, since everything is simply resolved as a rabbit out of a hat by a convenient letter. (Not only is the letter unconvincing—it reads exactly how King writes the rest of the story—but the resolution it gives is ridiculous.)
> "So what you're saying is, 'It's my look-out, shut up and listen'?" "Mr Hammett, you have a way with the American vernacular that bodes well for your future as a writer of popular fiction."
> "So what you're saying is, 'It's my look-out, shut up and listen'?" "Mr Hammett, you have a way with the American vernacular that bodes well for your future as a writer of popular fiction."
June 11, 2013
Sherlock Holmes is a character that who seems to continue to fascinate. Conan Doyle’s character having taken on almost mythical proportions has been responsible for the wide ranging Holmes pastiche that has grown up since Conan Doyle finished writing his Holmes stories. There are many writers out there who have continued to write Sherlock Holmes stories. For instance, there is ‘The young Sherlock Holmes’ series for children by Andrew Lane, a book called The Last Sherlock Holmes story by well-known crime writer Michael Dibdin, a quick look on Amazon revealed books by authors David Wilson, Richard Dinnick and Nigel Scott, and many others – none of which I have read or even heard of, if I’m honest. I did read a good collection of Holmes stories called The Remains of Sherlock Holmes by Paul W Nash – though I think the book is out of print now. I also really enjoyed Anthony Horrowitz’s The House of Silk.
However the series that continues to delight me is the Mary Russell series by Laurie R King. In the first book – The Beekeeper’s Apprentice – Mary Russell is a fifteen year old Anglo/American orphan living in Sussex with an aunt – she meets and becomes apprenticed to an ageing Sherlock Holmes – who has retired to the Sussex downs to study bees. Needless to say Holmes doesn’t stay retired for long, and is frequently called upon to undertake secret missions by his brother Mycroft. As the years pass Russell and Holmes’s partnership/friendship leads to marriage. Russell is a tough bluestocking, fiercely intelligent and independent; she is not a typical early twentieth century wife – who could imagine Holmes married to a traditional wife anyway? I love the way Laurie R King has resurrected Holmes in these novels, he is still very familiar – he is older and mellower no longer a drug addict – and still taken care of by Mrs Hudson, corresponds with Watson – and still a master of disguise.
Locked Rooms is the eighth Mary Russell novel, it is 1924, ten years since the accident that robbed Mary of her parents and younger brother. Returning from Bombay where they had been involved in the case detailed in the seventh novel The Game, Russell and Holmes sail for San Francisco to settle some business with Mary’s family estate. However as the ship gets closer to San Francisco, Mary starts to experience some very unsettling dreams, and Holmes notices his wife’s behaviour begin to change. In 1906 the city where Mary’s family had lived had been devastated by an earthquake, Mary believes that she hadn’t been there at the time; Holmes is convinced that she must have been. Still haunted by the accident which killed her family but which she survived; Mary Russell has a lot to face up to upon her return. She is sure that she can cope with the memories, with revisiting her old home, and is irritated by any show of concern from Holmes. Once in San Francisco Russell starts to uncover the secrets of her own past. A series of deaths that appear to be connected to her family and a bizarre codicil to her father’s will – lead Holmes and Russell to the busy streets of China town.
Locked Rooms is possibly my favourite of the series so far – although I remember The Moor as being pretty fantastic too. This novel is a little different as the story – and the mysteries are more personal to Mary – so much more of Russell is revealed. Throughout the series so far, Russell had been almost as enigmatic as the man she married. I do love a bit of Holmes escapism – my curl up in a ball cosy reading. This series is well written, tautly plotted – with plenty of those familiar Holmes ingredients that we love. For anyone not familiar with this series who like the sound of it – I would always recommend starting with The Beekeeper’s Apprentice - and reading the books in order. Thankfully I already have the next one TBR.
