A Monstrous Regiment of Women

A Monstrous Regiment of Women

by Laurie R. King

★★★

This is the second in a series (the first is The Beekeeper’s Apprentice) and while I loved the first one, this didn't quite measure up for me. Mary Russell has followed in Sherlock Holmes' footsteps and has become a private detective. I really like her character and it was fun to see her develop. She came into her inheritance in this book, which dramatically changes her circumstances.

The plot focuses on an often over-looked piece of history. The young women who were left behind when WWI began had to build new lives for themselves and many joined the war effort or workforce. So many of their fiancés, sweethearts, brothers, etc. were sent off to war and many of them never returned. Those that did were often broken and so altered by PTSD as to be unrecognizable. When the war ended those same women were expected to step back into their “places”. The case in this book deals with that group of women, many of whom have joined a cult-like religion. The plot feels very secondary to Russell’s development as a character.

I've got to say, the Russell/Holmes romantic relationship just doesn’t click for me. I see them as a great meeting of the minds. They challenge each other and make a great mentor/mentee, but they met when she was a kid and he was an old man. It just creeps me out and that whole element just through me for a loop.

BOTTOM LINE: I love the writing and the characters, but the romance didn't sit right for me.

“‘What is it you want of me, Russell? I agree this is all very interesting, from the point of view of the human mind, but why bring it to me?’

‘I don’t know. I suppose I thought that telling you might help me clarify it in my own mind.’”

Also, this is my 12th and final book for the TBRChallenge!  

The Beekeeper’s Apprentice

The Beekeeper’s Apprentice

by Laurie R. King

★★★★★

Mary Russell, a 15-year-old girl meets an aging beekeeper after she moves to a small English town with her aunt. She quickly discovers it’s a newly retired Sherlock Holmes. The two are an incredible intellectual match and Sherlock decides to take Mary under his wing as an apprentice detective. The friendship that grows between the two saves them both in a way.

“We made an odd pair, the gangling, bespectacled girl and a tall, sardonic recluse, blessed or cursed with minds of hard brilliance that alienated all but the most tenacious.”

Mary is an outstanding character. She is smart and fiercely independent. She can take Sherlock’s rough demeanor and give it back to him in the same way. We watch as she grows into a strong adult and develops an incredibly keen eye.

As for Sherlock’s world, it feels like King picks up right where Doyle left off. We get to see Watson, Mycroft and Mrs. Hudson again, such a treat for Sherlock fans. This novel is more character driven than Doyle’s work, but that made it all the more enjoyable for me.

"It was none other than the long-suffering Mrs. Hudson, whom I had long considered the most underrated figure in all of Dr. Watson's stories. Yet another example of the man's obtuseness, this inability to know a gem unless it be set in gaudy gold."

The mystery is well-plotted, but it’s more about the relationship that develops. Mary has a lot of guilt from her past and Sherlock has a hard time treating anyone like an equal. The two are good for each other. It moves slowly in parts, but it gives us a chance to see Mary develop and not just solve a single case.  

BOTTOM LINE: Loved it. It’s the first in a series and I already found a copy of the second book. If you enjoy Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original Shakespeare books than this is a great one for you.

"That's what tears are for, you know, to wash away the fear and cool the hate."

“The discovery of a sign of true intellect outside ourselves procures us something of the emotion Robinson Crusoe felt when he saw the imprint of a human foot on the sandy beach of his island.”

I read this for the R.I.P. Challenge hosted by Stainless Steel Droppings.