Author: Laurie R. King
Genre: Mystery, Series #1
Published: 1994
Personal Rating: 4/5 (very good)
Yearly Count: 57
Mary Russell literally stumbles upon Sherlock Holmes at the age of 15, and the two develop a relationship on many levels. As Russell comes of age and grows under the tutelage of Holmes, they begin working cases together and trust builds between them. Several cases are addressed, but the most pervasive being the hunt for a kidnapped little girl, which evolves into being hunted by the unknown.
The first half was pure enjoyment. It reminded me of one of my favorite series: Maisie Dobbs written by Jacqueline Winspear. Both series share a similar timeframe (one at the onset of WWI - the other after) and begin with a young girl morphing into a sleuth. However, the pace of the second half of The Beekeeper's Apprentice changed considerably and stretched out the story line. Thankfully, at this point, it didn't change my feelings about the characters. I really liked them and got a kick out of their conversations.
As a whole, I enjoyed the duo very much and look forward to reading what Laurie R. King can do with the them on her own. (This book was written by an unknown author with only minor "doctoring" by King.) How does the first and second compare? Can you tell that they are written by two different authors?
I've heard lots of good things about this series so I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed it! I'll have to check it out myself at some point in the near future. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI've had this one for a while and after all the raves I've read, I really need to get to it.
ReplyDeleteI am not a big fan of Sherlock Holmes, but I recently added this book to my TBR pile after a friend twisted my arm. I am glad you enjoyed it, Joy!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this first in the series, but the following two were even better. Then I stopped reading the series, kind of got tired of it for some reason.
ReplyDeleteI did not know that King didn't actually write this one.
Two different authors??? I had no idea...loved this one but I haven't gotten to book #2..yet!
ReplyDeleteInteresting about the authors. Makes me less likely to read the book.
ReplyDeleteSamantha ~ Me, too! It appears that the series is very successful.
ReplyDeleteBermudaonion ~ I'm looking forward to the 2nd in the series. I think you'll enjoy the 1st.
Literary Feline ~ I'm with you regarding Sherlock Holmes. Well, at least I thought I was. I never read anything that pertained to him - he just didn't appeal to me. I enjoyed this, though. I hope you do, too.
Vickie ~ For real!?! That's great news! So apparently King writes better than the anonymous author. Yay! Thanks.
Staci ~ We may even like the 2nd one more! Isn't that great news?
Stacybuckeye ~ Well, it seems as if she did good with the idea. :)
BTW - She didn't "steal" the idea, the book was sent to her. She couldn't locate anybody connected with it, so proceeded with fixing it up and getting it published.
It sounds like you enjoyed this better than I did. I loved the first half, when Mary was young, but the second half failed to hold my attention. It's been years since I read it, and who knows what was going on in my life at the time!
ReplyDeleteInteresting tidbit about the unknown author!
Les ~ I'm really looking forward to seeing what King has actually done on her own. I really liked the characters, but I hope she does some magic with the plot. I think I'm going to try to find the second as an audiobook, too.
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