However the series that continues to delight me is the Mary Russell series by Laurie R King. In the first book – The Beekeeper’s Apprentice – Mary Russell is a fifteen year old Anglo/American orphan living in Sussex with an aunt – she meets and becomes apprenticed to an ageing Sherlock Holmes – who has retired to the Sussex downs to study bees. Needless to say Holmes doesn’t stay retired for long, and is frequently called upon to undertake secret missions by his brother Mycroft. As the years pass Russell and Holmes’s partnership/friendship leads to marriage. Russell is a tough bluestocking, fiercely intelligent and independent; she is not a typical early twentieth century wife – who could imagine Holmes married to a traditional wife anyway? I love the way Laurie R King has resurrected Holmes in these novels, he is still very familiar – he is older and mellower no longer a drug addict – and still taken care of by Mrs Hudson, corresponds with Watson – and still a master of disguise.
Locked Rooms is the eighth Mary Russell novel, it is 1924, ten years since the accident that robbed Mary of her parents and younger brother. Returning from Bombay where they had been involved in the case detailed in the seventh novel The Game, Russell and Holmes sail for San Francisco to settle some business with Mary’s family estate. However as the ship gets closer to San Francisco, Mary starts to experience some very unsettling dreams, and Holmes notices his wife’s behaviour begin to change. In 1906 the city where Mary’s family had lived had been devastated by an earthquake, Mary believes that she hadn’t been there at the time; Holmes is convinced that she must have been. Still haunted by the accident which killed her family but which she survived; Mary Russell has a lot to face up to upon her return. She is sure that she can cope with the memories, with revisiting her old home, and is irritated by any show of concern from Holmes. Once in San Francisco Russell starts to uncover the secrets of her own past. A series of deaths that appear to be connected to her family and a bizarre codicil to her father’s will – lead Holmes and Russell to the busy streets of China town.
Locked Rooms is possibly my favourite of the series so far – although I remember The Moor as being pretty fantastic too. This novel is a little different as the story – and the mysteries are more personal to Mary – so much more of Russell is revealed. Throughout the series so far, Russell had been almost as enigmatic as the man she married. I do love a bit of Holmes escapism – my curl up in a ball cosy reading. This series is well written, tautly plotted – with plenty of those familiar Holmes ingredients that we love. For anyone not familiar with this series who like the sound of it – I would always recommend starting with The Beekeeper’s Apprentice - and reading the books in order. Thankfully I already have the next one TBR.
October 3, 2021
Laurie R. King has done it again, for good and ill. Locked Rooms is once again a very satisfying read, exploring fascinating ideas on its way to tell an intriguing detective story. But once again, as in another title in the series, King has let racist epithets slip. And again there's no author's note to excuse the slurs as depicting the thought of the day, and not the thought of the modern author of these historical fictions.
I really wanted to give 4 stars to this one. As a native San Franciscan I appreciated the research that went into spinning an Old San Francisco yarn full of authentic details that testify to historic newspaper reports unearthed and first-hand accounts pored over. But then there was the use of "street-arabs" once again, when she meant something like "guttersnipes," or "street urchins," and references to people as "Orientals," and a preposterous statement---I read an audio version so I can't flip back and find the exact words -- to the effect that San Francisco, at the dawn of the gold rush, was nothing but a few Indian shacks huddled around a crumbling mission. Horrible! This buys into the shameful usurpers' myth that California's promise was wasted on lazy Mexican inhabitants, as it had been on backwards natives, and required the intelligence and industry of WASPS to make a city something more than a huddle and a crumble. What a sad error on the part of an otherwise excellent author.
Laurie R. King, it would really be worthwhile to go back through your entire series with the help of an editor with a strong grasp of racial politics. Please, put out revised editions.
