The Twentieth-Anniversary Edition of the First Novel of the Acclaimed Mary Russell Series by Edgar Award–Winning Author Laurie R. King. An Agatha Award Best Novel Nominee • Named One of the Century’s Best 100 Mysteries by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association In 1915, Sherlock Holmes is retired and quietly engaged in the study of honeybees in Sussex when a young woman literally stumbles … in Sussex when a young woman literally stumbles onto him on the Sussex Downs. Fifteen years old, gawky, egotistical, and recently orphaned, the young Mary Russell displays an intellect to impress even Sherlock Holmes. Under his reluctant tutelage, this very modern, twentieth-century woman proves a deft protégée and a fitting partner for the Victorian detective. They are soon called to Wales to help Scotland Yard find the kidnapped daughter of an American senator, a case of international significance with clues that dip deep into Holmes’s past. Full of brilliant deduction, disguises, and danger, The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, the first book of the Mary Russell–Sherlock Holmes mysteries, is “remarkably beguiling” (The Boston Globe).
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This book was purchased on a whim and led me to reading ALL of her books that she has ever written. The storyline between Holmes and the young woman is wonderful.
Great character – well written – King writes excellent mysteries. A little bit of a nagging thought … just how old IS Sherlock Holmes???
A new take on Sherlock Holmes. It’s beautifully written, and very clever. The characters come to life, and you don’t want to let them go when the last page is reached. Wonderful!
Great twist on the Sherlock stories. Plots well thought out. Whole series is superb.
I must have read this over a decade ago – and yet I still remember “meeting” Mary and Sherlock – and THEIR meeting. GREAT series.
The start of a wonderful series.
Love this book and the series.
Laurie R. King is the standard bearer of historical novels. Her use of settings are well-imagined and informative. I always feel I am looking into the past, yet satisfying modern sensibilities. I love mysteries, but when reading her books, I almost love the setting and atmosphere she provides even more.
I loved this book.
Not a Sherlock Holmes story, but a totally new approach. Very readable series.
I want more Mary Russell!!
I loved all of the Mary Russell books, with the exception of Pirate King. The premise, which is laid out in this first of the series, is totally original and absolutely captivating. It was difficult to wait for Laurie King to get the next book published so I could spend more time with Holmes and Russell; they’ve become treasured friends.
The main character is a strong young woman whose mind is a match for Holmes’. She is also far more human and emotional and a wonderful character. Which is good, since she’s the narrator.
I loved this book and almost all of its sequels.
Laurie King writes really good suspense and detective novels. Not all of them are Holmes-related. Seek them out and read them!
An entertaining and interesting read. Well developed lovable characters. I very much enjoyed it.
I started The Beekeeper’s Apprentice on audio, back when audiobooks still came on cassettes. The only cassette player I had at the time was in my car and I didn’t drive enough to “read” as much of the story as I liked. So halfway through I ditched the audio and got a physical copy, so that I could have more of it faster.
The series hold a special place in my heart because these books are what first inspired the thought in my head that perhaps someday I could write my own Sherlock Holmes adaptation.
This was an amazing book. As you read this, Russell’s and Holmes’s experiences make you think logically. All the time. You see Russell change from before the time she meets Holmes and then after. Especially concerning the Dream. I loved this book!
I started this series not that long ago – I’m in the middle of it, but so far the book is glorious and Mary Russell (a mini-me Holmes in the best possible way) is a marvelous addition to the genre. It’s written in segments that can almost be read as short stories (like most of the original canon) but they are all pieced together seamlessly into the novel. It doesn’t feel like short stories (which is good, I don’t often like stories because they like the character development I think is the hallmark of a truly great book), but it does allow you to set it aside and read it over time without worrying about losing most of what has happened before and needing to reread chapters and chapters before you can regain the thread…
Mary Russell is marvelous. It’s a very refreshing change to see a prominent, non-support-role and non-villainous woman in the series. Plus she’s just a great character – sassy and complicated and brilliant and multi-talented… She’s the perfect compatriot for Sherlock. It’s also nice to see Mrs. Hudson come into her own a bit more in these books. The Sherlock in these books is both what you expect and not quite so; it’s delightful because it feels like revisiting an old friend but not like reliving the old days. The game is all new and it is definitely afoot!
For my full commentary visit http://blog.jill-elizabeth.com/2016/08/23/not-quite-a-review-since-im-still-reading-it-the-beekeepers-apprentice-by-laurie-r-king/
Laurie King’s Mary Russell, young and intrepid wife to Sherlock Holmes, is one of my favorite heroines. I didn’t begin the series at this book and haven’t read it in any order, but this initial story of her coming of age and meeting her mentor and future husband is truly unique, beautifully written and enjoyable.
I just hated it when I finished the Sherlock Holmes stories years ago. I love having them back again, new ones, and from a slightly different point of view- from his wife, who is, of course, as much an original as Holmes himself
I’m very late in coming to this series (I didn’t even know it was a series, I’d only heard of the first book, long ago) but I’m glad I finally read it (audio). The relationship between Holmes and Mary is skillfully built over the course of their first few years of acquaintance, making me care very much how it it progresses. I want to read more!