I really wanted to give 4 stars to this one. As a native San Franciscan I appreciated the research that went into spinning an Old San Francisco yarn full of authentic details that testify to historic newspaper reports unearthed and first-hand accounts pored over. But then there was the use of "street-arabs" once again, when she meant something like "guttersnipes," or "street urchins," and references to people as "Orientals," and a preposterous statement---I read an audio version so I can't flip back and find the exact words -- to the effect that San Francisco, at the dawn of the gold rush, was nothing but a few Indian shacks huddled around a crumbling mission. Horrible! This buys into the shameful usurpers' myth that California's promise was wasted on lazy Mexican inhabitants, as it had been on backwards natives, and required the intelligence and industry of WASPS to make a city something more than a huddle and a crumble. What a sad error on the part of an otherwise excellent author.
Laurie R. King, it would really be worthwhile to go back through your entire series with the help of an editor with a strong grasp of racial politics. Please, put out revised editions.
March 2, 2011
I’ve read a number of King’s books and loved them. I think she is running out of gas a bit. This is about Mary Russell, the 23 year old wife, of Sherlock Holmes. They are sailing around the world, and go to San Francisco to settle Russell’s estate. Her parents and brother were killed in a car crash when she was 7. She does a lot of description, like there are not too many ideas for the plot. A lot of it deals with the history of the San Francisco fire, earthquake, and structural inequality of the Chinese. Then there is the roaring twenties, parties and drink. Feng shui is a major plot piece, i.e. eventually a significant secret is found by geomancy in the garden. This does not work. The other plot device of Russell’s dreams is ridiculous, made to seem mysterious, but super obvious. Of course they are unbelievably wealthy, talented, crafty, etc. There is a little creepiness with the age different between Russell and Holmes. But King is a competent writer, and I liked Russell and Holmes, and she captures some Holmeisms, like using street urchins for spies, and having hidey holes and disguises.
February 24, 2010
Ok, first let me acknowledge that I really loved the Russell/Holmes romantic plot interaction in A Monstrous Regiment of Women, and I keep hoping there will be more relationship in the subsequent books. Not that I'm asking for lots of lovey-dovey stuff or explicitness, but I really loved their couple dynamic in book 2 and would love more of it along with the mysteries. It is there in the rest, but it's really, really muted. This particular book was a bit hard for me to trudge through, though I think it's necessary to the overall arc of the series to finally get some closure on Mary's past. It was hard to feel the tug of interest in Mary's portion of the story because she was cold and removed from her emotions. Great writing to really nail that state of mind, but hard for me to connect with it. So I'm glad to be able to lay to rest some of the worst of Mary's childhood trauma, and I'm looking forward to what the next books bring.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2022
Mary Russell is heading home to San Francisco to dispose of some family business, and begins having recurring dreams that seem to be related to the 1906 earthquake -- despite her certainty that she lived elsewhere at the time.
Pretty soon, someone has taken a literal potshot at her in the city's streets, and she's embroiled in a mystery that's even more complicated than anything her husband, Sherlock Holmes, could have imagined.
The tale is a well-constructed piece of historical fiction, featuring the earthquake, governmental corruption, murder -- and Dashiell Hammett, who assists Holmes in his own investigations when Russell seems to be losing her grasp on reality.
A tightly constructed fair play puzzle, full of Easter eggs Bay Area locals would recognize (e.g., despite not being named, the chop house is clearly John's Grill). Highly recommended.
Pretty soon, someone has taken a literal potshot at her in the city's streets, and she's embroiled in a mystery that's even more complicated than anything her husband, Sherlock Holmes, could have imagined.
The tale is a well-constructed piece of historical fiction, featuring the earthquake, governmental corruption, murder -- and Dashiell Hammett, who assists Holmes in his own investigations when Russell seems to be losing her grasp on reality.
A tightly constructed fair play puzzle, full of Easter eggs Bay Area locals would recognize (e.g., despite not being named, the chop house is clearly John's Grill). Highly recommended.
March 5, 2017
I did not realize I was up this late, finishing this novel--which I suppose is the highest praise I can give. It's a stay up until 2am to finish novel.
October 4, 2017
Great book with many twists and turns!! Loved every minute of it. I can't wait to pick of the rest in the series.
October 18, 2020
I'd give it 6 stars if I could.
May 12, 2014
This book reminded me of Elizabeth Peters' "Amelia Peabody" series. Both series are supposedly the published journals of the heroine. The concept works well - until the author needs to cover events not witnessed by her. Both authors fix the problem by "discovering" accompanying notes by one of the other characters - and in both cases, there's only one possible candidate.
The trouble is that these "notes" are written in the third person, and it's as if the author forgets who's supposed to be the writer. So Sherlock/Ramses gets described in ways Sherlock/Ramses would never describe himself - and it jars. Why couldn't they 'write' in 1st person?
It's less of an issue in this volume, because the "notes" are mainly in one big section, and after a while you forget who's meant to have written it. And in general, I enjoyed this story. I had two gripes. One - when we finally discover her father's dark secret, it's not convincing. I suspect the author had trouble thinking up a black deed that wouldn't besmirch the reputation of her father - I think she should've allowed him to be a little less perfect!
My other gripe is King's habit of including other famous people in her stories. Given Sherlock's fame, I can believe him being introduced to other famous people - but to accidentally bump into well-known characters like Dashiel Hammett strains credibility, and isn't necessary to the plot.
Finally, this story constantly reminded me how young Mary is, and there is something slightly creepy about the huge age difference between her and Holmes. Oh wait, that's a third gripe. Perhaps when I get around to reading the first in the series, it will make more sense.
The trouble is that these "notes" are written in the third person, and it's as if the author forgets who's supposed to be the writer. So Sherlock/Ramses gets described in ways Sherlock/Ramses would never describe himself - and it jars. Why couldn't they 'write' in 1st person?
It's less of an issue in this volume, because the "notes" are mainly in one big section, and after a while you forget who's meant to have written it. And in general, I enjoyed this story. I had two gripes. One - when we finally discover her father's dark secret, it's not convincing. I suspect the author had trouble thinking up a black deed that wouldn't besmirch the reputation of her father - I think she should've allowed him to be a little less perfect!
My other gripe is King's habit of including other famous people in her stories. Given Sherlock's fame, I can believe him being introduced to other famous people - but to accidentally bump into well-known characters like Dashiel Hammett strains credibility, and isn't necessary to the plot.
Finally, this story constantly reminded me how young Mary is, and there is something slightly creepy about the huge age difference between her and Holmes. Oh wait, that's a third gripe. Perhaps when I get around to reading the first in the series, it will make more sense.
July 28, 2017
(07/28/2017, editted to correct typo and add links.)
King's "found" further adventures of Sherlock Holmes seem to work better when, as here and in The Moor, she brings an historical person into the cast. Setting the tale in Roaring Twenties San Francisco allows King to explore new territory, as begun in the preceding The Game.
The broken narrative works, but maybe because King explained it.
Historical quibble: King posits America--or at least San Francisco--as having been swept up in war fever the summer of 1914--men taking draft physicals, making other plans, settling personal matters before shipping out--when in fact most of America resisted getting involved in Europe's war. Mary's mother was English, so the war would touch more closely, but it does not adequately explain her father's motivations.
Cover quibble: Mary has shorn her hair boyishly short but is show with it as long as the previous covers in the series.
A very good read.
King's "found" further adventures of Sherlock Holmes seem to work better when, as here and in The Moor, she brings an historical person into the cast. Setting the tale in Roaring Twenties San Francisco allows King to explore new territory, as begun in the preceding The Game.
The broken narrative works, but maybe because King explained it.
Historical quibble: King posits America--or at least San Francisco--as having been swept up in war fever the summer of 1914--men taking draft physicals, making other plans, settling personal matters before shipping out--when in fact most of America resisted getting involved in Europe's war. Mary's mother was English, so the war would touch more closely, but it does not adequately explain her father's motivations.
Cover quibble: Mary has shorn her hair boyishly short but is show with it as long as the previous covers in the series.
A very good read.
July 29, 2016
Has it really been four years since I read the last Mary Russell book? It was great being back in her company. I enjoyed the book, though there was a zip missing, probably because Mary was unearthing some seriously deep shit from her past so wasn't her usual wit-slinging self. The alternating sections between first-person-Mary-POV and third-person-Holmes-POV threw me a bit. I don't think it was necessarily the Holmes POV itself, but that it wasn't consistent. It was usually Holmes, but the narration would broaden omnipotently at times to drift to Hammet's perspective or even, confusingly, a few lines of Mary's thoughts.
I think everything that was uncovered from Mary's past helps fill out the characters, and I'm glad to have read it. It wasn't my favorite of the series in terms of dialogue or plot (the big reveal really didn't land for me, and some of the Chinatown/feng shui stuff was awkward). But I absolutely plan to continue with the series. Hopefully Russell and Holmes will have a bit more of their old spark back now that they've gotten through this crisis from Mary's past.
I think everything that was uncovered from Mary's past helps fill out the characters, and I'm glad to have read it. It wasn't my favorite of the series in terms of dialogue or plot (the big reveal really didn't land for me, and some of the Chinatown/feng shui stuff was awkward). But I absolutely plan to continue with the series. Hopefully Russell and Holmes will have a bit more of their old spark back now that they've gotten through this crisis from Mary's past.
April 30, 2014
This is a major advance in the Russell/Holmes saga. Seemingly small incidents in the previous book, The Game, launch a whole new adventure as the duo journey from India to California. Russell's distraction and nightmares are of concern to Holmes.
They arrive in San Francisco to tie up some loose ends in the estates of her parents who died tragically about ten years previously. King does a good job of parsing Russell's previous history (as revealed in the previous seven novels (and I didn't detect any inconsistencies worth noting). The plot is dense, but surrounded by King's love and knowledge of the Bay environs. There is a necessary backdrop of San Francisco's earthquake history and its Chinese community. Fengsui, a Chinese philosophy that seeks to harmonize human existence with the surrounding environment, plays a significant and entertaining role in advancing the plot.
By the by, we learn a lot more of Russell's youth and some insights into her relationship with Holmes. In demonstrating her skill with this material, King has raised the bar for her succeeding novels.
They arrive in San Francisco to tie up some loose ends in the estates of her parents who died tragically about ten years previously. King does a good job of parsing Russell's previous history (as revealed in the previous seven novels (and I didn't detect any inconsistencies worth noting). The plot is dense, but surrounded by King's love and knowledge of the Bay environs. There is a necessary backdrop of San Francisco's earthquake history and its Chinese community. Fengsui, a Chinese philosophy that seeks to harmonize human existence with the surrounding environment, plays a significant and entertaining role in advancing the plot.
By the by, we learn a lot more of Russell's youth and some insights into her relationship with Holmes. In demonstrating her skill with this material, King has raised the bar for her succeeding novels.
January 2, 2010
Normally I take offense at any author recreating or trying to improve upon the antics of my favorite detective Mr. Sherlock Holmes but I have to give it to Miss. King, she’s done a great job of creating her vision of Sherlock Holmes.
Nancy Springer is the only other author whose vision of her Sherlock Holmes I like. She creates a little sister, Elona, change of life baby, for Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes, who is more craftier than either of her brothers when it comes to solving cases, and she’s only 14 years old.
I enjoy reading Miss. King’s Sherlock Holmes as he is married to Mary Russell and together they solve cases.In this installment, Dashiell Hamett is introduced as he is hired by Holmes to help with the case of trying to learn why Holmes parents were killed.
For Sherlock Holmes fans, you’ll enjoy both King and Springer’s adaptation and vision of Sherlock Holmes.
Nancy Springer is the only other author whose vision of her Sherlock Holmes I like. She creates a little sister, Elona, change of life baby, for Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes, who is more craftier than either of her brothers when it comes to solving cases, and she’s only 14 years old.
I enjoy reading Miss. King’s Sherlock Holmes as he is married to Mary Russell and together they solve cases.In this installment, Dashiell Hamett is introduced as he is hired by Holmes to help with the case of trying to learn why Holmes parents were killed.
For Sherlock Holmes fans, you’ll enjoy both King and Springer’s adaptation and vision of Sherlock Holmes.
September 23, 2017
A good mystery, but I felt it would have been better if the book hadn't been so long. The pace dragged too often to really keep me interested. The only thing that kept me reading to the end was the premise of Russell's "locked rooms" memories of her childhood. I find the psychology of that subject very intersting. Overall though, shorten the book by 100 or so pages and i might have likeed it better.
I liked the idea of this series with Mary Russell and Sherlock Holme, so I plan to go back to the beginning and read book #1.
I liked the idea of this series with Mary Russell and Sherlock Holme, so I plan to go back to the beginning and read book #1.
April 27, 2015
I thought this one would be my least favourite, but the story took off for me about halfway through, when the POV temporarily switched to Holmes. Ultimately an interesting story beyond the mystery itself.
Full review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/115399...
Full review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/115399...
May 19, 2021
I got this book in a mystery book section at a bookstore and I'm glad that I did because this was such a delight to read and has put me right back into my mystery addiction wormhole. I will now be watching Sherlock on Tv and Enola Holmes and Knives Out again.
I loved this version of Sherlock Holmes, he was the one that we know and love but more likeable in my opinion. Mary Russell was an incredible protagonist, she was clever and brave and just so full of spirit that not only is she the perfect companion for Sherlock but also a brilliant detective in her own right. I loved the two of them, especially because we got to see both of their investigations and their opinions on the case throughout the book. The other characters were wonderful too and I loved the fact that they were all varied and developed in their own way.
The mystery was well constructed and well-paced, which meant that I was engaged and intrigued the whole way through because I wanted to see what was going on with the mystery. It was well-grounded in the time period and, as I said, it was great to see the investigations of both Sherlock and Mary because they both played an important role as well as coming up with different pieces of the puzzle that formed the final mystery that was revealed at just the right time. The ending did feel a little bit rushed with the chase of the villains of the story but I did enjoy the setup of it very much. I always love a good reveal.
Laurie R.King did a wonderful job creating this story from the mystery to the characters to the world-building aspect. I thoroughly enjoyed reading every page of this book and I might try and track down some of the other books in the series now!
I loved this version of Sherlock Holmes, he was the one that we know and love but more likeable in my opinion. Mary Russell was an incredible protagonist, she was clever and brave and just so full of spirit that not only is she the perfect companion for Sherlock but also a brilliant detective in her own right. I loved the two of them, especially because we got to see both of their investigations and their opinions on the case throughout the book. The other characters were wonderful too and I loved the fact that they were all varied and developed in their own way.
The mystery was well constructed and well-paced, which meant that I was engaged and intrigued the whole way through because I wanted to see what was going on with the mystery. It was well-grounded in the time period and, as I said, it was great to see the investigations of both Sherlock and Mary because they both played an important role as well as coming up with different pieces of the puzzle that formed the final mystery that was revealed at just the right time. The ending did feel a little bit rushed with the chase of the villains of the story but I did enjoy the setup of it very much. I always love a good reveal.
Laurie R.King did a wonderful job creating this story from the mystery to the characters to the world-building aspect. I thoroughly enjoyed reading every page of this book and I might try and track down some of the other books in the series now!
March 29, 2023
Locked Rooms is an enjoyable and yet frustrating sequel in this series. This seems to be completing an arc for Mary whose past is very much the focus of the plot here. After the events of The Game, Mary heads to sort out some of her inheritance in San Francisco, but she begins to unravel. plagued by unsettling dreams and acting strangely, Mary must confront the accident that claimed her parents' life or life is about to take an very tragic turn.
Once again, the author provides that historical context that breathes fresh life into this historical fiction series. This is Prohibition Era, with Freud, Chinese mysticism and racism playing a role in this book. The epithets used are likely to disturb some modern readers, but it was mostly limited to dialogues of certain characters. And by now, one expects a bookish reference. There were at least two. There is the anachronistic placing of Carry On, Jeeves and the ode to detective author Dashiell Hammett who is a major character here.
What continues to frustrate is the development of the mystery plot. In this instance, the author chose a writing style that made this book way longer than needed. Mary is quite unreliable for most of this book, so Holmes had to have more of an input. But his portions often recapped scenes already told. This may reading/listening more disorientating as it was hard sometimes to know who was speaking. And it dragged out the plot. I am all for authors trying new techniques and playing with form. Unfortunately, this did not work well for me. And I am slowly coming to terms with the modern way that detective novels play out. There is more attention to character study so that it seems like the mystery element seems minor or afterthought. But I really wished the setup here for the crime was better fleshed out and the ending wouldn't have been so jarring.
This was a better installment to its predecessor but can't be fully understand without enduring that book. And like its predecessor, it invites to read more about a bookish character identified.
Once again, the author provides that historical context that breathes fresh life into this historical fiction series. This is Prohibition Era, with Freud, Chinese mysticism and racism playing a role in this book. The epithets used are likely to disturb some modern readers, but it was mostly limited to dialogues of certain characters. And by now, one expects a bookish reference. There were at least two. There is the anachronistic placing of Carry On, Jeeves and the ode to detective author Dashiell Hammett who is a major character here.
What continues to frustrate is the development of the mystery plot. In this instance, the author chose a writing style that made this book way longer than needed. Mary is quite unreliable for most of this book, so Holmes had to have more of an input. But his portions often recapped scenes already told. This may reading/listening more disorientating as it was hard sometimes to know who was speaking. And it dragged out the plot. I am all for authors trying new techniques and playing with form. Unfortunately, this did not work well for me. And I am slowly coming to terms with the modern way that detective novels play out. There is more attention to character study so that it seems like the mystery element seems minor or afterthought. But I really wished the setup here for the crime was better fleshed out and the ending wouldn't have been so jarring.
This was a better installment to its predecessor but can't be fully understand without enduring that book. And like its predecessor, it invites to read more about a bookish character identified.
June 15, 2018
Loved this book. I came back to it after taking a break from this series and it was like visiting an old friend. This is book 8 in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series and with the exception of Book 1, 2 and 4, this book definitely ranks as one of my favorites. It is better written than several of the others. In this book they visit San Francisco to close up the accounts and sell the assets her family owned in the area at the untimely death of her family. Mary has not been to San Francisco since the time of her families death and her survival of the crash at age 14. She spends the book trying to understand the 3 nightmares that are plaguing her dreams. I loved how this book was written both from her viewpoint as she rediscovers her past and also the sections from Holmes voice about what he doing in his own time in San Francisco. It was fun to learn more about Mary's childhood and also how Holmes has become not only her partner in their crime fighting endeavors but also how he is her husband.
August 1, 2021
I keep thinking the latest of this series is the best, and this one is no exception. In this one Holmes and Russell return home from the previous adventure through California so that Russell can take care of family business in San Francisco. She still owns property there that she inherited from her American father, and that is where the rest of her family was killed in a car crash when she was a teenager. As she gets closer to California she begins to have nightmares, and to have memories of her life there, including the crash where she lost her family. She and Holmes begin to investigate with the help of the son of former servants of her family and Dashiell Hammett who is supplementing his income by doing investigations for the Pinkerton Agency. There is some interesting background which includes the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. It is nice to see Russell find some healing there. Love the continually developing understanding of the characters in this series!
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